How to Skip Songs on AirPods

Using double tap to get more from your Apple earbuds

person with airpods and coffee

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by Jordan Baranowski
Jordan Baranowski is a former Lifewire writer and educator with experience writing for SVG, The Nerd Stash, and Feast Magazine.
Updated September 30, 2019

With Apple AirPods, you can set up a variety of quick AirPod gestures to make things like skipping songs a snap. Here's how to adjust the settings on your AirPods. They're simple to configure on any device they're connected with via Bluetooth.

How to Adjusting AirPods Gestures

You'll access your AirPods settings through the device they're currently paired with.

  1. Open your AirPods case. This communicates with your connected device so they automatically pair with connected devices.

  2. On your device, tap Settings > Bluetooth.

  3. Find your AirPods and tap the i icon next to their name.

  4. The Double-Tap gesture is how you control some functions of your AirPods. Tap the Left or Right AirPod and you can assign a different function for the Double-Tap gesture for each, including:

  • Siri: You can turn on Siri with a quick double-tap, which will allow you use voice commands to find a new song, adjust volume, or any of the other regular functions that Siri has.
  • Skip: You can set up a double-tap to skip to the next track.
  • Go Back: You can also set a double-tap to go back to the beginning or skip back to the previous track.
  • Play, Pause or Stop: Finally, you can add any of these functions to either of your AirPods.
Bluetooth, Info button, Double-Tap on Airpod options in iOS Settings

If you like to use AirPods at work, or somewhere where you may have to start and stop your music frequently, add a Pause function to one of your AirPods. If you mainly use them for long, uninterrupted stretches—like working out—add a Skip gesture.