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By Lance Whitney | Updated October 10, 2023

You'll enjoy your AirPods Pro even more if you know how to fully use and customize them. Consider changing these settings for a better listening experience.

Apple's AirPods Pro are a significant upgrade over the regular AirPods. The base model allows you to listen to your favorite music and podcasts, talk to Siri, trigger features with a tap, check the battery charge, and find them if they’re missing. But with the Pro, you can get a better fit, fully enhance the audio quality, optimize battery charging, and take advantage of other cool features.

Some of the features described here work only with the 2nd generation AirPods Pro. Others require iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 or higher. Before you get started, make sure you’ve updated your iPhone or iPad to the latest version. Go to Settings > General > Software Updates and tap the Install or Update button to apply the latest update. Now, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your AirPods Pro.

1. Update the Firmware

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Your AirPods Pro should also be running the latest firmware if you want to take advantage of the latest features. The firmware version varies based on the model and generation of your AirPods Pro. To check which version you should have, browse to Apple’s firmware support page and find the latest firmware version for your specific model.

To check the firmware you have currently installed, segue to your iPhone, go to Settings > Bluetooth, and then tap the Info icon for your AirPods Pro. Look to the Version listing under the About section, which will display the current firmware.

Don't have the latest firmware? All you have to do is make sure your AirPods Pro are charging and in Bluetooth range of your iPhone or iPad. Wait a short while and then check your iPhone to see if the latest firmware has been installed.

2. Take the Ear Tip Fit Test

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One of the drawbacks with the regular AirPods is that they use a one-size-fits-all approach with an in-ear design that doesn’t necessarily fit all ears properly. If the fit isn’t snug, the AirPods can easily and quickly slip out of your ears. The AirPods Pro corrects that flaw by switching to an in-canal design with replaceable tips for small, medium, and large ear canal sizes (the 2nd gen AirPods Pro also offer an extra small option). 

By default, the AirPods Pro are packaged with the medium tips, but you can easily change sizes. To switch out the current tips, pull firmly on them until they detach from the base. Position the new tips so that the center white circle meets with the center black circle on the base. Then push until they click into place.

To help you determine which of the three size tips will provide the best seal and sound, take an Ear Tip Fit test. To do this, attach one pair of the tips to the base of both AirPods Pro. Then insert both AirPods in your ears. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the info icon for your AirPods Pro. Choose Ear Tip Fit Test, then tap Continue and Play.

A short music clip plays. Afterwards, the app will tell you if your current tips offer a good fit. If not, it will tell you to either adjust your tips or try a different size. Go through the different sizes until the app tells you that both AirPods say Good Seal.

3. Change the Name of Your AirPods Pro

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The name of your AirPods Pro appears in a few different places, but you're not stuck with it. Make sure the AirPods Pro are in your ears. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Bluetooth. Tap the info icon for your AirPods Pro and then tap the current name.

You can revise the existing name or delete it and create an entirely new name. When finished, tap Done.

4. Control Music with a Press

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You’re able to control the flow of music by pressing the stem of either your left or right AirPods Pro. To do this, press the stem with your thumb and forefinger until you hear a low click. Press once to pause/play, double-press to skip forward to the next track, and triple-press to skip backward to the start of your current track or to the previous track.

5. Press to Mute and Unmute

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Do you ever use your AirPods Pro during a phone call? If so, you can take advantage of a new mute and unmute feature. To set this up, go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the Info icon for your AirPods Pro.

Under Call Controls, tap Mute & Unmute and choose whether to activate the option by pressing once or twice on the stem of one of your AirPods Pro. The next time you’re speaking to someone via your AirPods Pro, press the stem once or twice. Press it again the same way to unmute yourself.

6. Adjust the Volume on the 2nd Gen AirPods Pro

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The second generation AirPods Pro enhance the earbuds with better audio quality and other features. One option lets you adjust the volume by swiping up and down on a sensor located on the stem of the AirPods. To enable this, go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap the info icon next to for your AirPods Pro and tap Accessibility.

Turn on the switch next to Volume Swipe. You can also adjust the time between swipes to avoid accidental volume changes by selecting Longer or Longest. Now when music is playing, you can put your thumb on the stem of either AirPod, and use your index finger to swipe up or down on the control. As you do, the volume will increase or decrease.

7. Turn on Noise Cancellation

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The AirPods Pro offer different listening modes that can help clamp down on background noise, including Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Adaptive. To change the mode, you can open Control Center and press down on the audio control, then choose Noise Control. You can also go to Settings > Bluetooth, choose the info icon next to your AirPods, and then tap one of the following:

• Noise Cancellation: This turns on the noise cancellation feature that blocks out virtually all background sounds, so this can come in handy in a noisy environment where you want to clearly hear your audio. 
• Transparency: Choose Transparency mode to muffle the background noise so you can still hear it without it interfering with your audio. This would be a good option for public places where you still need to hear announcements or otherwise remain aware of your surroundings.
• Adaptive: For those running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 with the 2nd Gen AirPods Pro, you can choose Adaptive Audio, which is a mixture of Transparency and Active Noise Cancellation. It adapts the volume of the current audio based on your environment and interactions.
• Off: This turns off all noise cancellation features, which will allow you to hear your surroundings, though it may also interfere with your audio.

You can switch between modes with a long press on the stem of either bud. You should hear a chime to signify that a new mode has been activated.

8. Turn on Spatial Audio

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A feature unique to AirPods Pro and the 3rd-Gen AirPods is spatial audio, which brings head tracking and surround-sound effects to supported videos. Go to Settings > Bluetooth, then tap the info icon next to your AirPods and tap Personalized Spatial Audio.

Choose Personalize Spatial Audio, then tap Continue. Remove your AirPods, if you have them in your ears, and allow your phone to scan your face. Now fire up a supported audio or video to hear Spatial Audio in action.

Apple TV+, Disney+, iTunes, and HBO Max all support spatial audio, for example, so play a movie or TV show from one of those services. If you picked a compatible video, you should now hear the audio shift in surround sound as you move your head, body, or iPhone.

9. Turn on Conversation Awareness

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With iOS/iPadOS 17 or higher and the 2nd Gen AirPods Pro, you can try a new feature known as Conversational Awareness. Detecting when someone next to you or on a phone call starts speaking, this option tones down the volume of any audio currently playing. A similar option called Personalized Volume will adjust the volume of your audio based on your environment.

To enable this on your iPhone, go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap the info icon next to your AirPods, and then turn on Conversation Awareness. Here, you can also enable Personalize Volume. Alternatively, open Control Center, press down on the audio control, and then tap Conversation Awareness to turn it on or off.

10. Customize the Presses

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By default, pressing and holding the stem of either AirPods Pro moves among Noise Cancellation and Transparency (and Adaptive for some), but you can change that for one or both of them. With the AirPods Pro in your ears, go to Settings > Bluetooth, then tap the info icon next to your AirPods.

Under the Press and Hold AirPods section, you can set what each stem controls by tapping Left or Right. Here, you can keep Noise Control as the activated action when you long press but also add the different modes you can cycle through. Alternatively, you can change the action to Siri and call up the assistant when you long press a stem.

Instead of setting both earbuds to control the same feature, it might be best to set one earbud to adjust Noise Control while the other can be used to control Siri.

11. Tweak Accessibility Settings

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To control certain accessibility features of your AirPods Pro, go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap the info icon next to your AirPods, and then open Accessibility. Here, you can change the speed required to press the stems of your AirPods to pause, play, skip ahead, or go back.

You’re also able to adjust the duration needed for pressing the stems to change the noise cancellation mode. Further, you can enable noise cancellation with one AirPod and control the volume swipe.

12. Improve Sound Quality

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A feature known as Headphone Accommodations enhances the audio from your AirPods by boosting softer sounds and certain frequencies. To set up this feature, head to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the info icon next to your AirPods. Open Accessibility > Audio Accessibility Settings > Headphone Accommodations and enable the feature.

Tap Play Sample to hear some test audio. You can then tune the audio for a balanced tone across a range of frequencies, vocal range for middle frequencies, or brightness for higher frequencies. You can also boost softer sounds slightly, moderately, or strongly.

You may want to try playing some audio from your own library to discover which settings work best for your own tastes. Alternatively, the audio output can be customized if you tap Custom Audio Setup and answer a few questions. Your audio settings will change based on your answers.

13. Share With Other AirPods Users

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If someone else has a set of AirPods or Beats headphones, you can share your audio with them. While listening to something with your AirPods Pro, access the Control Center on your iPhone and tap the AirPlay icon for the current audio. 

Tap Share Audio and choose the other set of AirPods or Beats headphones. You should then see entries for both headphones. Tap the circle for the other set to connect it. You can now control the volume for both or for each one separately.

14. Turn Your AirPods Into a Hearing Aid

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You can use your AirPods Pro as a hearing aid through a feature called Live Listen. First, you’ll need to add the feature to Control Center on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Control Center and tap the + icon next to Hearing to add it to Control Center. 

Put the AirPods Pro in your ears. Open Control Center and tap the ear icon, then choose Live Listen to turn the feature on. Now place your phone next to the person or audio source that you want to hear more clearly, and the sound will be amplified. Turn off Live Listen by tapping the entry in Control Center.

15. Check the Battery Charge

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You can use your iPhone to check the current charge on your AirPods Pro and the charging case. Keep both AirPods Pro in the case and open the lid. A card appears on your iPhone's screen to indicate the charge levels of both the case and the AirPods.

Take one AirPod out of the case, and the card changes to show the charging level for each AirPod separately. Take them both out of the case, and the card shows the charging level for the AirPods, but not the case.

Finally, you can help extend the overall battery life of your AirPods Pro by telling your earbuds to wait to finish charging past 80% until you need to use them. To set this up, go to Settings > Bluetooth, choose the info icon next to your AirPods, and then enable Optimized Battery Charging.

If you decide you don’t want this setting, turn the switch off again. You’ll be asked whether you want to turn it off until tomorrow or turn if off permanently.

Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/best-apple-airpods-pro-tips-and-tricks