The 12 Best AirPods Tips and Tricks of 2023

Pair AirPods With Devices Other Than the iPhone

Sure, they work with Macs, Apple TV, and Apple Watch., but they can also be connected to Android phones, game systems, Windows computers, and virtually any other device that supports Bluetooth. On non-Apple devices, they work like wireless earbuds but not all of their features are available. The sound is just as good, however.

Customize Double-Tap Actions

By default, double-tapping your AirPods makes them play or pause the audio you're listening to, or answer a phone call. But did you know you can customize AirPods settings and have the double tap trigger different actions? In fact, you can make a each AirPod do a different thing when double tapped. Here's how:

1. On an iOS device, tap the Settings app.
2. Tap Bluetooth.
3. Tap the i icon next to your AirPods.
4. Find the Double-Tap on AirPod section, then select Left or Right. This determines which of your AirPods you'll change the settings for.
5. Choose what you want to have happen when you double tap that AirPod: Siri, Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, and Off (choose this and nothing happens when you double tap the AirPod).

Use AirPods as a Hearing Aid

This might be the coolest hidden AirPods feature of all. If you're using AirPods with an iPhone, you can turn the iPhone into a remote listening device and the AirPods into a hearing aid. Imagine this: you're in a crowded, noisy restaurant or bar and it's almost impossible to hear the person you're trying to talk to. If you turn this feature on and place the iPhone near that person, the iPhone's microphone will pick up what they say and send it to your AirPods for easier listening. Crazy, right?! Here's how to make this work:

1. On the iPhone, tap Settings.
2. Tap Control Center.
3. Tap Customize Controls.
4. Tap the + icon next to Hearing.
5. Connect your AirPods to your iPhone.
6. Open Control Center and tap the Hearing icon (it looks like an ear).
7. Tap Live Listen.

AirPods Can Tell You Who's Calling

With your AirPods configured the right way, you'll never have to take your phone out of your pocket to find out who's calling you. That's because your AirPods can actually announce who the call is from to help you decide whether you want to answer it now or not. Here's what you need to do to enable this feature:

1. On your iPhone, tap the Settings app.
2. Tap Phone.
3. Tap Announce Calls.
4. Tap Headphones Only.

Share Audio With a Friend

First released with iOS 13, you can share audio with a friend who has AirPods — and it's super simple. Here's what to do:

1. You and your friend both need to be within range of your iPhone (a couple of dozen feet) and have your AirPods in your ears.
2. Start playing audio on your iPhone.
3. Open Control Center.
4. Open the music controls.
5. Both AirPods will appear there. Just tap on both of them and you'll be listening to the same audio in no time.

Check AirPods Battery Life

Without a screen, and with just the status light to go on, it can be pretty hard to figure out how much battery your AirPods or the case have left. There are a number of ways to check battery life, including a couple of options on the iPhone, a way on the Mac, and even with an audio alert.

Talk to Siri With AirPods

Both generations of AirPods can let you talk to Siri (as long as the earbuds are connected to an Apple device that runs Siri; sorry, Android users, there's no Siri for Android). On the 1st Generation model, a double tap activates Siri. On the 2nd Generation model, just say "Hey Siri." Ask Siri to do things like send a text message, check AirPods battery life, raise or lower volume, skip songs, and more.

Find Your Lost AirPods

With AirPods being so small, losing them is a constant risk. Luckily, Apple has added support for finding lost or stolen AirPods to its widely used (and very effective) Find My tool. Learn how to use the tool to find your missing earbuds in How to Find Lost Apple AirPods.

AirPods + Apple Watch = On the Go Audio

Heading out for a run, hike, bike ride, or trip to the gym? You can leave your iPhone behind and just take your Apple Watch and AirPods to minimize weight while still enjoying audio. To do this, just follow these simple steps:

1. On your Apple Watch, open Control Center (swipe up from the bottom when looking at the watch face).
2. Tap the AirPlay icon (three rings with a triangle in the bottom).
3. Select your AirPods.

Different Lights Mean Different Things

The case of the AirPods has a status light that changes color. The color change isn't just to be different, it's to indicate a certain condition:

• Green light:, earbuds in case: AirPods are fully charged.
• Green light, without earbuds in case: Case is fully charged.
• Orange light: Under one charge remains in case battery.
• Flashing orange light: AirPods need to be set up again.
• Flashing white light: AirPods are ready for set up.

Control Your AirPods' Microphone

Both AirPods have a microphone built into them so that no matter which you have in your ear, you can always talk on the phone or use Siri (more on that in a moment). But you can also assign the microphone to only ever work on one AirPod and not the other by following these steps:

1. On an iOS device, tap Settings -> Bluetooth -> i icon next to your AirPods.
2. Tap Microphone.
3. Tap Always Left AirPod or Always Right AirPod, depending on which you wan to use.