If you’re an AirPods Pro user, you probably know that they offer pretty good noise cancellation. Also, the transparency mode offered by AirPods Pro is really useful. But to use ANC on AirPods Pro, you need to wear it on both ears. That makes sense, but what if for some reason you can only wear one AirPod and still want to use noise canceling? That’s possible too, but you need to change a few settings. Here’s how to enable noise canceling on iPhone and Apple Watch with a single AirPod.
How to Activate Noise Cancellation with a Single AirPod
AirPods can be used with your iPhone, MacBook, and Apple Watch. This means you can use noise canceling no matter what device you are using. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to enable ANC on both the Apple Watch and iPhone with a single AirPod. If you are looking for steps for a specific device, you can use the table of contents below to navigate to the relevant section.
Enable ANC with Single AirPod on iPhone
On an iPhone, you can enable ANC with a single AirPod by following these steps:
- Go to Settings -> Accessibility.
- Scroll down and tap on ‘AirPods’
- Enable the ‘Noise Canceling with an AirPod’ toggle
You can now use a single AirPod in your ear and enable noise canceling.
Enable ANC with One AirPod on Apple Watch
- On your Apple Watch go to Settings -> Accessibility
- Scroll down and tap on ‘AirPods’
- Enable the ‘Noise Canceling with an AirPod’ toggle
You can also enable ANC on a single AirPod on Apple Watch using your iPhone.
- Open the Watch app and tap on ‘Accessibility’.
- Tap on ‘AirPods’
- Enable the ‘Noise Canceling with an AirPod’ toggle
Use Active Noise Cancellation with One AirPod
While there aren’t many use cases where you want a single AirPod with noise canceling, this feature is useful. It’s an accessibility feature like the back-tap accessibility feature in iOS 14, so it’s really there for anyone who wants it, not just for everyone. I think Apple has enabled this feature for users with hearing impairment in one ear. But if you want to use it too, now you know how to activate it.