10 Life Hacks Every AirPods User Should Know

Posted on February 3, 2026 by resourcefulman

Since their initial release in 2016, Apple has released nine versions of AirPods, from the iconic white earbuds to the updated AirPods Pro and AirPods Max—Apple’s pricier over-ear headphone model. Regardless of the model, however, the experience should be simple: open the case, tap the prompt on your iPhone, and voila, your AirPods are ready to use.

Despite their ease of use, AirPods offer a wealth of features and settings that you can customize to your liking. Here are 10 helpful tips to know if you own Apple earbuds, whether the standard, Pro, or Max models. (Note: When I refer to “AirPods settings” in this article, I’m generally referring to the options that appear on the front page of the Settings app in iOS and iPadOS, or in System Preferences in macOS, when you’re wearing your AirPods.)

You should turn on the “Off” mode on your AirPods.

I’ve had several AirPods, and every time I paired a new pair, I’d turn on the “Off” mode. This may seem odd, but it’s true. Depending on the model of your AirPods, you may have the option to use noise cancellation, which naturally blocks out external noise; Transparency mode, which amplifies ambient sounds; or Off mode, which doesn’t activate either. The latter option is great for when you need noise blocking but want to preserve your AirPods’ battery life. While I can’t comment on the AirPods 4 with noise cancellation, the Pro and Max models do a good job without active noise cancellation.

You can use Find My AirPods to locate your lost AirPods.

Like any other tiny device, your AirPods will eventually go missing . Mine are constantly slipping out of pockets and usually end up on the floor or under the couch cushions. In such cases, you can take the time to reconstruct the route and calculate the physical parameters of your AirPods’ fall, or use Find My Phone to locate them much faster.

The Find My app offers several ways to locate lost AirPods. The first and most obvious is this: open the app and select the “Devices” tab, and you’ll see the last known location of your AirPods on a map. If you left them at someone’s house, for example, you’ll likely see it here and know to stop searching under your own furniture. But if you’re already in the location where Find My indicates your AirPods are, you have two more tools to pinpoint their location.

First, you can use the Find My feature to get turn-by-turn directions to your AirPods. If you have AirPods Pro 2 or 3, you’ll even see an arrow pointing in their direction. If you still can’t find them, you can tap “Play a Sound” to play a sound from any unpaired AirPod. If you have AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3, you can play a sound directly from the case.

You can connect your AirPods to non-Apple devices.

AirPods work best with Apple devices, but that doesn’t mean they’re exclusive. You can connect your AirPods to any Bluetooth-enabled device, giving them added flexibility. I primarily use mine with my iPhone, Mac, and Apple TV, but I also connect them directly to my TV for use with the PS5 . (For some reason, the Sony console doesn’t support Bluetooth audio.)

The thing is, there’s no obvious way to connect your AirPods to non-Apple devices. You’ll only find out if you look up how to put your specific AirPods model into ” pairing mode .” This bypasses Apple’s regular pairing system and allows access to your AirPods through any available Bluetooth source. Here’s how to put your AirPods into pairing mode:

AirPods 1, 2, or 3, or AirPods Pro 1 or 2: Place your AirPods in the case, open the lid, then press and hold the button on the back for five seconds or until the light flashes white.
AirPods 4 or AirPods Pro 3: Place your AirPods in the case, bring the case close to a Bluetooth device, then double-tap the front of the case. The indicator light should start flashing white.
AirPods Max: Press and hold the noise cancellation button (the button with a longer press time) for about five seconds until the indicator light flashes white.

Set up AirPods for real-time translation.

It’s easy to get used to today’s technology, but the fact that your AirPods can translate conversations on the go is perhaps the most powerful way any modern consumer product can capture the “we live in the future” concept. AirPods aren’t the only earbuds that can do this, but if you have AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation, you can have a full conversation with someone who doesn’t speak your language.

However, if you find yourself in a situation where you need Real-Time Translation, you won’t be able to use it right away. Before using this feature, you need to download the target language to your iPhone. To get started, go to your AirPods settings, then scroll down to the “Translation (Beta)” section and select “Languages.” Here, you can select any of the available languages to download to your iPhone. Currently, the following languages are available: Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified), Chinese (Mandarin, Traditional), English (UK), English (US), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain).

Now, whenever you need it, you can press the stems of your AirPods simultaneously to launch the “Direct Translation” feature. Alternatively, you can open the Translate app, select “Direct Translation,” and then select the other person’s language, as well as your own. As the other person speaks, you’ll hear the translation in your AirPods, and the translation will appear on your iPhone’s screen.

You can use your AirPods as hearing aids.

AirPods have been FDA-cleared as clinical-grade hearing aids for over a year now. While it might take some time for others to get used to their appearance, if you need them, AirPods can be as good a choice as specialized (and expensive) hearing aids—assuming you have AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3.

To use this feature, you’ll need to either take a hearing test on your iPhone or upload an audiogram from an audiologist. You’ll find these options in the AirPods settings under “Hearing Assistance.”

What do you think at the moment?

You can adjust the adaptive sound level of your AirPods.

Adaptive Sound Control is one of my favorite features of the modern AirPods. If you have AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Sound Control will either boost or reduce external sounds depending on their volume, while still allowing you to hear everything around you.

But if you use Adaptive mode and aren’t satisfied with Apple’s default sound levels, you can adjust them to allow more or less sound. This option is located in the AirPods settings under “Adaptive Sound.” Move the slider to the left to block more sound, or to the right to allow more noise. After a while, you’ll hear the changes take effect, so you can test which mode sounds best for you.

You can use your AirPods as a remote control for your camera.

In the past, when photography or videography required purchasing a dedicated camera, it typically came with a remote control that allowed you to take a photo or start recording, even when the camera was mounted on a tripod. While selfies have largely replaced this practice, there are still plenty of situations where an iPhone camera remote can be useful, especially if you’re trying to take a group photo without an additional photographer or want to record a video without touching the phone.

If you have AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3, you can use your AirPods as a remote control for your iPhone’s camera. To set this up, open your AirPods settings, scroll down, and tap “Camera Remote.” You can choose “Single Press” for a quick press to function as the remote button, or “Press and Hold” for a long press to perform the same function. Note that this will affect how your AirPods respond in other situations: if you choose “Single Press,” you won’t be able to use the stem to control media playback; if you choose “Press and Hold,” you won’t be able to use the stem to activate Siri.

You can turn off automatic volume adjustment on your AirPods.

Smart technology tries to solve problems, but often only makes them worse. The Personal Volume feature on AirPods is one such example. The problem: when it’s too noisy around you, you can’t hear your music; and when it suddenly gets quiet, the music can become too loud. So this feature “intelligently” adjusts the volume depending on how quiet or loud it is around you. In theory, it’s great; in practice, it’s a nightmare. Ever since I bought the AirPods Pro 3, I’ve been wondering why my music suddenly gets quieter or suddenly starts getting louder, without me having to adjust the volume. If you’re okay with this feature, you can leave it on, but if you’re like me, you’ll want to turn it off.

To turn this feature off, go to your AirPods settings, scroll down to the Audio section, and then turn off the switch next to Personalized Volume.

Master call control using the buttons on the stem of your AirPods.

AirPods are essentially advanced Bluetooth headsets. If you’re wearing them and receive an incoming call, you don’t need to reach for your iPhone. Instead, you can answer the call with a single tap of the AirPod stem. But you might not know that you can customize other controls on the stem during a call. By default, a single tap of the stem during a call mutes and unmutes the call, and a double tap ends the call. But you can swap these controls if you prefer. You’ll find them in the AirPods settings under “Call Control.”

Enable head gesture control for your AirPods.

You can use the stem of your AirPods for actions like answering incoming calls or dismissing notifications. However, if your hands are full, you can also use your head to perform the same actions. AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3 support head gestures, which allow you to nod or shake your head from side to side to accept or decline calls, as well as reply to (or dismiss) messages.

For this feature to work, you need to enable call and notification alerts. You can find these settings in the Siri or Apple Intelligence & Siri settings pages in your iPhone’s Settings. Once enabled, go to AirPods settings, scroll down to the “Head Gestures” section, and then turn on the toggle. Here, you can assign the “Accept, Answer” and “Reject, Reject” actions to either a head nod or a head shake.

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