One of the most significant AirPods features is the integrated gesture control system. In this article, we’ll take a look at what AirPods and AirPods Pro gestures actually are and how to use them.
Please Note: Gestures on AirPods will only work correctly with iPhone, iPad, and Mac. They may or may not partially work on Android.
Table of contents: 1. What are AirPods and AirPods Pro gestures 2. How to control AirPods and AirPods Pro with gestures - AirPods - AirPods Pro 3. Do AirPods gestures work on Android
What are AirPods and AirPods Pro gestures
Apple earbuds have several types of gestures, and not all of them are available on all models. A gesture is an action that needs to be taken so that your headphones can execute a certain command.
At first glance, it may seem that the earbuds do not have any buttons or zones for active interaction, but this is not the case. In fact, the entire side edge of the AirPods earphone, which is located to the outside of the user, is a touch-sensitive active zone for pressing.
How to control AirPods and AirPods Pro with gestures
The number of gestures available on AirPods and AirPods Pro is different, so we will consider them separately.
AirPods
Regular AirPods have only one gesture that you can use to control them – a double tap. When the earbud is in your ear, simply press it twice with your finger, this will perform the specified action.
Please note: You can set different actions for the left and right earbud separately, which allows you to implement two commands with one same type of pressing.
By default double tapping on AirPods is switching tracks. To set up another command for this gesture, open the Bluetooth section on the iPhone in the settings.
Next, click on the letter i next to the connected AirPods.
Here you can configure what you want to do when you double-tap the headphones. Select the headphone you would like to set the action for – left or right.
Set one of the 4 available actions: launch Siri, play / pause for a track (podcast, video, etc.), next track or previous track.
Please note: You can also turn off any double-tap actions on the AirPods.
Settings for the right earbud are done in the same way.
Important note: You cannot adjust the volume with taps on AirPods. But you can set the launch of Siri on a double tap, and then Siri is able to decrease or increase the volume according to your voice command.
AirPods Pro
AirPods Pro control system is completely redesigned if compared to the AirPods. There were added some new gestures, including those implemented through new technological solutions. At the same time there are fewer options for customizing those gestures.
You can use gestures to control AirPods Pro as follows:
- One tap – play / pause for the current playback (music, video, etc.).
- Two taps – switch to the next track.
- Three taps – return to the previous track.
Important note: All gestures mentioned above work equally on the left and right AirPods Pro earbud. It doesn’t matter which one you tap.
There is one action on AirPods Pro that can be customized. In the Bluetooth settings, you can configure the noise canceling option. This action is called the “Function Toggle Button” and requires pressing and holding the button on the AirPods Pro. Here you can set one of the following actions:
- Turn Siri on.
- Switch modes. This implies switching between “Noise Reduction”, “Transparency” and off mode.
It is worth noting that it is possible to set one of the desired actions on the left earbud, and the other on the right earbud.
Do AirPods gestures work on Android
There is no definite answer to this question. By default, on most Android smartphones, AirPods can only perform the play / pause track action when you double tap on them.
Please note: Some smartphones do not support even this one function.
On Google Play, you can find various applications designed to set up and control AirPods, but there are no programs among them that would allow you to fully customize gestures, as described above. The only thing that user will be able to achieve by using these applications is to view the charge level of Apple headphones.