Apple’s next AirPods could have drastically more immersive sound

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Apple’s AirPods are popular all over the world for their incredible sound quality and everything else. And the company has now filed a patent titled “Measuring Virtual Listening Environment,” indicating a new audio experience for its wireless earbuds. In this post, we’ll learn more about the latest Apple AirPods patent for immersive sound.

Apple AirPods Immersive Sound Patent Overview:

According to ithome, Apple has filed a patent application at the United States Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO). This feature aims to make your listening experience more immersive and realistic by automatically tweaking the sound quality based on environmental noises.

Apple AirPods Patent
Image: ithome

As per the image above, AirPods will recognize the user’s surroundings (like a concert hall, classroom, public transit, etc.) using the available sensors, microphones, and digital signal processing (DSP) unit. And Apple’s audio algorithm will then tweak the audio quality and tune the sound acoustics of the source audio or video file according to the ambient sound, for a more engaging and immersive listening experience.

Existing AirPods on the market already include some cool features that distinguish them from the competition. Apple AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), and AirPods 3 include an “adaptive equalizer” feature that automatically adjusts sound quality based on the user’s ear shape for customized audio quality. But do note that, this new “immersive sound” patent for Apple AirPods is just a patent for now. And Apple could very well end up scrapping this idea altogether if things don’t work out.

Apple AirPods Touchscreen Case - Patent
Image: Patently Apple

In related news, Apple was also granted a patent by the USPTO for a radically different type of AirPods case. One with an interactive touchscreen that offers media control and even some basic applications like Maps, Weather, and more.