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It's no secret that AirPods perform at their best when paired with other Apple devices, and rare should you need to make excessive changes to maximize their audio performance. However, I recommend reviewing your AirPods and Apple Music settings (if you're subscribed) to ensure every dollar spent is worth it.
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Some features you wouldn't find unless you poke around in your device settings, especially if you glossed over the initial AirPods setup. Here are my favorite ones that helped me elevate my AirPods experience.
1. Sleep detection goes beyond the bed
In September's iOS 26 update, AirPods received a sleep detection feature. This feature enables your AirPods to detect when you've fallen asleep and pause the media on your device. Users with AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 4 can access this feature, which is disabled by default. To enable it, you will need to go into your settings.
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To turn it on, connect your AirPods to your iOS device, tap on your AirPods settings below your Apple account name card, and scroll down to “Pause Media When Falling Asleep.” This is both helpful when you're sleeping to white noise and when you're dozing off on a flight.
2. Head gestures are subtle and useful
Head Gestures is my absolute favorite AirPods feature. If you're like me and always have your AirPods in, acknowledging notifications hands-free is the best way to stay on top of time-sensitive alerts while your hands are full.
If you receive a phone call while wearing your AirPods, you can nod your head “yes” to accept it or shake your head “no” to decline it. You can also respond to Message notifications by nodding “yes” and then saying your reply, or shaking your head “no” to dismiss it.
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To use Head Gestures, you'll need to enable “Announce Calls” or “Announce Notifications” first. In your device settings, find “Apple Intelligence & Siri.” Then, scroll down to “Announce Calls” and “Announce Notifications.”
I prefer to use Head Gestures only to accept or decline phone calls, and not to acknowledge text messages or other notifications. I don't like it when my YouTube video, music, or TV show is interrupted, even by the most urgent notifications.
Once you've decided which notifications you want Siri to announce through your AirPods, return to your AirPods settings below your Apple account name card, and scroll down to “Head Gestures.”
3. An equalizer actually exists
Although AirPods don't have a native equalizer feature, you can alter their sound with select Apple EQ presets. However, you need an Apple Music subscription for this feature to work. To find the presets, open your device settings and scroll down to “Apps.” Find “Music,” then scroll to “EQ.” Apple's audio presets are genre-specific, allowing users to toggle between modes that Apple has tuned for specific music genres, such as Latin, Jazz, Pop, or Electronic.
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When I first opened my AirPods Pro 3, they didn't have enough bass for me, so I adjusted my Apple Music settings to “Increased Bass,” which helped resolve the issue. Despite the feature tweak, I think my ears became accustomed to the AirPods' sound profile over time.
Ultimately, in my eyes, AirPods are a passive listening device, and their best features lie in their integration with your iPhone, rather than their music-playing capabilities.
