With Apple’s AirPods, you can listen to your favorite music, audiobooks, and podcasts just like any other pair of truly wireless earbuds. But if you know the right tips, you can do a lot more, like talk to Siri, control music playback, and enhance the audio. You can also check and preserve the battery charge on your AirPodsBelow are six tips to help you get the most out of your AirPods especially if you are new owners.
Keep your airpods safe with Find My
Apple’s latest AirPods, including the AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro, feature Find My integration, so if they’re stolen or misplaced, you can locate them with the Find My app. AirPods can take advantage of the Find My network so you can leverage the iPhones, iPads, and Macs of other people to track down a lost set of AirPods wherever they end up, so long as the battery holds out.
Activate or Deactivate Automatic Device Switching
Apple’s AirPods have a feature that allows them to automatically connect to whatever device is in active use, so if you swap from your iPhone to your Mac, the AirPods connection is meant to transition from one device to another as you do. Automatic Switching can be useful, but there are instances where you might not want it turned on if it’s switching between devices inappropriately. You can manage it by following these steps:
- Connect your AirPods to your iPhone.
- Open up the Settings app.
- Tap on Bluetooth and then select the “i” next to your AirPods in the list.
Check your airpods battery life
If you want to keep tabs on your AirPods battery life, there are multiple ways to do so. AirPods will tell you battery level when you connect them to a device, or you can use the “Battery” widget on an iPhone or an iPad. Siri is also able to tell you your AirPods battery life, and if your AirPods are connected to your Apple Watch, the control center offers battery life information. For more on the different ways to check your AirPods battery life, we have a dedicated AirPods battery how-to.
Use the Force Sensor to Control Playback
If you’ve upgraded to the AirPods 3 or AirPods Pro from the original AirPods or the AirPods 2, or if you’re new to its usage entirely, you might not be familiar with the physical controls. The AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro have a built-in force sensor in the stem. The force sensor can be used for controlling media playback with different presses.
- Single press – Play/Pause audio
- Double press – Skip forward
- Triple press – Skip backward
- Press when there’s a call – Answer incoming call
- Double press on a call – Hang up
- Press and hold – Activate Siri
On AirPods Pro, you can customize what the long-press force sensor gesture does because it can be set to Noise Control or Siri. The AirPods 3 do not have Active Noise Cancellation and are limited to Siri for the press-and-hold gesture.
Make Sure Spatial Audio is Activated
Spatial audio is a feature that offers immersive three-dimensional sound, and it is able to follow the movement of the iPhone with supported audio and video. Spatial audio can be toggled on or off using the Control Center, and it is available for AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.
- With it connected to your iPhone or iPad, open up the Control Center.
- On the volume slider, you should see a little icon that looks like the AirPods. If you don’t see it, reconnect your AirPods.
- Long press on the volume slider.
- Tap on the “Spatial Audio” option.
Turn on Announce Notifications
With Siri integration and the latest version of iOS (which is iOS 15), the earbuds are able to announce all of your incoming notifications, including Messages.
Here’s how to turn it on:
- Open up the Settings app.
- Tap on “Notifications.”
- Tap on “Announce Notifications.”
- Toggle on “Announce Notifications.”
- Toggle on “Headphones.”
With both Announce Notifications and Headphones toggled on, Siri will read out notifications from apps of your choice when you have the AirPods in and will give you an opportunity to respond. So if you have an incoming text message, Siri will read it out and give you a chance to send out a reply, all hands-free.
