Active Noise Cancellation with AirPods Pro - how many decibels are reduced?

Apple does not provide actual decibel numbers on their website since every situation is unique, but your Apple Watch will give you a live decibel reading factoring in your AirPods. It works for the following listening modes:

1. Off

2. Transparency

3. Adaptive

4. Noise Cancellation

Simply put on your AirPods Pro and open the Noise app on Apple Watch to see the current decibel reading. You can toggle the AirPods icon ON or OFF to see the difference in decibel reduction.

Note: Toggling the AirPods icon ON or OFF in the Noise app does not turn ON or OFF noise cancellation or change listening modes.

I tested this on AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro 2, but this should work with any set of AirPods that have noise cancellation.

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Tested on watchOS 26.5 Beta 4 and iOS 26.5 Beta 3.