The new Apple AirPods work well with iPhone, iPad and Mac. They sound good thanks to the W1 chip inside, and they last longer than most Bluetooth wireless earbuds. The included carrying case acts as a battery backup and charges the earphones when not in use, providing users with long battery life.
With these ten power tips, we want to show users how to get the most out of their Apple AirPods. These tips will help you get more battery life, work with Siri, and even connect them to non-Apple devices.
Pair Apple AirPods with Any Apple Device
Most people think of the iPhone as the primary device people will use with their AirPods. While Apple introduced the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, it also introduced new Bluetooth headphones. Apple removed the headphone jack from the latest iPhone to make Bluetooth headphones more useful. Some people thought that Apple removed the headphone jack to force buyers to buy accessories like AirPods or new Beats headphones.
Apple’s AirPods work great with the following Apple devices:
On these devices, the user can use their Apple AirPods by following our helpful How-To article on pairing with these devices. In fact, once a user pairs an iPhone, it’s already paired with other devices thanks to iCloud’s syncing feature.
Switch Between Apple Devices
Since iCloud syncs AirPods paired with an iPhone with other devices connected to that iCloud account, the user can quickly connect to other devices. Open the iPhone or iPad Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
Swipe up to show Control Center. Swipe left to show player controls. Tap AirPods to connect.
Swipe left to reveal the Control Center’s media player controls. There is a drop down arrow at the bottom of the screen. Tap this to show devices connected to iPhone. You should see the AirPods listed. Tap it to connect. If not listed, open the case and put at least one AirPod in your ear. Most will not need to do this. The same thing works on an iPad or iPod Touch.
On a Mac, click the Bluetooth icon from the menu bar and the drop-down list should show AirPods. If you don’t see the Bluetooth menu bar icon, you need to turn it on. Click and hold the Dock System Preferences icon and wait for the list of settings to appear. Click it and put a checkmark in the box labeled.
You can now select and connect your AirPods from the Bluetooth menu as shown above. Once connected, you can use the Sound icon’s drop-down menu to switch from your computer speakers to headphones paired with the Mac.
To use your AirPods with an Apple TV or non-Apple devices, you need to follow the pairing guide in the next section. You may need to turn off Bluetooth on nearby Apple devices to switch to non-Apple devices.
Pairing Apple AirPods with Non-Apple Devices
Connecting Bluetooth headphones to non-Apple devices also surprises some AirPod owners. See this How-To for steps to connect AirPods to Android phones, tablets, computers, and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. It’s as simple as turning on the Bluetooth on this device and then pressing and holding the button on the back of the AirPods carrying/charging case. They will appear as a traditional Bluetooth device on the Bluetooth pairing screen on the non-Apple device. The screenshot above shows how it looks on Android on a Google Pixel XL phone.
Charge AirPods with iPhone Lightning Slots
Do you have an iPhone or iPad dock with a lightning connector? Any Lightning charging cable or dock will charge your headphones.
I have a dock/alarm clock with two lightning connectors. I charge my iPhone in one and my AirPods in the other. This charges the case and AirPods.
Check Battery Life
Open the Apple AirPods container and the left screen appears. Tap Connect and the correct screen appears.
Battery life is easy to check. Open the carrying/charging case with your iPhone in hand. A pop-up window displays battery levels when the lid is opened.
You can also swipe down from the top of the iPhone to show the notification area. Swipe right to see the battery level indicator. It shows the phone’s level, AirPods, and an Apple Watch if you have it. On an iPad Pro, it also shows the battery level of an Apple Pencil.
To see the level on Mac, look at the Bluetooth menu bar item, it will show the battery level.
On Apple Watch, swipe up and tap the battery indicator. It will display the battery life at the bottom of the screen.
Use Siri to Listen to Music with AirPods
To use Siri, double-tap the AirPod just above the point where the long cylinder connects to the piece that fits your ears. This engages Siri on the phone, and the phone listens for your commands or questions via the AirPod microphone. This works with left or right earphones. Users can also change the settings to play or pause the music. See the instructions below to change this setting.
Here is a list of some useful commands you might want to use while listening to music.
Make Phone Calls with AirPods
If you are working and want to make phone calls without taking out your phone, you can use the same double tap control above. When you receive a call, double tap to answer. Then end the call using the same control.
Some people prefer to receive an announcement saying who is calling. To do this, go to the phone’s Settings app and select . Find it under the section. Tap this to show the options. You can choose…
Double-tap the AirPods to activate Siri and use the same commands to make the calls you use on the phone. For example, “Call my spouse” will search for a contact with the nickname “my wife” entered in the person’s “assistant” field. You can also use a person’s name. “Text Michael” starts a text message to a person named Michael.
Name Your AirPods
Maybe you don’t like the Apple default name using your first name and AirPods (Kevin’s AirPods in my case). Change the name by connecting it to an iPhone first. Then open Settings and select . Next to the name of the AirPods from the list of connected devices, tap the info button, which is a small letter in a circle. Here you will see all kinds of settings. Find the name and tap it. Type a new name and tap .
Change Other AirPods Settings
While browsing the screen for AirPods settings, consider changing the others listed. You will find the following:
Get the Most Battery Life Using One Battery at a Time
The user does not need to use two AirPods at the same time. They can use the left or right AirPod if they set the microphone setting above to . This will extend the time the user can go between charges. Use the correct AirPod until the battery life runs out. Then switch to the left AirPod. Put the correct one back in the charging case to charge up to 100%. When finished on the left, switch to the right again. You can essentially get all-day battery life by following this method.
