Apple has been successful with its strategy of ditching the headphone jack and introducing AirPods at the same time. AirPods have become a source of multi-million dollar revenue for Apple. And that’s because AirPods are the essence of convenience.
Wire problems are eliminated without loss of functionality. You can tap on AirPods to answer a call and double tap to skip a track. In addition, you can also customize these settings. Read on to learn how to change your AirPod settings through your iPhone or iPad.
How to Access AirPods Settings
In iOS 16, getting to AirPods settings is very easy. However, you will have to take an extra step on iOS 15. The steps to navigate to AirPods settings for iOS 15 and iOS 16 are mentioned below and will apply to all methods.
iOS 15
- Open “Settings”on your iPhone.
- Select Bluetooth.
- Click on the i icon in the MY DEVICES section.
iOS 16
- Open “Settings”on your iPhone.
- Select the option that displays the AirPods connection just below your Apple ID.
Settings you can change on AirPods
If you have first or second generation AirPods, here are some settings you can change:
1. Rename your AirPods
To rename them, you must connect your AirPods to your iPhone and follow the steps below.
- Go to your AirPods settings.
- Tap the Name option.
- Rename your AirPods and click Done.
AirPods 1st generation ✅ AirPods 2nd Generation ✅ AirPods Pro ✅ AirPods 3rd generation ✅ AirPods Pro Max ✅ 2. Choose which microphone your AirPods use.
The user can choose which AirPod microphone will work as the audio input source, left or right.
- Go to your AirPods settings.
- Scroll down and click Microphone.
- Choose one of the three available options. (I recommend that you keep this setting to automatically switch AirPods)
AirPods 1st generation ✅ AirPods 2nd Generation ✅ AirPods Pro ✅ AirPods 3rd generation ✅ AirPods Pro Max – 3. Turn on/off automatic ear/head detection
AirPods automatically pause media playback whenever you take them out of your ears. If this setting is not enabled for you, or if you want to disable this setting, read on.
- Go to your AirPods settings.
- Turn on/off the automatic ear/head detection switch according to your need.
AirPods 1st generation ✅ AirPods 2nd Generation ✅ AirPods Pro ✅ AirPods 3rd generation ✅ AirPods Pro Max ✅ 4. Turn on Live Listen on AirPods
Live listening allows users to listen to audio recorded by their iPhone’s microphones. For example, you can leave your iPhone in a room and listen to the conversations of the people in the room right on your AirPods. The only condition is that you must be in range of Bluetooth.
People may use the Live Listen feature for several reasons, and I do not recommend that you not use this feature to spy on people. With that said, here is a step by step guide to help you enable Live Listen on your AirPods.
AirPods 1st generation ✅ AirPods 2nd Generation ✅ AirPods Pro ✅ AirPods 3rd generation ✅ AirPods Pro Max ✅ 5. Change Double Tap Actions to AirPods.
- Go to your AirPods settings.
- Tap the Left/Right option under DOUBLE TAP AIRPOD.
- You can select Siri, Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, or Disable Double Tap Action.
AirPods 1st generation ✅ AirPods 2nd Generation ✅ AirPods Pro ❌ AirPods 3rd generation ❌ AirPods Pro Max ❌ *Reassigning the double tap action is only available on AirPods Gen 1 and Gen 2. You cannot change the in functions.
6. Change the tap and hold actions
While you can’t change the single, double, or triple tap gestures for AirPods Pro and AirPods 3, you can certainly change the tap and hold actions. Here’s how to do it
- Go to your AirPods settings.
- Select Left/Right under Press and Hold AirPods.
- You can select each of the AirPods to activate Siri or switch between noise canceling modes.
AirPods 1st generation ❌ AirPods 2nd Generation ❌ AirPods Pro ✅ AirPods 3rd generation ✅ AirPods Pro Max ❌ Note. AirPods Pro and AirPods 3 share the same stem design, but AirPods 3 does not support ANC. So, the noise canceling mode is only available on AirPods Pro; You can use the steps above to toggle between Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency Mode, and turn them off.
7. Enable Spatial Audio
Before we continue, be sure to enable Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos in Apple Music.
- Go to your AirPods settings.
- Select Spatial Audio.
- On the next screen, select the Spatial Audio option.
- Click Done.
AirPods 1st generation ❌ AirPods 2nd Generation ❌ AirPods Pro ✅ AirPods 3rd generation ✅ AirPods Pro Max ✅ *Spatial Audio is available on AirPods Pro, AirPods 3 and AirPods Max.
Settings you can change on AirPods Max
AirPods Max needs no introduction. It’s a solid pair of headphones with the convenience of the Apple ecosystem and amazing sound quality. While they do have some drawbacks, the AirPods Max’s transparency mode is one of the best headphones on the market. Here are some of the settings you can change on AirPods Max.
8. Change the direction of rotation of the Digital Crown.
Rotating the Digital Crown on AirPods Max helps you increase or decrease the volume based on the movement of the rotation. If you want to invert the default rotation, read on.
As I said, AirPods Max has one of the best active noise cancellation and transparency modes. A button on the right headphone module helps you switch between the three settings.
I hope this guide has helped you resolve your AirPods issues. By the way, do you think AirPods have the best sound quality in their price range? Let me know in the comments below.