Airpods tips
Disable Automatic Head Detection
This one is actually something I didn’t change yet, but I definitely will once offices re-open and I need to talk with people while listening to music. Basically, the AirPods Max have head detection, which means the music automatically pauses if you remove them from your head, or even remove one earcup to the side. That’s actually a really useful feature, but if you often talk to people by removing one earcup off your ears, this feature will constantly pause your music. Fortunately, you can disable it as well.
- Go to Settings -> Bluetooth on your iPhone.
- Tap on the ‘i’ icon next to AirPods Max.
- Disable the toggle next to ‘Automatic Head Detection’
Customise Digital Crown Direction for Volume Control
One thing that was immediately unintuitive to me after I got the AirPods Max was the digital crown. It’s great, but the direction of its rotation to increase volume felt reversed to me. If you’re in the same boat, you can customise the direction you need to rotate the digital crown in to increase or decrease the volume.
- Go to Settings -> Bluetooth on your iPhone.
- Tap on the ‘i’ icon next to AirPods Max.
- Tap on ‘Digital Crown’ and change the direction from “Back to Front” to “Front to Back”
Toggle noise cancelation
When you have a nice pair of AirPods Pro, you may turn on and off noise cancellation from Settings in iOS to Bluetooth and AirPods Pro, so you can even turn from the devices between your ears — press and keep each earbud’s stem before you hear a noticeable chime.
Access to Siri
Users can start Siri even with a “hey siri” voice order on the second generation AirPods and the AirPods Pro even when they are in your people’s ears without actually touching your smartphone. Go to Siri & Search, and check whether Listen for “Hey Siri” is on.
Testing your audio fit
For AirPods Pro, Choose AirPods Pro (Bluetooth menu found in Settings – iOS)→ Ear Tip Fit Test. You will be taken to an auditory check which will literally determine how well the seal operates in-ear, via the microphone of the earpieces. Perhaps you need a particular tip to each ear!
Using the AirPods in other devices
AirPods operate just fine as standard Bluetooth listening aids for your other devices, but if you attach these with your Smartphone which is Android or a Windows screen, you won’t get quite as many smarts. In that case, place your AirPods with the lid open, click the configuration button on the rear of the case as the front light begins to blink white and then enable the Bluetooth communication procedure from your device.
Using iPhone as a remote microphone
You can use your iPhone as a remote mic when it’s attached with your AirPods, should you need it — this can help you figure out what someone has said in busy situations meetings, or just let yourself listen to what’s going on in another place. For making use of this feature go to Control Center → Customize Controls → add Hearing to the Control Center panel: Tap Live Listen and enjoy!
Find those AirPods which are lost
It becomes a pain when you lose one of your earbuds and have to keep searching all over for it. Some people may not know this, however AirPods are also part of the products which identify Apple via the ‘Find My app’ on the iPhone as well as other Apple devices — this monitoring is activated immediately once you add the AirPods, despite needing to do something else. The choices which appear require you to even get guidance right to their last known position, or make them play a sound.
Let Siri tell you who is calling
The iPhone will even inform you whenever a call comes in and you decide whether or not you choose to answer and speak whilst using those AirPods. For this to work, open the Settings in your phone → select Phone, Announce Calls, and Headphones & Car (or Headphones only as you like)
Let Siri read your texts out
Will Siri need to read those incoming texts through your AirPods? Hardly any issue with that! If you want to allow this when you first configured the earpods, you will be told to enable it. But you have the option to set it up later as well. In the iOS Settings app head to Notifications → and Announce Messages with Siri. You may want to think about who’s text is read out though! Click on Messages and select whoever necessary. The ear buds have to be paired for that to function and the ios device needs to also be locked.