The Best AirPods Pro Settings Everyone Should Use

Apple’s AirPods Pro are some of the best wireless headphones you can buy , especially if you’re already part of the Apple ecosystem. Like many Apple products, AirPods Pro are fairly easy to set up and use. However, there are also many default settings that you should use (and change).

Since many of the features are on the same Settings page, here are some tips: When I talk about AirPods Pro settings, I’m talking about the ones found in Settings > Your AirPods (iOS). You can also find these options in Settings > Bluetooth (iOS) or System Settings > Bluetooth (macOS), then tap (i) (iOS) or Options (macOS) next to AirPods Pro on the list.

Please note that your AirPods Pro must be connected to your device to access these settings.

Disable automatic device switching

If you have multiple Apple devices, you may notice something interesting when using AirPods Pro: When you play media on a device not connected to the AirPods Pro, they will automatically connect to that device. This feature is great in theory, but can become a real problem if you need to use multiple devices at the same time. Tapping a video on your iPhone will transfer your AirPods Pro from your Mac to your phone, even if you don’t want it to.

While you can simply select the notification that appears on the source device to reconnect, there is a way to disable this feature if it doesn’t suit you. In AirPods Pro settings, choose Connect to this iPhone or Connect to this Mac . Now select “When last connected to this iPhone” or “When last connected to this Mac” and your AirPods Pro will not automatically switch to this iPhone.

Quickly switch between devices with one touch

Here’s the method I prefer to switch between devices: If you want to move your AirPods Pro to another device, go to Control Center, click the AirPlay button in the top right corner of the Now Playing window (Sound window on a Mac), then select your AirPods Pro from the list. Give the headphones time to connect and you’re good to go.

Enable AirPods sharing

One really cool iOS feature that works with compatible headphones is the ability to stream audio to two different sources simultaneously. This means you can listen through your AirPods Pro while your friend listens through their AirPods or Beats.

To set up, go back to the AirPlay button in the Now Playing window in Control Center. Click Share Audio . When pairing AirPods or AirPods Pro, keep them close to your device with the AirPods inside the case and open the cover. When connecting AirPods Max, keep them close to the device. When connecting your Beats wireless headphones, put them in pairing mode and bring them close to your device.

Customize your stem controls

Apple has packed quite a few controls into the AirPods Pro’s balloons. You can hold them down to switch between noise reduction settings (noise reduction, transparency mode, and off), but you can also use quick presses to control other areas:

• One click to play or pause.

• One click to answer or hang up a call.

• Double tap to skip forward.

• Triple tap to go back.

Adjust volume directly using the stem (AirPods Pro 2)

If you have a pair of second-generation AirPods Pro, you can also adjust the volume using the stem. Simply place your thumb on the stem and then use your index finger to drag the touch control up or down to increase or decrease the volume accordingly.

Use adaptive audio (AirPods Pro 2)

Transparency mode is a great feature that enhances the ambient sound around you so you can either carry on a conversation or stay aware of traffic. AirPods Pro 2 improves its transparency mode with something called Adaptive Sound (formerly Adaptive Transparency), which blocks sounds that reach 85 dB or higher in real time. You can even wear the second generation AirPods Pro to concerts because this feature works well. : You’ll be able to hear anything below 85 dB as is, and anything above that will be heard comfortably, like dynamic high-tech earplugs.

You can turn on Adaptive Audio from Control Center: Press and hold the volume slider, then press and hold the Noise Control button and select Adaptive . From here, you can adjust the volume of audio your AirPods let through if the setting is turned on. Go to Settings > Bluetooth , then tap More next to AirPods. Tap Adaptive Audio and adjust the slider to your liking.

Set up call tracking (AirPods Pro 2)

Another AirPods Pro 2 exclusive is conversation detection: with this feature, your AirPods can detect when you start talking to someone, lower the audio volume, and turn on transparency mode. If you’re listening to voice content, such as a podcast, your AirPods will pause playback after a few seconds. To turn this feature on or off, go to your AirPods settings and turn on Conversation Understanding . You’ll also find this option by long-pressing the volume slider in Control Center.

Choose personalized volume (AirPods Pro 2)

On this same settings page you will also find Personalized Volume. When enabled, iOS uses machine learning to understand your listening habits and automatically adjusts the volume of your AirPods.

Quickly switch between noise control modes from the Control Center.

Instead of using the AirPods Pro stem to switch between noise-canceling modes, you can do the same from Control Center. Simply press and hold the volume slider, then tap the Noise Control option in the bottom left corner. Here you will find three noise control options: Noise Cancellation , Off . and ” Transparency “.

Customize your stem controls

By default, pressing the stem on AirPods cycles through noise-canceling modes (well, everything except Off, but more on that in a second). You can actually customize these settings. You’ll find the options under “Press and hold AirPods” in AirPods Pro settings. You can choose “Left” or “Right” depending on which AirPod you want to configure.

At the top you will find the option to activate Noise Control or Siri by pressing the stem. If you select Noise Control, you can choose from any of the three options listed. This is a great opportunity to add ” Off .” to its list because Apple doesn’t include it by default. I like to use this setting when I can save battery life.

Turn on spatial audio

Spatial Audio is 3D audio that follows the movements of your iPhone. (You can also leave Spatial Audio fixed.) Turning it on is easy: Just open Control Center, press and hold the volume slider, then make sure Spatial Audio is turned on.

Personalize your spatial audio experience

Spatial audio may not be the same for everyone. In fact, you can use your iPhone to scan the shape of your ear and head to personalize your spatial audio experience. Your iPhone uses this scan to create a Spatial Audio profile for you, which syncs across your Apple devices. This way, Spatial Audio will produce the same sound when listening on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

To get started, go to your AirPods Pro settings, select Personalized Spatial Audio , then tap Personalized Spatial Audio again to go through the setup.

Check your case’s wireless charging indicator light.

All AirPods Pro come with a wireless charging case, unlike AirPods, which require you to purchase a model with wireless charging. So they all have this neat trick: After placing the case on the wireless charger, touch the top of the case to make the charging indicator appear. Orange means your AirPods Pro are still charging, while green means you’re ready.

Find the perfect fit

Another difference between AirPods and AirPods Pro concerns the different sizes. Unlike the AirPods’ one-size-fits-all approach, the Pro models offer three or four different sized tips. If you don’t want to choose the size yourself, your iPhone can help you.

Go back to AirPods Pro settings on iOS, then tap Test earbud fit . Click Continue , make sure your AirPods Pro are snug against your ears, then click the play button to begin. Your iPhone will start playing music, checking the seal created by your AirPods. If the test shows that everything is in order, you will see the words “Good Seal” under the AirPods. If not, you may see “Adjust or try a different ear tip.” You may need a different size for each AirPod.

Rename your AirPods Pro

“Jake’s AirPods Pro” is fine, but what if I want to call these headphones something more fun? If you feel the same way, go to the Name section in the AirPods Pro settings, then enter any name in the text field. On macOS, right-click AirPods Pro in the Bluetooth list and select Rename .

You can ping lost AirPods Pro

If you ever lose your AirPods Pro, don’t panic. If they’re within range of a connected Apple device, you can make them make a chirping sound, letting you know where they are.

To get started, open Find My, then tap the Devices tab. Find and tap your AirPods Pro, then tap Play Sound . If they’re within range, iOS will tell you that your AirPods are playing sound. They actually get quite loud, so you should make sure no one is wearing them first.

Find out exactly where your second generation AirPods Pro are.

While you can ping your AirPods to quickly find them, with the AirPods Pro 2 you may not even need to. The newest Pros support precise location, meaning you can see exactly where the headphones and charging case are via the Find My app. Just tap Devices , then the name of your AirPods, then Find .

Music shouldn’t stop when you take off your AirPod Pro

At the moment, it’s sort of a feature of the AirPod that allows you to pause the music when you take one of the earbuds out. While this feature is certainly useful, some of us would prefer to disable this feature, especially if you enable it frequently when setting up your AirPods. Plus, you can pause music on AirPods Pro by quickly pressing the pedal, so it’s not as important a feature as on standard AirPods.

To turn off this feature, simply tap the switch next to Automatic Ear Detection in AirPods Pro Settings.

Choose which AirPod Pro you want to use as a microphone

Both of your AirPods have microphones, but only one is active at a time. By default, the system automatically switches between microphones, but you can choose to always have one microphone active. This is especially useful in cases where one of your AirPods’ microphones is broken.

To choose, go to Microphone in AirPods Pro settings, then tap Always to the left of AirPod or Always to the right of AirPod .

Keep AirPods Pro above 80% while charging

AirPods Pro has what is called optimized battery charging. Essentially, this means that your AirPods Pro are charged to 80% and then kept at that level until they decide you need them fully charged. This is a great feature in theory because it reduces battery wear, but it means that sometimes your AirPods Pro are only charged to 80% when you’re about to use them.

To turn off this feature, go to your AirPods Pro settings on your iPhone, then tap the switch next to Optimized Battery Charging . You will have the option to Turn Off Until Tomorrow if you want to disable this feature only temporarily, or Turn Off to disable this feature permanently. You can read more about this feature and why it can be really useful here .

Enable noise cancellation when using one AirPod Pro

You don’t have to wear both AirPods to enjoy noise cancellation. To unlock noise cancellation while wearing just one AirPod , go to Settings > Accessibility > AirPods on iPhone, then tap the switch next to Noise Canceling with One AirPod .

Announce notifications and calls using Siri

Whenever you receive a new message via notification notifications with Siri, the digital assistant politely interrupts whatever you’re doing while listening to your AirPods to read the incoming texts. This is a great feature, but it’s not for everyone. Here’s how to deal with it.

On iOS, go to Settings > Siri > Announce Notifications . To turn off this feature completely, tap the switch next to Announce Notifications . You can also tap the switch next to any app in the list to turn off the feature for that app only. Some apps may allow you to choose between announcing all notifications or only time-based alerts.

There is also an answer without confirmation . By default, this option is disabled. This setting allows Siri to send your responses without reading them back into the first response. This can be convenient, but it can also be dangerous. You won’t know if the assistant heard you before sending a response.

You can do the same for calls: Go to Settings > Siri > Announce Calls , then select Always , Headphones & Car , Headphones Only , and Never .

If you leave this setting enabled and you have a pair of second-generation AirPods Pro, you can silently respond to these requests by nodding or shaking your head. If Siri tells you that you have an incoming call, you can nod to accept the call. If Assistant says you have a notification, you can close it by shaking your head.

Customize the sound to your liking

While the AirPods Pro sound great by default, you might like to customize the sound quality. Apple allows you to do this on your iPhone in Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Video > Headphone Placement. Here you can adjust the sound for balanced tone, vocal range or brightness, and slightly, moderately or heavily boost quiet sounds. Apple allows you to change these settings and click Play Sample to hear the differences.

You’ll get an even more personalized experience by clicking Custom Sound Settings . Apple helps you set up phone calls, movies, music, and transparency mode. The result is a completely unique sound experience with AirPods Pro.

Enable conversation boost

Conversation Boost is a great feature hidden in the headphone settings. When this feature is turned on, your AirPods focus on the person in front of you while reducing other noise, making it easier to hear conversations in noisy environments. You can learn more about Conversation Boost in our guide here .

Enable live listening

Live Listen turns your iPhone into a microphone that helps you hear better through your AirPods. To enable this feature, go to Control Center on your iPhone, tap (+) and search for ” Live Listen “. Add this settings tile to Control Center, then return to Control Center and tap it. When you do this, your AirPods will transmit all the sounds that your iPhone’s microphone can pick up. Here you can also fine-tune the transparency mode settings if you have configured them in the custom audio setting.

Control AirPods Pro Modes Using Apple Watch

If your AirPods Pro are connected to your Apple Watch, you can switch between noise-canceling modes from there. Open Control Center on your watch, then press the AirPlay button. Here you can choose between ” Off “, ” Noise Reduction ” and ” Transparency “.

Unplug your AirPods if they’re acting up.

If your AirPods Pro are just not working right, sometimes the best thing to do is just turn them off. You can easily do this on your iPhone by going to your AirPods Pro settings and tapping ” Forget this device .” Click ” Forget this device ” again in the pop-up window and your AirPods will be removed from your device’s memory. You can do the same on a Mac by right-clicking the AirPods in the list and selecting “ Uninstall .”

Now you can simply hold the case open next to your iPhone, like you did when you first got your AirPods Pro, to re-pair them.

More…