How do you customize your music's sound? With your iPhone and iPad's equalizer.
Whether you have particularly bass-heavy headphones or you just want to meddle with your sound for a particular album, Apple makes it simple to adjust the EQ — equalizer — for your music.
Digital equalizers allow you to rebalance various sound frequencies in music so that they sound differently than their original mix. This is great if you have headphones that rely a bit too much on bass, or an album that sounds too tinny on small speakers.
How to equalize music on your iPhone or iPad
- Connect your headphones or speakers to your iPhone or iPad.
- Queue up a track in the Music app that you want to equalize.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on the Music option.
Select EQ from under the Playback section, .
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to view Control Center.
- Swipe left until you find the Music app glance.
- Press Play on your track.
Swipe down on Control Center to return to the Settings screen.
- Cycle through Apple's 23 equalizer settings to find the one you prefer.
Equalization will persist as long as your speaker or headphones are connected. To change or disable it, visit Settings > Music > EQ and tap Off.
Questions on EQ?
Let us know in the comments.
Reader comments
How to adjust EQ (your music equalizer) on your iPhone or iPad
I've found the EQ setting to be persistent, regardless of whether the headphones are connected or whether I choose airplay as the output. Seems like it makes more sense for EQ to be dependent on the chosen output. Also, I don't understand why Apple couldn't make this a system-wide EQ, instead of just for the Music app..
I take it that the equalizer only work for the Apple Music app and not the third party music apps like Spotify? I know Spotify has its own equalizer but just wanted to make sure if I have the Apple Music one on it doesn't have an adverse effect on the Spotify one.
Such a convoluted exercise to change the EQ...why don't they just allow it to be accessed from the UI? I hate the way this is buried in the settings!
Unfortunately this is a EQ preset, which is very poor in quality. This preset mode comes from the first iPhone, no improvements since then. I think it is time for Music App to have its own "equalizer" so you can adjust the frequencies (rich bass and treble). At the moment I can't use this app and I have to use a third party app which can provide a good EQ that I can really manipulate.
I completely agree! Fingers crossed for iOS 11.
A system wide EQ for audio is needed with easy access in control center. This should include podcasts, music, TV and any streaming audio regardless of the source.