Apple AirPods Guide: How To Connect, Set Up, Charge, & Use AirPod Controls

Got a new pair of AirPods? Once you know how to set up, connect, and configure them, you’ll discover why people who own a pair of Apple’s wireless earbuds or wireless over-ear headphones love them. We’re here to help get you started with this Apple AirPods manual, which will cover the original AirPods, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.

related: how to connect 2 pairs of airpods to an iphone

apple airpods guide: airpods, airpods pro & airpods max instructions

airpods sound quality is crisp and clear for both listening and speaking through the built-in microphones. The wireless earbuds include a 24-hour charging case for easy battery management, while the AirPods Max offer a carrying case that conserves battery life. All versions have the ability to pair and unpair with many different Apple products. Apple CEO Tim Cook describes AirPods as “virtually magical,” explaining that “the pairing is seamless, and when someone talks to you, if you take one out, the music will automatically stop, and if you replace it, it starts again.” “. That also goes for the latest member of the AirPods family; AirPods Max has all the features and convenience of AirPods Pro in the form of wireless over-ear headphones. Let’s start learning how to use apple airpods!

jump to:

• connect/pair airpods, airpods 2, airpods 3, airpods pro & airpods max
• basics of using airpods
• how to set up airpods, airpods pro & airpods max
• configure find my & find lost airpods, airpods pro & airpods max
• airpods, airpods pro & max battery life of airpods & charging
• how to reset airpods, airpods pro & airpods max
• what apple devices can my airpods model connect to?

connect/pair airpods, airpods 2, airpods 3, airpods pro & max airpods

let’s start learning how to pair your airpods.

connect airpods to iphone & apple watch

1. make sure you’re signed in to your icloud account on your iphone; we’ll get to the “why” of this step later.
2. navigate to the home screen on your iphone, then bring the airpods closer to your phone; they should be in their case, and the case should be open.
3. within a few seconds, you’ll see a screen asking if you want to connect your airpods to your iphone.
4. tap connect, then tap done when your devices finish pairing.
5. if you have an apple watch paired with the iphone you just connected your airpods to, your airpods will also connect to your apple watch. the sound will automatically switch between your apple watch and iphone.

pair of airpods 2nd generation, airpods 3rd generation, airpods pro & max airpods

If you’ve already set up “Hey Siri” on your iPhone, then you’ll automatically be able to use this feature with your AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro. If you haven’t yet set up Hey Siri, don’t worry, there will be step-by-step instructions on your device to guide you through the process.

connect two pairs of airpods to one iphone

As of iOS 13, AirPods users can link two sets of AirPods to one iPhone. This feature makes it possible for two people to listen to the same music, podcast, audiobook, and other media from one iPhone.

pair airpods with your ipad or another iphone

If your iPhone and iPad are connected to the same iCloud account using the same Apple ID, you can hold your AirPods closer to your iPad and they will pair automatically. If you haven’t taken this step, it will take a little more effort to pair your airpods with your ipad. these instructions also work to pair your airpods with a different iphone.

1. Hold your AirPods, case open, close to your iPad.
2. Tap Connect when a prompt like the one below appears.
3. Press and hold the Setup button as directed.
4. You’ll see a message like the one below indicating that your AirPods are connecting to your iPad.
5. Tap Done when the AirPods have finished pairing, and you’ll be able to begin using them.

pair airpods, airpods 2nd generation, airpods 3rd generation, airpods pro, or airpods max with your mac

if you have already paired your airpods with your iphone and your mac is connected to the same icloud account with the same apple id, the pairing will be fast.

1. Put your AirPods in your ears, then click on the Apple icon in your Mac’s Menu Bar, then choose System Preferences.
2. Click on Bluetooth in the System Preferences menu.
3. You’ll see a menu of Bluetooth devices available; choose your AirPods.
4. If you don’t see your AirPods in the Bluetooth options, you’ll need to make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your Mac.
5. Check the status under the Bluetooth symbol.
6. Click Turn Bluetooth On.
7. Once Bluetooth is on, hold your AirPods case with the lid open and AirPods inside near your Mac.
8. Press and hold the Setup button on the back of the case until the Status light begins to flash white.
9. Your AirPods should now be an option in the Bluetooth menu.
10. Once your AirPods are paired with your Mac, you can choose to listen to audio from your Mac through the AirPods by opening System Preferences again and choosing Sound.
11. You’ll see your AirPods in the Output menu; click on them.

pair your airpods with an apple tv

Before trying to connect your airpods to your apple tv, please check that your tv software is compatible with your airpods model:

• original airpods can be connected to tvos 11 or later.
• 2nd generation airpods require an apple tv running at least tvos 12.2.
• airpods third generation can be connected to tvos 15 or later.
• airpods pro require an apple tv with tvos 13.2 or later.

Starting with iOS 11, Apple TV joined the group of devices that can automatically pair with your AirPods if you sign in to iCloud with the same Apple ID. If your Apple TV is not signed in with the same Apple ID, you can follow the manual setup instructions below.

to connect your airpods to your apple tv:

1. open your airpods case, leave them inside and hold them close to your apple tv.
2. press and hold the settings button on the back of the airpods case .
3. Open the settings app on your apple tv.
4. select remote controls and devices, then select bluetooth.
5. choose your airpods from the list of devices that appears, then choose connect device.

once your airpods have been paired with your apple tv, you can select them from the recognized devices menu at any time you want. Simply navigate to your Apple TV home screen and press the play button on the remote. a menu of paired devices will appear; choose your airpods

to unpair your airpods from your apple tv:

1. go back to the settings app.
2. select remote and devices.
3. select bluetooth.
4. choose your airpods from the list.
5. select forget device and then confirm .

airpods basics, airpods 2, airpods 3, airpods pro & maximum use of airpods

airpods are meant to be a perfect and useful addition to your everyday experience with apple devices. they’re ready to go as soon as you take them out of their case, and when you put one or both in your ears, they automatically start playing audio. when you take out one airpod its audio stops, and when you take both out it stops completely. here are some more things you should know about how your airpods work:

volume up & down on the airpods

You can adjust the volume on your AirPods by asking Siri to do so, either by saying “Hey Siri, turn the music up (or down),” or by asking Siri to turn the volume up or down by a percentage. For more information, follow our tutorial on how to turn the volume up or down on your airpods. if you have problems with your airpods microphone, you can also see how to fix your airpods microphone.

change volume on airpods 2, airpods 3, airpods pro & max airpods

If you’re using AirPods 2nd Generation or AirPods Pro, you can turn the volume up or down using the same Siri commands available on the original AirPods. You can also change the volume from your iPhone’s lock screen using the volume slider in whatever app you’re listening to. For a third option, open your iPhone’s control center and adjust the volume by dragging the volume slider up or down. If you’re listening through a set of AirPods Pro that’s synced to your Apple Watch, you can open Now Playing on your Watch, then use the Digital Crown to adjust the volume.

airpods pro & airpods 3 audio controls

airpods pro and airpods 3 use the new force sensor for a variety of purposes. press the force sensor once to pause your audio and press again to resume. double press the force sensor to jump forward and triple press to jump backward. squeeze the force sensor to summon siri on airpods 3 or pro and to adjust noise control on airpods pro.

AirPods Pro & AirPods Max Can Switch Between Noise Canceling & Transparency Mode

One of the most useful features of Apple’s latest wireless earphones and headphones is the ability to toggle between noise cancellation and transparency modes. Noise cancellation reduces or eliminates sounds coming from external and internal sources, while transparency lets those sounds in, so you’re more aware of your surroundings. To switch between these modes, press and hold the force sensor on the stem of your left or right AirPods Pro until you hear a chime. if you’re only wearing one of your earbuds, pressing and holding the force sensor will toggle the audio between transparency mode and off. If you have a set of AirPods Max, press the noise control button to switch to transparency mode.

AirPods Max Digital Crown

airpods max have a feature not shared by the rest of the airpods family, a digital crown. Max owners can play or pause audio, control volume, skip tracks, end and answer phone calls, and summon Siri with the Digital Crown.

Answer Calls with AirPods & Use Siri to Announce Calls

another useful feature for airpods and airpods users is the ability to answer calls with your airpods by double-tapping either airpod and then double-tapping again to disconnect.

You can also have Siri announce your incoming calls.

other useful siri commands for your airpods

In addition to asking Siri to announce calls, you can also use its AI assistant to perform other AirPods-related tasks. learn how to activate hey siri on your paired iphone, then try some of these commands and questions:

• “hey siri, turn the volume up (or down).”
• “hey siri, skip to the next song.”
• “hey siri , pause the music.”
• “hey siri, play my exercise playlist.”
• “hey siri, how do I get to work from here?”
• “hey siri, where’s the nearest coffee shop?”

If you have a pair of AirPods 2 or AirPods 3, you won’t have to double-tap your earbud to summon Siri, though that option is still available. You can also learn how to answer calls with AirPods using Siri.

change audio output to airpods, airpods pro & airpods pro max

If you have your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch paired with multiple speakers or headphones, you’ll want to know how to choose AirPods to play audio from that device. for example to choose your airpods for audio output on your iphone:

1. Open the Control Center on your iPhone by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen for the iPhone X or later, or up from the bottom of the screen for earlier iPhones.
2. Tap the audio card.
3. Touch and hold the pyramid icon when the card opens.
4. Now you’ll see the option to change audio output to all the Bluetooth devices connected to your iPhone; you can tap on AirPods to choose them.

how to set up airpods, airpods pro & max airpods

You can use your iOS device to set up your AirPods in the following ways:

airpods & airpods 2 double tap shortcut

airpods 2 and airpods 3 can use the new contactless “hey siri” message to perform all the tasks that previously required a double tap. However, if you have gotten used to touching your airpods and want to continue using this gesture, it still works with airpods 2, while airpods 3 now has the same force sensors as airpods pro.

We went over how to answer or hang up a call using double tap above, but you have several other options on how to set your airpods to respond differently to double tap. learn how to use your left or right airpod to play or pause audio, skip to the next track, go back to the previous track, or turn off your airpod.

1. You can find all of these double tap options on your iphone by opening the settings app and tapping bluetooth to open a list of paired bluetooth devices.
2. then touch the information icon next to the airpods and touch each one to choose the function you want it to control from the airpods function menu.

turn off automatic ear detection on your airpods

Using the same steps you took to get to the double-tap shortcut options, you can also choose to enable or disable automatic ear detection.

1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
2. Select Bluetooth.
3. Tap on the lower-case i next to your AirPods.
4. Toggle Automatic Ear Detection off if you don’t want audio to switch from your paired device to your AirPods whenever you put one or both AirPods in your ears.

mic controls for your airpods

You can also adjust your airpod’s microphone settings from this same page.

1. Tap on Microphone underneath the Automatic Ear Detection toggle.
2. You can decide to let your AirPods Microphone automatically switch back and forth from left to right as needed, or to always use the left or right earbud for mic function. The automatic option allows your microphone to remain functional even if you’re only using one AirPod.

rename your airpods

This is a great resource if you want to learn how to rename your airpods, allowing you to assign a device nickname or other easily identifiable nickname.

change force sensor settings on your airpods pro

as mentioned above, holding down the force sensor allows airpods pro users to switch between transparency and noise cancellation modes. If you want to change your force sensor commands, follow the instructions above to open the settings app, tap bluetooth, then tap the lowercase i > next to your airpods pro. The menu on your AirPods Pro will give you the option to change the long press function for the left, right, or both earbuds. You can choose to use the long press controls for noise control modes, or leave one for noise control and use the other for siri commands. Please note that while AirPods 3 have force sensors, they do not have noise control.



Set Up Find My (Formerly Find My iPhone) & Find Lost AirPods, AirPods Pro & AirPods Max

apple revamped find my phone with ios 13, and now it’s a combination of find my iphone and find my friends, simply called find my. Once you’ve set up Find My, you’ll be able to see the location of all devices registered with your Apple ID from the Find My app or on iCloud.com. Also, your lost device will send bluetooth signals even if it is offline and asleep. These signals can be detected by nearby Apple devices, which will transmit a location to Find My App to help you find your lost Apple technology. This is an important step to protect your devices if any of them are lost or stolen, including your AirPods, AirPods 2, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max.

once you’ve paired your airpods with an iphone, ipad, or ipod touch that’s signed in to your apple id and has find my set up, they’ll automatically be included in the feature and visible on the find my map .



Here’s where this feature gets really useful; if your AirPods are near a paired device and within Bluetooth range, you can activate a two-minute tone that gets gradually louder, helping you locate one or both earbuds. To turn this on:

1. Tap on your AirPods in the Devices list under the map, then tap Play Sound.
2. If you don’t know how to navigate to the location of your AirPods, tap Directions, and Apple’s Maps app will open and direct you.
3. If you’ve only lost one AirPod, or if you’ve found one but not the other, you can tap Mute Left or Mute Right to hone in on the location of the missing earbud.
4. Tap Stop Playing once you’ve found your AirPods and want the tone to stop, or repeat the process if two minutes wasn’t long enough to locate both earbuds.

*note: this feature works if your airpods are out of their case or if the case is open. if the case is closed with the headphones inside, you’re out of luck because the ringtone won’t sound. I hope apple fixes this shortfall in a future operating system!*

if you don’t see any locations next to your airpods, they are out of range of your connected device or out of battery; the map will show the last time and location they were trackable. If your airpods are back in range or charged, you’ll get a notification on your paired device.

airpods, airpods 2 & 3, airpods pro & max battery life of airpods & loading

original apple airpods last a long time per charge; two hours of talk time or five hours of listening. Even better, if you’ve fully charged your AirPods case, you’ll be able to talk for up to eleven hours and listen for up to 24 hours, as long as you recharge your AirPods in the case. 2nd generation airpods can last even longer between charges; three hours of talk time, five hours of listening time, and a battery life of more than 24 hours with a fully charged battery case! Apple’s new AirPods, AirPods Pro, offer up to five hours of listening time and 3.5 hours of talk time. With a fully charged case, your AirPods Pro will last for over 18 hours of talk time or 24 hours of listening time. AirPods Max offer 20 hours of listening and talk time. so how do you know your airpods need a charge? Let’s go over how to check your AirPods battery levels, both the charging case and the earbuds.

how to check the battery level of your airpods

You can use your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac to check the charging status of your AirPods and its case. to verify with one of your ios devices:

1. Your AirPods will need to be connected to the device you’d like to use to check their charge status.
2. Open your AirPods case, leaving your AirPods inside, and hold the open case near your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.
3. The battery levels of both your AirPods and their charging case will appear on screen within a few seconds.
4. You can also check these levels using the Batteries widget in your Today View. Learn how to add the battery widget to your Today View or Home screen if you haven’t already done so.
5. Another way to check the battery levels on your AirPods and their case is to ask Siri.

how to check airpods battery level on your mac

1. Open the lid of the charging case or remove your AirPods from their case.
2. Click the Apple icon in your Mac’s menu bar, then tap System Preferences, then Bluetooth.
3. You’ll see your AirPods in the Bluetooth menu, along with a graphic of how full or depleted their batteries are.

pro tip: there are ways to make your airpods last longer. Check out these tips to improve your airpod’s battery life.

check the charging status of your charging case

It’s easy to tell at a glance if your airpods case needs a charge. the new wireless charging case has a status light on the front, while the original case has the status light on the inside of the lid. for both accessories, if the light illuminates amber if less than a full charge remains and green if fully charged.



If your AirPods are inside their case with the lid open, the status light will indicate the charge level of your earbuds rather than the charging case. Again, green indicates a full charge, and amber means that your AirPods need to be topped off.

If you’re charging your airpods case on a wireless charging pad, the status light will illuminate for eight seconds when you place the case on the pad, green for full charge, amber if more charge is needed. If you have the new AirPods Pro, you can touch the case while it’s on the mat to see if it’s fully charged yet.

how to charge your airpods, airpods 2nd generation, airpods pro & max airpods

If your airpod batteries are dead, you’ll hear a tone in one or both earbuds indicating that your airpod batteries are low. if you don’t charge after that, you will hear one more tone before your wireless headphones turn off. so how do you go about charging your airpods? As long as the case has a charge, all you need to do is place the earbuds in the charging case and close the lid.

To charge the airpod case, connect the charging case to a power source with the usb to lightning cable that comes with it. if you bought the new wireless charging case, you can also put the case on a wireless charger.

In just fifteen minutes, your AirPods will be charged enough for three hours of listening or over an hour of talk time. If you have a set of the new AirPods Pro, just five minutes of charging time will give you over an hour of talk or listening time! Plug in your AirPods Max for five minutes with your Lightning connector and add 1.5 hours of battery life. When you’re not using your AirPods, store them in the case to conserve their charge. You can also choose to use just one AirPod and toggle between using the left or right earbud to save battery life.

wireless charging case for airpods, airpods 2 & airpods 3

apple announced a wireless charging case for airpods at the same time it revealed the second-generation in-ear headphones. now you can charge your original airpods or airpods 2 or 3 without using cable; just fifteen minutes of charging in the new wireless case will allow up to three hours of listening. you can buy a second generation pair with the wireless case for $159, or buy just the wireless charging case for your original airpods for $79.



Wireless Charging Case for AirPods Pro

The wireless charging case featured with the 2nd generation Apple AirPods can also be used on the original AirPods. Unfortunately, the charging case for airpods pro only works for those earphones and not for the first two generations of airpods. the case is included in the cost of the wireless headphones, which are $249.

how to reset airpods, airpods pro & max airpods

If you are experiencing battery or other issues with your AirPods, you can reset them with your iOS device. to reset:

1. Put your AirPods in their case and close the lid. Wait 30 seconds, then open the lid.
2. Open the Settings app on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.
3. Tap Bluetooth.
4. Tap the lower-case i icon next to the AirPods that need to be reset.
5. Tap Forget This Device and confirm your choice.
6. Now, with your AirPods in their case and the lid open, press and hold the Setup button for at least 15 seconds.
7. The Status light should flash amber; if it doesn’t, you’ll need to close the case lid and connect the case to power for at least ten minutes, then try again.
8. Once the Status light flashes amber, you can reconnect your AirPods to your devices (it will have disconnected from all devices that share the same iCloud account). Some customized settings will need to be set up again.

pro tip: restarting can be a good way to fix airpod issues. read this for more tips on how to fix a broken airpod.

what apple devices can my airpods model connect to?

what devices can my airpods connect to?

To use your airpods, you’ll need to connect them to one of the devices listed below.

iphone, ipad and ipod touch

if you have an iphone, ipad or ipod touch updated to ios 10 or later, you can pair it with your airpods. Please check below to see if your device can be upgraded to iOS 10 or later.

apple watch

If you want to pair your AirPods with your Apple Watch, your watch must be updated to WatchOS 3 or later.

apple tv

If you want to connect your apple tv to your airpods, you will need the apple tv to be updated to tvos 11 or later.

mac

To pair your airpods with your mac, make sure your mac is updated to macos mojave or later.

what devices can my airpods 2 connect to?

2nd generation airpods are a bit more limited in the devices they can connect to. Read on to find out which devices with which operating system will pair with your new headphones. Also, check out this article to learn how to connect your airpods to non-apple devices.

iphone, ipad & ipodtouch

if you have an iphone, ipad or ipod touch updated to ios 12.2 or later, you will be able to pair it with your airpods.

apple watch

If you want to pair your airpods with your apple watch, your watch must be updated to watchos 5.2 or later.

apple tv

If you want to connect your apple tv to your airpods, you will need the apple tv to be updated to tvos 12.2 or later.

mac

To pair your airpods with your mac, make sure your mac is updated to macos mojave or later.

2nd generation airpods are a bit more limited in the devices they can connect to. Read on to find out which devices with which operating system will pair with your new headphones. Also, check out this article to learn how to connect your airpods to non-apple devices.

what devices can my airpods 3 connect to?

iphone & iPad

if you have an iphone or ipad updated to ios 15 or ipados 15 or later, you will be able to pair it with your 3rd generation airpods.

apple watch

If you want to pair your AirPods with your Apple Watch, your watch must be updated to WatchOS 8 or later.

apple tv

If you want to connect your apple tv to your airpods, you will need the apple tv to be updated to tvos 15.0 or later.

mac

To pair your airpods with your mac, make sure your mac is updated to macos monterey or later.

what devices can my airpods pro connect to?

the latest version of apple airpods, airpods pro, can be connected to the following:

iphone, ipad & ipodtouch

if you have an iphone or ipod touch updated to ios 13.2 or later, or an ipad updated to ipados 13.2, you will be able to pair it with your airpods pro.

apple watch

If you want to pair your AirPods Pro with your Apple Watch, your watch must be updated to WatchOS 6.1 or later.

apple tv

If you want to connect your apple tv to your airpods pro, you will need the apple tv to be updated to tvos 13.2 or later.

mac

To pair your AirPods Pro with your Mac, make sure your Mac is updated to MacOS Catalina or later.

what devices can my airpods max connect to?

apple wireless on-ear headphones can be connected to:

iphone, ipad & ipodtouch

if you have an iphone updated to ios 14 or later, or an ipad updated to ipados 14, you will be able to pair it with your airpods max. you will need ipod touch 7th generation to pair with airpods max.

apple watch

If you want to sync your AirPods Max with your Apple Watch, your watch must be updated to WatchOS 7 or later.

apple tv

if you want to connect your apple tv to your airpods max, you will need an apple tv 4k updated to tvos 14 or later.

mac

To pair your airpods max with your mac, make sure your mac is updated to macos big sur or later.

then get an answer to the burning question: “are airpods waterproof?” or learn how to keep airpods in your ear if they fall out. And if you are looking for how to clean your airpods safely, we can help you too.