Tuesday, 15 January 2019

Apple AirPods can do a lot more than play music

Apple AirPods can do a lot more than play music, here's how to get the most out of them

Apple AirPods are incredibly popular, and you can do more than just listen to music.
You can tap the side to speak to Siri or skip music.
You can also find lost AirPods using Apple's Find My iPhone feature.

If you own a pair of Apple AirPods then you might, like me, simply pair them to your phone and forget about them, spending most of your time just listening to music. But there are other things you can do with AirPods, like control your music or speak to Siri.

Here's a quick guide on a few other things you can do with your AirPods, and how to get the most out of them.

How to talk to Siri on your AirPods

You can talk to Siri without ever pulling your iPhone out of your pocket. To make sure it's set up:

Open Settings on your iPhone.
Choose Bluetooth.
Tap the "i" next to your AirPods.
Under "Double Tap on AirPod" choose "Siri" for either the left or the right AirPod.

Use AirPods to control music

This is very similar to the last tip, but here I'll show you how to control music. With a double tap on either the right or left AirPod you can skip a song, move back tot the last song, or play or pause your music. To do this:

Open Settings on your iPhone.
Choose Bluetooth.
Tap the "i" next to your AirPods.
Choose the left or right AirPod.
Under "Double Tap on AirPod" choose "Play/Pause," "Next Track," or "Previous Track."

How to answer a phone call on AirPods

If you receive a phone call with AirPods in, you can pick it up by:

Double tapping one of the AirPods.
When the call is finished, double tap it to hang up.

How to Pair AirPods to your Mac

AirPods pair seamlessly with an iPhone or a Apple Watch, but it's a bit trickier to pair with a Mac. Here's how:

Tap the Apple icon on the top-left of the screen on your Mac.
Choose System Preferences.
Open Bluetooth.
Now, with both AirPods in the case, press and hold the white button on the pack.
Choose the AirPods from the Bluetooth menu on your Mac.

How to pair AirPods with an Apple Watch

If you want to listen to music or podcasts stored on your Apple Watch, you can pair them easily before you head out for a run. That means you don't need to carry your iPhone at all. To do that:

Put both AirPods in the case
Tap and hold the small circular button on the back until a white light flashes between the AirPods
Pair them using the on-screen guide on your Apple Watch.

See your AirPods battery life on your iPhone

You can check the battery of your AirPods case at a glance on your iPhone. To do this, we'll create a widget.

Swipe right across your iPhone's home screen until you see the iPhone's widget page.
Scroll all the way to the bottom and tap "Edit."
Scroll until you see "batteries" and hit the green + button next to it.

Now, when you scroll to the widget screen, you'll see your AirPods' battery life whenever they're connected via Bluetooth, as well as the battery life for other devices, like the Apple Watch.

How to find missing AirPods