Airpods tips
Live Listen
This feature has been around since iOS 12 and works really well. You can use your AirPods to hear sounds picked up by the mic. You can use it to monitor your baby from across the room, while having conversations without taking out the AirPods (even though we have Transparency Mode now) or eavesdrop on some gossip. To enable Live Listen, Go to Settings > Control Center > Enable Hearing.
Switch to Transparency Mode
There are multiple ways to access the transparency mode on the AirPods Pro, you can do it by pressing and holding the stem of the AirPods, manually navigate to the sound panel in the control center, or simply ask Siri to do it for you. If you enable Hey Siri, you can even call Siri without taking out the iPhone from your pocket. It’s as handsfree as it can get.
Check if the AirPods case is charging
When you charge your AirPods Pro case wirelessly, the light doesn’t stay on at all times. It would be counter-intuitive to just pick up and open the Case to see if the AirPods case is fully charged. To overcome this, Apple added a nifty feature. When you lightly tap the LED light of the AirPods case and it flashes the LED showing you the charging or charged status. The red light means it’s charging while the green light means it’s fully charged. When charging the case using the lightning cable, you still have to open the case to see if the AirPods are charging or not.
Check AirPods Battery Life with Siri
You get a full day battery life on the AirPods Pro, so if you ever want to know the exact battery level on your AirPods, just ask Siri. It would tell you AirPods percentage right to the dot. It can also tell you the case percentage if at least one of the AirPods is in the case. In fact, you can check the battery level from any device. Neat, right? To check AirPod battery stats on Android, you can use third-party Android apps such as the free AirBattery app in the Play Store. Once installed, the app shows you similar popup as you get with iPhone i.e. battery stats for the case and each AirPod will be displayed. If you are on macOS Catalina, you can use the popular AirBuddy ($5) app to see the similar popup animation on your Mac, as you get with iPhone.
One Squeeze (Or Two) Is All You Need
Before we continue, know that this feature is exclusive to the AirPods Pro. If you don’t know yet, the AirPods Pro has force sensors at the stem of the earphones. This feature lets you pause and play your music or answer calls with a squeeze. You can also squeeze the stems twice to switch to the next track in your playlist. If you squeeze thrice, you go back to the track before the current song. Long squeezes switch between noise cancellation and transparency mode. Now, you don’t have to take your AirPods out when you need to talk to someone.
Pair With Non-Apple Devices
An AirPod feature that keeps it flexible is its compatibility with other devices. This means you can pair your AirPods with a non-Apple device if ever need to. The first thing you need to do is to put them in the case. With the kept lid open, push down on the button on the case until the lights blink white. On the non-Apple device, scan for the AirPods via Bluetooth. Note that non-Apple devices won’t support some AirPods features.
Save AirPod Battery Life
Your AirPods give you only 5 hours of listening time every charge and they charge fast in the case. However, some people are frugal with battery life. Did you know that you can save your AirPods battery life by wearing only one of them? This function is great for those moments when you’re stuck in transport with no charging port in sight. It’s also one of the best AirPods functions when your charging case is also low on battery.
Reset AirPods Max
Lastly, you should know how to reset your AirPods Max if needed. In my case, for some reason the AirPods Max would connect to my iPhone and Mac, but never with my iPad. That was really annoying, and if you have similar issues, resetting might solve them. On your AirPods Max, press and hold the Noise Cancellation button and Digital Crown at the same time. Keep them pressed until the LED light on the bottom of the right earcup blinks amber. You can then re-pair your AirPods Max with your iPhone, and other Apple devices.
Disable Automatic Switching
Automatic switching is a feature I use all the time with my iPhone and Mac. However, a lot of people have reported that the feature keeps switching devices when it’s not needed, which can be annoying. If you also have the same issue, you can easily disable automatic switching for your AirPods Max so they won’t automatically connect to your other Apple devices.
- Go to Settings -> Bluetooth on your iPhone.
- Tap on the ‘i’ icon next to AirPods Max.
- Tap on ‘Connect to this iPhone’ and change the selection to “When Last Connected to This iPhone”.
Customise What the Noise Cancellation Button Does
By default, the noise cancellation button on the AirPods Max switches between Transparency mode and noise cancellation. However, you can change what the button does pretty easily if you like.
- Go to Settings -> Bluetooth on your iPhone.
- Tap on the ‘i’ icon next to AirPods Max.
- Under the category that reads “button cycles between” you can choose the modes you want the button to switch between. So you can use the button to simply turn ANC on and off, or cycle between ANC on, ANC off, and transparency, or just turning transparency on/off.