iOS 16.1 Beta Lets You Disable AirPods Pro 2 Touch Volume Control

In the iOS 16.1 beta, Apple is giving users of the second-generation AirPods Pro the ability to disable touch controls for volume.

airpods pro 2
One feature of the new AirPods Pro is that users can increase or decrease volume by swiping up or down on the touch sensors on the individual stems. While some users may find the feature convenient, others may not. On iOS 16.0.2, the current public release of iOS 16, users cannot disable touch controls for volume.

ios16
In the iOS 16.1 beta, there is a new toggle inside the Accessibility page for the second-generation AirPods Pro to enable or disable touch controls for volume. As before, users can customize the press-and-hold functionality of the AirPods Pro stems, including to switch among Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, and Off, or to invoke Siri.

iOS 16.1 is available for developers and members of Apple's public beta program, with a public release expected in October. In addition to the new toggle for the AirPods Pro, iOS 16.1 will include changes to the battery indicator and more.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Here's When Tesla is Expected to Add Support for Apple CarPlay

Sunday November 16, 2025 6:49 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Tesla plans to add Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles "in the coming months." This is easily the biggest news for the regular version of CarPlay in years, should Tesla actually follow through with offering the system in its vehicles. As noted by Gurman, this would be a stunning reversal for Tesla and its CEO Elon ...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
Apple Sports App Preview Feature

Apple Sports App on iPhone Now Available in More European Countries

Monday November 17, 2025 6:27 am PST by
The free Apple Sports app on the iPhone was released in additional European countries today, including Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Ukraine, and others. The app was already available in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Austria, France, Germany,...

Top Rated Comments

Sydnxt Avatar
41 months ago

That’s tells you all you need to know about that “feature”.
Options are good; that's all this is.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PinkyMacGodess Avatar
41 months ago

I wonder if it's your sleeves or cuffs making that accidental swipe.
That is why I wear my watch on the left wrist configured with the crown to the left. My gloves for yard work and weight training were playing havoc with that volume function, and also pushing on the crown too, most distracting. I was overjoyed to find out that I could set it up this way and avoid it happening. It works so well in winter too. Not having that option, I could have seen dropping the AW.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Podracing2 Avatar
41 months ago

Anyone know how much the volume is changed by a single full swipe up or down, 10%, 25%, …?
The exact same amount as by the iPhone volume buttons.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
41 months ago
16.1 Beta 2 will let you disable the more frequent noise cancellation, the better sound driver, the U1 chip on the case together with the speakers. /s
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msackey Avatar
41 months ago

Apple should make other features available not this one....here we just dont swipe if we dont want to adjust the volume from the airpods themselves. In 2 days i never from mistake swipe and adjust the volume while trying to do different things
Not sure I fully agree with this. There can be some differently abled users who have a hard time not accidentally changing the volume of their pods when trying to remove or put in the pod. I see it as good to have the option to disable swipe volume control.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msackey Avatar
41 months ago

You can? Also I do it by mistake ALL THE TIME. I don’t know how but I always manage to somehow adjust the volume from my watch, either all the way down or up. Happens to my echos plying music or my AirPods
I wonder if it's your sleeves or cuffs making that accidental swipe.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)