I've been using AirPods Pro 3 like open-ear earbuds, and I'm never going back

One of the reasons I enjoy using open-ear earbuds is that they let me listen to music without tuning out the world around me. I’ve used them while cycling to work, walking the dog, and even working at my desk for exactly that reason. Lately, though, I’ve found myself reaching for my AirPods Pro 3 instead.

I didn’t discover a hidden setting. I simply left Transparency mode on and started listening at a much lower volume than usual. The result surprised me: I could hear my keyboard, birds outside my window, and people talking nearby while my music still sounded full. It doesn’t turn the AirPods Pro 3 into an open design, but it’s close enough that it has changed how I use them.

Turn the volume down and let Transparency mode do the work

The trick is to turn the volume down until your music becomes part of the environment instead of competing with it. Once I started using Transparency mode this way, I stopped thinking of it as a way to hear the outside world and started thinking of it as a way to blend my music into it.

That might sound counterintuitive, but give it a try. Put your AirPods Pro 3 in Transparency mode, start a playlist, then keep lowering the volume until it’s quieter than you normally prefer. You should still be able to follow your music while noticing the sounds that usually disappear once your earbuds are in. In my case, that means hearing everything from my mechanical keyboard to my dog’s tags jingling around the house.

Transparency mode gets most of the credit here. At normal listening volumes, your music naturally becomes the focus. Turn the volume down, and that balance changes — the sounds around you come through, and your music sits alongside them rather than drowning them out. It also helps that Apple’s Loudness-Dependent EQ keeps music from losing its bass strength at lower volumes, so I’m never tempted to creep the volume back up.

After a few days, I realized I wasn’t turning the volume back up at all. My music stayed in the background while I worked, but I never felt like I was missing anything. Before long, I noticed my open-ear earbuds were staying in the drawer more often than not.

Open-ear earbuds still have their place, but I reach for them less

Of course, this by no means makes dedicated open-ear earbuds obsolete. If you dislike ear tips or simply prefer the comfort of an open design, the AirPods Pro 3 won’t change that. You’re still wearing in-ear earbuds, and that seal never completely disappears.

But if your main reason for considering open-ear earbuds is staying aware of your surroundings, this trick gets surprisingly close — and the AirPods Pro 3 are more versatile. When I’m at my desk or out running errands, I switch to Transparency mode and turn the volume down. On a plane or a noisy bus, I switch on ANC and block out the world instead. Rather than switching between two pairs of earbuds, I simply switch listening modes depending on where I am.

If you already own a pair, try lowering the volume in Transparency mode before shopping for dedicated open-ear earbuds. You might discover your AirPods already do exactly what you’re looking for.