AirPods come with no obvious controls, so it’s easy to think you just stick them in your ears and start listening. But Apple’s wireless earbuds offer features that aren’t immediately obvious. We recently published six hidden tips and tricks for AirPods. Now here are a few more you might not know.
The latest group covers how to easily control your AirPods, how to find a lost one, and a simple way to extend their battery life.
AirPods tricks for (almost) all
Because there are multiple Apple wireless earbud models to choose from, across a range of prices, not every AirPods trick applies to every device. The ones here work for all versions of AirPods and AirPods Pro. But AirPods Max over-the-ear headphones are excluded — they’re just too different.
None of these tips are secrets. It’s quite possible you know about one or more of them already. Or maybe you don’t — I regularly discover that people aren’t aware of features of their Apple devices that I think are common knowledge.
1. AirPods come with customizable controls
Image: Cult of Mac
Glance at an AirPod and it’s easy to think the earbud has no external controls. Actually, it does. Exactly what form these take depends on your model, but all AirPods models have them.
Original and second-gen AirPods detect taps at the top of their stems. It doesn’t matter if the stem is on the left or right earbud. A double tap will automatically answer an incoming call. Or you can set the virtual button to play and pause audio content, play the next track, activate Siri or do other things. (Visit Apple’s support site for more details on changing settings on AirPods 1 or 2.)
On AirPods 3 and AirPods 4 (both the regular version and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation), Apple added a force sensor in a small indentation on the stem (either one). The number of times you press it controls what happens. Press once to play or pause audio, or to answer a call if your iPhone is ringing. Double-press to jump to the next track. Triple-press to jump back a track. Press and hold to activate Siri.
For AirPods 4 with ANC, you can press and hold the stem to switch between Noise Cancellation, Transparency and Adaptive Audio. You also can customize exactly how the switching works. (On an iPhone with your AirPods 4 with ANC connected, go to Settings > [Your AirPods name]. On a Mac, go the Apple menu > System Settings, then select your AirPods name in the sidebar.)
AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro 2
For AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro 2, Apple added a sensor to the stems. Pressing it activates the same controls as AirPods 3.
But with AirPods Pro 1 and 2, you have additional options. You can set the earbuds to toggle between Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes when you press and hold the stem, or to activate Siri instead. (Get more details on changing AirPods Pro settings from Apple’s support website.)
Exclusively with AirPods Pro 2, you can lightly swipe up or down on the stem to adjust the volume.
If you have further questions, visit the AirPods controls page on Apple’s support website.
Head gestures for AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2
Apple also added head gestures to AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 to respond to Siri‘s announcements. You can simply nod your head up and down like you’re saying “Yes” to accept an incoming call or reply to notifications or messages. To decline a call or dismiss notifications/messages, shake your head from side to side like you’re saying, “No.”
As Apple notes, you must turn on Announce Calls and Announce Notifications to use these head gestures. (On iPhone, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri to switch on those features.)
2. Finding your AirPods is not a trick
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
People who struggle to find lost AirPods are probably unaware that Apple builds in tools to help you locate them. Every version of AirPods supports the Find My app and service. Open the app on your iPhone, select the Devices tab, then choose your AirPods.
Specify which AirPod is missing (left or right) and you’ll be shown its location on a map.
Once you are close to your misplaced AirPod, you can make it play a sound. In the Find My app, select the Devices tab, then choose your AirPods, and tap Play Sound.
All this is very useful if you took your AirPods out and forgot where you set them. But it’s not helpful if they are still inside the case.
With AirPods Pro 2 (and only AP2), you can track the location of the case or have it play a sound. For all other models, you should consider attaching an AirTag or a similar tracking tag to the case.
For more details, visit Apple’s page on finding your lost AirPods.
3. Use one AirPod at a time for all-day listening
AirPods last five or six hours before needing a recharge, not a whole workday. But there’s an easy way to keep listening to music or podcasts for twice as long: Use only a single AirPod at a time.
It’s not an ideal solution — it’s harder to close out the world, if that’s your goal. Maybe put an earplug in the other ear.
Your iPhone or Mac won’t care that you have only a single AirPod in an ear. You don’t have to change any settings.
Do this, and you can maybe get 10 or 12 hours of continuous listening out of two AirPods.
We originally published this post on AirPods tricks on August 17, 2023. We updated the information.
