Apple fans, we have good news and bad news. The bad news is that if you want to get your hands on Apple’s hot new truly wireless earbuds anytime soon, it’s the same old story. You can either keep your eyes glued to one of several available AirPods inventory tracking websites, or you can pay a bit of a premium and order them on Amazon. The good news is that if you’re among the thousands upon thousands of people who have already managed to score a pair of AirPods, we’re going to show you some cool features that have been hiding under your nose — or rather, in your ears — this whole time.
You can pair AirPods with any Bluetooth device. Many people are under the impression that AirPods use special wireless technology enabled by Apple’s W1 chip, and they only work with iPhones and iPads. This is a classic example of Apple’s marketing magic sending the wrong message. The W1 is cool and it simplifies the pairing process with compatible Apple devices, but AirPods are Bluetooth headphones. That’s right, regular old Bluetooth headphones. They can be paired with any Bluetooth device.
You can see the AirPods’ remaining charge in Control Center. With your AirPods connected to your iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of any screen to open the Control Center, then swipe over to the music tab. Tap on your AirPods and you’ll see the remaining charge.
You can see the AirPods’ remaining charge on the battery widget. Add the battery widget to your iPhone’s widgets page and you’ll always be a tap and a swipe away from knowing exactly how much juice is left in your AirPods. If you don’t see them listed in the widget right after you add it to your widgets page, tap the “show more” link on the widget.
You can see remaining charge in your AirPods and your case by opening the case next to your iPhone. If you have an Apple device equipped with the W1 chip (iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus only, for now) you can see the remaining charge in your AirPods and the carrying case simply by opening the case next to your phone. You’ll then see a little pop up that looks like this:
You can see the AirPods’ remaining charge on your Apple Watch. Have an Apple Watch? As long as your AirPods are connected to your iPhone, you can see the remaining charge in your AirPods by swiping up from the bottom of your Watch’s home screen and then tapping the battery button.
You can rename your AirPods. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and then tap Bluetooth. Tap the “i” icon next to your AirPods while they’re connected, and then on the next page tap the “Name” field.
You can change the double-tap function on AirPods. On that same screen within the AirPods settings, you’ll see a section titled “double-tap on AirPods.” Beneath that, you can change the setting so that a double-tap on an AirPod will play/pause/answer/hang up instead of waking Siri. You can also turn double-tap off completely.
You can transfer voice calls from your iPhone to your AirPods automatically. One last time on the same screen in the Settings app, make sure “Automatic Ear Detection” is toggled to on. As long as it is, you can move a voice call from your iPhone to your AirPods simply by placing one of them in your ear.
You can adjust the volume on your AirPods using the Apple Watch’s digital crown. This is an awesome tip for AirPods users who also have an Apple Watch. Open the Music app on your Watch while music is streaming to your AirPods and you can increase or decrease the volume on your AirPods simply by twisting the digital crown in either direction.
No, the AirPods don’t feature contactless wireless charging. Apple’s AirPods design is fantastic, but there’s a misconception out there that the charging case features contactless wireless charging. Sadly, that’s simply not true. The metal tip at the bottom of each AirPod stem is more than just a sleek design feature. Those metal tips also touch charging contacts when the AirPods are seated in the case.
