AirPods appear unsuspectingly simple with a user-friendly interface. But these tiny earbuds from Apple come packed with amazing features. Some features and settings might not be obvious as soon as you unbox them.
If you have recently bought new AirPods, you wouldn’t know where to start. For instance, how to check the battery on AirPods? One way to know this is by checking the case’s status light. Green light means the AirPods are fully charged, amber light means the earphones are charging in the case, flashing green light means there’s a problem in one of the earbuds, and flashing yellow or orange light means something is wrong. A good guide on checking the battery of AirPods is found in Setapp, and you’ll become an expert in ensuring your earphones are charged fully so you can leave your house peacefully.
Now let’s look at the features you must try after unboxing your AirPods.
Use The Find My Feature
Using the Find My feature is a must to ensure you never lose your earphones. You can set up Find My via your iPhone if you have linked your earphones to your Apple ID. Then, you can track the exact location of your earphones using the Find My app.
If you have lost one AirPod, prompt it to play a sound so you can find it. But this only works if it is near your other Apple devices and connected to Bluetooth.
To use the Find My feature, launch the Find My application > navigate to the Devices tab > tap on your AirPod > and press the Play Sound option. If your iPhone runs iOS 15, you’ll benefit from the extended range of Find My and can locate your earphones even if they’re outside the Bluetooth range.
Set Up Siri To Read Messages And Notifications In Your Ear
Siri can do lots of things, and when you combine this virtual assistant’s capabilities with your AirPods, you can have incoming messages and notifications read to you in your ear. You don’t have to move a muscle.
Moreover, you can reply to the messages by leaving a quick voice command. No feature needs to be set up, but if you want to disable this feature, go to Settings on your iPhone > Siri & Search > toggle off the Announce Messages option.
As for announcing notifications, Siri can go above to announce any kind of notification you want the virtual assistant to announce. You can even manage how Siri announces notifications through your AirPods. Go to the Settings app > tap Siri & Search > choose Announce Calls to enable or disable this feature. You can even personalize when Siri announces calls. Go to the Siri & Search menu > tap Announce Notifications and choose which applications you want to receive notifications from via your AirPods. You can even instruct Siri to remind you of specific notifications and announce calls.
Use Conversation Boost To Hear Better
The Conversation Boost feature works on AirPods Pro. This feature works excellently for those with hearing impairment. Thanks to this feature, you can use your AirPods as hearing aids. Conversation Boost uses the microphone of the AirPods Pro to isolate another person’s voice if they are talking in front of you. This ensures you can hear clearly.
You can enable this feature by going to Settings > Accessibility > AirPods > Audio Accessibility Settings > Headphone Accommodations > Custom Audio Setup. Then, follow the instructions on the screen and toggle on the Conversation Boost feature.
Share Audio With Loved Ones
You can share audio with your loved ones by connecting multiple pairs of AirPods to your iPad or iPhone. This way, everyone will listen to the same thing. This works brilliantly when you are watching a TV show or movie together.
You can initiate Audio Sharing by tapping the AirPlay icon in the Control Center, the app you are listening to, or the Lock Screen > tapping Share Audio > holding the other pair of AirPods near your iPad or iPhone. Then, when the other pair of earphones appear on your screen, tap Share Audio.
Enjoy Surround Sound Effects With Spatial Audio
Spatial Audio is a feature that is included in third-generation AirPods, AirPods Mac, or AirPods Pro. This technology creates a 360-degree surround sound effect when listening to music, watching TV, or attending FaceTime calls. In addition, you can activate spatial awareness to see if it is turned on.
Connect your earphones to your iPad or iPhone > tap the Settings app > Bluetooth > choose your AirPods > tap the “i” icon > choose Spatial Audio.
The Bottom Line
Investing in AirPods means heightening your Apple experience. From listening to music to attending FaceTime calls, these earphones can help you hear better and even improve the sound quality through features like Spatial Audio and Conversation Boost.
