Technology

Tips and tricks for getting the most out of your new AirPods or AirPods Pro

AirPods and AirPods Pro are some of the most popular Christmas gifts every year, and that was no different this year. Aggressive sales pricing and ample supply saw many people unwrap AirPods or AirPods Pro today. Here are some of the best tips, tricks, and features to get you started with your new AirPods.

  • Name your AirPods

The most basic way to personalize your AirPods or AirPods Pro is by giving them a custom name. Here’s how to do this after you’ve paired your AirPods to your iPhone or iPad:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap “Bluetooth”
  3. Look for your AirPods in the list of devices, tap the “i” next to them
  4. Tap “Name” and type in whatever name you want
  • Ear Tip Fit Test

AirPods Pro feature the unique option to choose the tip size that best fits your ear. To access this feature, go to Settings, Bluetooth, and tap the “i” next to your AirPods. Look for the “Ear Tip Fit Test” option. Once you do this, your AirPods Pro will test the seal provided by the tip you selected, and offer suggestions on whether to switch to the larger or smaller tips.

This feature is exclusive to AirPods Pro, as they include three different sets of tip sizes in the box. AirPods feature a one-size-fits-all design, but you can buy aftermarket ear hooks if you have trouble securing them to your ears.

  • Customize your controls

While you can always use the controls on your paired iPhone to manage your AirPods, the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max all feature built-in control options as well.

For AirPods, you can double-tap either AirPod. By default, this will pause playback.To customize this behavior:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Tap Bluetooth, and tap the “i” next to your AirPods
  3. Look for your AirPods in the list of devices, tap the “i” next to them

Once here, you can customize the double-tap gesture to invoke Siri, play/pause, and skip to the next track or previous track. You can also turn off the double-tap feature altogether.

Whereas standard AirPods require you to tap on the sides for playback control, AirPods Pro feature a “Force Sensor” that lets you perform common tasks by pressing on the side of the earbuds. To access these controls go to Settings, Bluetooth, and tap the “i” next to your AirPods. In Settings, you can customize the press and hold gesture to either switch between noise cancellation and Transparency, or invoke Siri.

Here are the default controls with AirPods Pro:

  • Press once to play, pause, or answer a phone call
  • Press twice to skip forward
  • Press three times to skip back
  • Press and hold to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode

Other settings for AirPods include adjusting the press speed, the press and hold duration, and enabling noise cancellation for one AirPod.

Wondering how to change the volume with AirPods or AirPods Pro? Unfortunately, to do this you’ll either need to use Siri or the volume buttons on your connected iPhone, iPad, or Mac. There are also no custom EQ controls available.

Finally, AirPods Max feature a Digital Crown on the side to adjust volume and playback:

  • Turn for volume control
  • Press once to play, pause, or answer a phone call
  • Press twice to skip forward
  • Press three times to skip back
  • Press and hold for Siri

AirPods Max also include a dedicated noise control button, which you can press to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode. Again, you can customize these controls by going to the Settings app and choosing your AirPods Max from the Bluetooth menu.

Find My integration

You just unwrapped your new AirPods, so the last thing you want to do is misplace or lose them. Thankfully, there’s a “Find My AirPods” feature to prevent you from doing just that. It’s not quite as robust as the “Find My iPhone” feature, but it’s still incredibly useful for AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max users.

In order for the Find My AirPods feature to work, your AirPods must be connected to your iPhone via Bluetooth. This means that if the AirPods are too far away, you won’t get the full feature set, though Apple will help you track them down the best that it can.

To access the Find My AirPods feature, head into the “Find My” app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Then tap the “Devices” menu along the bottom. In that list of devices, you should see your AirPods alongside your other devices.

When you tap on your AirPods, you’ll see their location or their last reported location and the ability to play a sound.

If you are not close enough to your AirPods for them to be connected to your iPhone via Bluetooth, you’ll see the last known location on the map. And, when you play a sound, you’ll see a “Sound Pending” message. This means that you’ll receive a notification when your AirPods are reconnected to a paired device.

But while Find My AirPods is useful, it’s not a panacea for losing your AirPods. There are a lot of situations in which Find My AirPods won’t work, so I wouldn’t rely on it too heavily. That being said, the feature did get a big update this year with the introduction of iOS 15.

Source
9to5mac

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button