I have been using my reliable AirPods Pro 1st gen for 2 years now, and the only thing that nags me about them is the lack of an equaliser to tweak the sound since I am not a fan of Apple's default tuning. So when Apple announced an EQ for AirPods was coming with iOS 27, I was ecstatic.
That's until I learnt it's limited to AirPods Pro 2, Pro 3, Max 2 and other devices with the H2 chip. The disappointment sent me hunting for a workaround, and I found one hiding right inside the iPhone's Accessibility settings.
I Present You: Headphone Accommodations
The workaround I am talking about is called Headphone Accommodations. I don't blame you if you have never heard of it, since I hadn't either until I found myself digging through Accessibility settings trying to fix a white dot on my iPhone. And I couldn't believe my eyes when I learned what you could do with it.
Its description reads, "You can customise audio for supported Apple and Beats headphones," which is exactly what I was looking for. It provides some level of audio adjustment for all AirPods, as well as Beats earbuds and headphones, which is great if you have one of those.
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It's More Customisable Than I Thought
While the iOS 27 update brings a 3-band equaliser that lets you set a custom EQ for your AirPods, you're not missing out on much if you don't have an iOS 27-eligible device or any of the latest AirPods. Obviously, headphone accommodations don't have fine-tuning, but they have plenty of customisations. And you can use it, even on iPhones running iOS 14.
You get three tone profiles under a section called Audio Tuning:
- Balanced Tone: Lifts across a broad range of frequencies.
- Vocal Range: Pushes the mids forward, suited for podcasts, audiobooks and calls.
- Brightness: Raises the highs for more treble detail.
There's also a slider that lets me amplify soft sounds and separate toggles if I want the same settings for phone calls too or just media. Even the built-in EQ does not offer this much flexibility.
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How to Turn On Headphone Accommodations on iPhone
Turning it on is pretty simple; you just need to know where to look for it. So I have explained the steps to turn on headphone accommodations below.
- Connect your AirPods or Beats earbuds to your iPhone and wear them on.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone and go to Accessibility > Audio & Visual.
- Then select Headphone Accommodations and turn on the Headphone Accommodations toggle.
Now you can customise the audio as I have explained above. You can also tap on Play Sample to hear the difference before committing.
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How Does AirPods with Headphone Accommodations Sound?
I did not want to chalk it up to be a replacement for the built-in equaliser without actually testing it first. So, I tried out the custom tuning with my AirPods Pro 1st gen paired with my iPhone Air running on the latest iOS 27 public beta.
I listened through a few tracks back-to-back that I had used in my Nothing Ear (open) review, mostly because I know what they are supposed to sound like by now and can point out the differences in tuning easily.
James Blake's "Limit to Your Love" was the clearest tell. That enormous sub-bass drop gets visibly reined in on Balanced Tone, and the focus shifts forward onto the vocal and the instrumentation when switching to the Vocal Range or Brightness option.
Bohemian Rhapsody's and Hotel California's instrumentals became slightly more prominent and upfront with the Brightness option selected. And the effect is amplified by cranking the slider strength to Strong.
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Does It Really Replace iOS 27's Equaliser?
Overall, Headphone Accomodations does not give me minute controls over the sound that a three-band EQ offers. The effect on the audio quality is not bad either and works fine for most listeners who just want to make minor audio changes.
Especially for folks, like me, who don't want to haggle, changing the frequencies up or down without a clue about what we are actually doing. But for those who do know a thing or two about EQ settings, I think an upgrade to the latest AirPods is the only solution.
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