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

m5 macbook pro deal

Why You Shouldn't Buy the Next MacBook Pro

Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3

Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, ...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Apple Expected to Launch These 10+ Products Over the Coming Months

Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more. Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
iPhone 16e Bottom Crop

Apple Reportedly Unveiling a New iPhone Next Week

Tuesday February 10, 2026 1:51 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically. The iPhone 17e will be a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e. Rumors claim the device will have four key...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Acquires New Database App

Wednesday February 11, 2026 6:44 am PST by
Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged. The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions. Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...

Top Rated Comments

Sydnxt Avatar
44 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
44 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)
44 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
44 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)
44 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)
44 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)