Just got a new AirPods or AirPods Pro? If so, we’ve put together a helpful list of tips, tricks, and features you might not know about to get you familiar with your new headphones.
First off, if you’re completely new to AirPods, we’ve got a list of helpful basic tips on how to use your AirPods.
AirPods Basics
8 Useful AirPods Tips for New Owners
1. Keep your AirPods safe with Find My
Apple’s latest AirPods, including the AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2, include Find My integration, so if they’re ever lost or stolen, you can locate them with the Find My app. AirPods can take advantage of the Find My network so you can take advantage of other people’s iPhones, iPads, and Macs to track down a lost set of AirPods wherever they end up, whenever the battery dies.
You’ll also want to make sure to enable “Notify when left behind” so you can get an alert right away if you’re out and about and forget your AirPods somewhere. To turn it on, open the Find My app, tap on your AirPods in the list, and turn on the “Notify me when I get left behind” option. These Find My features also work for AirPods Max.
The AirPods Pro 2 go even further and include a speaker built into the case so you can use the “Play a Sound” feature to track them down if they get lost somewhere nearby.
2. Enable or disable automatic device switching
Apple AirPods have a feature that allows them to automatically connect to any device that’s in active use, so if you switch from your iPhone to your Mac, the AirPods’ connection is meant to transition from one device to another while you do so. .
Auto switching can be useful, but there are cases where you might not want to turn it on if you switch devices inappropriately. You can manage it by following these steps.
Connect your AirPods to your iPhone. Open the Settings app. Tap your AirPods in the section under the Apple ID. Tap “Connect to this iPhone.” Choose “Last time connected to this iPhone” to turn off auto shutdown, and choose “Automatically” to turn it on.
With “Automatically” turned on, your AirPods will connect to your iPhone when it’s in active use and your AirPods are in your ears. With “When last connected to this iPhone” selected, AirPods will only connect to the last connected device instead of the device in active use. This feature also works with AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.
Note that you’ll need to disable auto-switching for each device connected to your iCloud account if you’re not a fan of the feature and want to turn it off entirely. There is no master change, with Apple handling it per device.
3. Turn on Announce notifications
Thanks to Siri integration, AirPods can announce all your incoming notifications, including messages.
Here’s how to turn it on:
Open the Settings app. Tap “Notifications.” Tap “Announce notifications.” Turn on “Announce notifications”. Turn on “Headphones.”
With Announce notifications and Headphones on, Siri will read notifications from the apps of your choice when you have your AirPods on and give you a chance to respond. So if you have an incoming text message, Siri will read it and give you a chance to send a reply, all hands-free.
You can select the apps you want to use Announce Notifications with so you can get important readings without Siri reading you a barrage of notifications.
4. Check the battery life of your AirPods
If you want to monitor the battery life of your AirPods, there are several ways to do it. AirPods will tell you the battery level when you connect them to a device, or you can use the “Battery” widget on an iPhone or iPad.
Siri can also tell you the battery life of your AirPods, and if your AirPods are connected to your Apple Watch, the control center offers battery life information. To learn more about the different ways to check the battery life of your AirPods, we have a dedicated AirPods battery how-to.
5. Use the force sensor to control playback
If you upgraded to AirPods 3 or AirPods Pro 2 from the original AirPods, AirPods 2, or AirPods Pro, or if you’re completely new to AirPods, you may not be familiar with the physical controls.
The AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro have a force sensor built into the stem. The force sensor can be used to control media playback with different keystrokes.
Single press – Play/Pause audio Double press – Skip forward Triple press – Skip back Press when there is a call – Answer incoming call Double press on a call – Hang up Press and hold – Activate Siri or Switch between ANC/Transparency (only AirPods Pro )
In AirPods Pro, you can customize what the long press force sensor gesture does because it can be set to Noise Control or Siri. The AirPods 3 don’t have active noise cancellation and are limited to Siri for the long press gesture.
The AirPods Pro also have touch gestures available to adjust the volume.
Swipe up on AirPods Pro to increase volume Swipe down on AirPods Pro to decrease volume
Please note that if you have AirPods 2, a force sensor is not included and these gestures will not work. With AirPods 2, you can double-tap to do things like play/pause, with the customizable tap gesture in the Settings app.
6. Make sure spatial audio is turned on
Spatial Audio is a feature that delivers immersive three-dimensional sound and can follow the movement of iPhone with supported audio and video. Spatial audio can be turned on or off via Control Center, and is available for AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.
With your AirPods connected to your iPhone or iPad, open Control Center. If you don’t know how, we have a guide. On the volume slider, you should see a small icon that looks like AirPods. If you don’t see it, reconnect your AirPods. Press and hold the volume slider. Tap the “Spatial Audio” option. 
Choose from Off, Fixed, or Head Tracking (on supported devices). 
Off will disable spatial audio completely, while Fixed will allow spatial audio to be used, but without head tracking functionality. Head Tracked enables full spatial audio functionality with included head tracking.
You can also preview what spatial audio sounds like by connecting your AirPods to your phone, selecting them in the Bluetooth section of the Settings app, and choosing the “Spatial Audio” option.
For an even more personalized experience, tap Custom Spatial Audio in the AirPods section of the Settings app with your AirPods connected. Your phone will use the TrueDepth camera to scan both ears for spatial audio personalized for you.
Spatial audio works with the Apple TV app and Apple Music, but many third-party apps support it too, including Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, YouTube, and more.
7. Use active noise cancellation
Active noise cancellation is a default feature of AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro 2 that only works out of the box, but it’s helpful to know how to turn it on and off. ANC is also available on AirPods Max.
With the AirPods Pro connected to your iPhone, open Control Center. Press and hold the volume icon. Tap Noise Control. Drag the slider to Noise Cancellation, Off, or Transparency depending on the mode you want. Alternatively, press and hold the AirPods stem to manually switch between ANC and Transparency mode, or use the AirPods Pro section in the Settings app to access Noise Control. If you’re using the Settings app, drag the Noise control slider to your preferred position. The left turns on ANC, the middle turns it off, and the right side turns on Transparency.
Active noise cancellation is normally a feature that’s enabled when you have both AirPods in your ears, but there’s a trick to get it to turn on when you’re only wearing one.
With AirPods Pro connected, launch the settings app on your iPhone. Tap on the AirPods Pro tab just below your Apple ID banner. Scroll down, then tap Accessibility. Scroll down again, then under “Noise Control,” turn on the switch next to Noise Cancellation with One AirPods.
8. Use adaptive transparency (AirPods Pro 2 only)
The second-generation AirPods Pro have an Extended Transparency feature that can adjust to the sounds around you, attenuating loud noises like construction work, sirens, and other disturbances without blocking out all sound.
It is usually enabled by default, but if you want to disable or check it, follow these instructions.
With the AirPods Pro 2 connected to your iPhone, open the Settings app. Tap AirPods Pro 2. Scroll down to Adaptive Transparency and turn it on or off.
Adaptive Transparency will reduce all loud sounds, making it ideal for everyday use and also for situations like concerts, where the music may be loud enough to cause hearing damage.
Learn more
To learn more about your AirPods, we’ve got a dedicated AirPods 3 overview and a dedicated AirPods Pro 2 overview, both of which explain all the different features and will come in handy as you learn to use your new headphones.
Source: news.google.com