If you’re wearing AirPods and want to quickly pause the music or podcast, just tap either one of the AirPods.
This is a really convenient feature, especially if you’re like me and always have your hands full.
You don’t have to fumble with your phone to find the pause button – just a quick tap on an earbud is all it takes.
I’ve been wearing AirPods for a couple of years now, and I absolutely love them. They’re so convenient and easy to use.
If you’re new to AirPods, or if you just want to learn more about how to take advantage of all their features, be sure to check out our guide How to Use AirPods.
If you’re an avid AirPod user, then you know that pausing music or podcasts is just one of the great features afforded by tapping on an earbud.
Can You Pause AirPods by Tapping?
Yes, you can put a halt to AirPods by tapping on either of the buds.
This is a fantastic feature, but by default AirPods, the double-tap feature opens Siri but you can still configure by prompting to your phone’s Bluetooth device settings.
Select either of the sides(left or right)and set each to perform individual tasks like Play/Pause audio, Jump to the next or previous track, or to command Siri.
So, you don’t have to fiddle with your phone in search of the pause button; all it takes is a quick tap on an earbud.
Source:appleinsider.com
Some people find the double-tap gesture function annoying and want to turn it off.
However, this is possible on all the versions of the AirPods.(AirPod Gen-1, Gen-2, AirPod Pro, and AirPod Max)
The AirPod Pros have integrated the most common gestures right into the earbuds like single-tap, double-tap, triple-tap, and long press.
While on the other hand older versions of the AirPods can only sense double tap gestures.
It’s important that you make the most of all of your AirPod capabilities, so let’s get started.
AirPod Touch Gestures and Voice Commands
AirPods offers both touch and voice gestures; through Siri from their integrated microphones.
If you want to get the most out of your Apple’s AirPods, you probably need to learn how to use these gestures and to master the voice commands with Siri.
These gestures will help you listen to your favorite music, podcasts, lectures, manage your phone calls, organize your daily life activities, perform quick searches, and all other tasks you demand Siri do for you.
TouchGestures
Before we get into the deep end of Siri commands, let’s have some practice with the touch gestures.
The majority of Bluetooth earbud touch gestures are used for music controls.
This implies you may pause, play, or change tracks by tapping the right way on the buds.
There are two sets of touch gestures for AirPods.
You’ll need to figure out which type of AirPods you have first.
This will be a fast section for those with the 1st or 2nd generation AirPods.
Owners of the AirPod Pro, on the other hand, may require some time to get acclimated.
AirPods(1st and 2nd Generation)
For AirPods 1st and 2nd generation, you can only have two gesture functions enabled at one time.
Each ear is capable of one gesture command, double-tap.
This function can be set to activate Siri, Play/Pause audio, skip to the next or previous song, or do nothing at all.
Follow these steps to configure your AirPods touch commands:
- Go to the Bluetooth settings on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- On the connected devices list, locate your AirPods.
- Tap on it.
- There’s a second option in the AirPods settings menu labeled “DOUBLE-TAP ON AIRPOD.”
- Choose the left or right earbud.
- The following screen will display the available setting options (such as Siri, Play/Pause, Next Track, or OFF).
- Select the command you wish to use.
- Repeat for the other earbud.
You can now have one earphone set to pause or resume audio playback, while the other may be used to transition to the next track.
I don’t advise utilizing the touch gesture for Siri. Instead, say “Hey Siri” into your iPhone’s microphone.
You can use this method to access simple controls while yet having full use of voice commands.
Other AirPod Settings
There are also two more options in your AirPods Bluetooth settings to think about.
The first is automatic ear detection.
If you enable this setting, your iPhone will recognize when you’re actually wearing your AirPods instead of just taking them out of the case.
When an AirPod is removed from your ear or falls out, it automatically stops playing.
source:makeuseof.com
Like, you are listening to music or podcasts and your friend or family member starts to talk.
You can simply take out one AirPod from your ear and music will stop playing, you can talk to them and when you put your earpiece back in your ear music will start automatically.
A microphone control is the second option in the AirPod Bluetooth menu.
I recommend you to leave this on Auto.
However, If you’re a security-conscious individual, who only wants to utilize your AirPods for audio listening, then you can switch the microphone off.
AirPod Pros
The AirPod Pros are a newer version of the AirPods that were released in late 2019.
They have a few new features, including touch gestures.
These gestures allow you to control the audio playback and other settings by tapping on the earbuds.
The AirPod Pros are a great option for people who want to be able to control their audio playback without having to take their phone out of their pocket.
The touch gestures are very responsive and easy to use.
source:businessinsider.com
With extra specialized touch gestures based on how Bluetooth earbud users wanted to manage their devices, the AirPod Pros live up to their name.
For some time, different brands of devices like Samsung Galaxy Buds or Bose Quiet Comfort have been employing a similar technology.
It’s great to see Apple pay attention to the damages caused by its devices, and incorporate similar features to its AirPod headphones.
The AirPod Pros’ major drawback is that touch gestures are unchangeable.
Only the long-press gesture can be customized, but it can only be set to one of two command possibilities available.
So, let’s go through the different touch gestures that your AirPod Pros support and what they’re for.
Single Tap
The most popular of touch controls is the one-touch option.
You either press the force sensor once or lightly squeeze on one of the AirPods stems once.
This option plays either the next audio in the queue, immediately pauses your current audio, or resumes previously paused audio media.
The force sensor is very sensitive. Don’t be too enthusiastic with your motions.
If you think you made a mistake with the single tap, give yourself some time to think about it and then try again.
If you try taping the AirPods a second time straight away, they’ll probably interpret it as a double-click.
Double Tap
You can double-tap on the force sensor or squeeze both stems of each AirPod twice to request a different action.
This gesture skips to the next audio track on the album or the playlist you are listening to.
source:businessinsider.com
Tap on the force sensor twice in a row, or lightly squeeze the stem of one of the AirPods twice.
Remember, AirPods are very sensitive.
If you don’t want to accidentally go through all your music if you do a Triple-tap by mistake, remember that you can pause your audio playback with a single tap.
It’s very easy to accidentally do a Triple-tap instead of a Double-tap because they both require the same amount of pressure.
Just be aware of how easily you could make this mistake and take care when performing the action.
If you inadvertently double-tap more than you intended, your gesture may be interpreted as a triple tap or multiple double taps.
Just be cautious so that you don’t have to go all the way through an album or playlist to get back to where you were.
Triple Tap
The triple-tap gesture is a little more difficult to do because it requires more pressure than the other taps.
Squeeze the stem of one of the AirPods three times in a row to activate this option.
Just perform three consecutive taps on the AirPods force sensor or lightly squeeze on the stem of one of the AirPods three times in a row.
This will tell your device to move to the previous track.
Fortunately, this is the most amount of taps your AirPods can identify, making a difficult gesture to execute on purpose.
Long Press Gesture
The long press is the last command your AirPods can comprehend.
Setting it to “On” activates Siri, but when set to “Off,” the AirPods’ Noise Control function is enabled.
Gestures like the double-tap customization of 1st and 2nd generation AirPods, can be configured differently for each earbud.
I would propose that you utilize voice activation rather than a touch gesture, but with only two commands available, you can have them both at all times.
There are three noise-reduction settings.
To hop around between them, utilize the long press.
The primary mode is Noise Cancellation, which suppresses external noises.
This is ideal for enhancing privacy and reducing distractions in the environment.
You may occasionally need to hear what’s going on. For those situations, you can hop to the “Transparency” mode.
External sounds will penetrate more easily when transparency mode is activated.
While the sound is more muffled, you’ll be able to hear speakers who are close to you without difficulty while listening to music.
The last setting turns off the Noise Control function.
Voice Commands
AirPods allow you to utilize touch gestures to control your music. It’s not the only way.
You can also adjust the volume, change playlists, and skip songs using voice commands.
Apple’s virtual device assistant, Siri, is a software program that works on Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad, iMac, MacBook, and Apple Watch.
Voice commands have grown increasingly useful, as voice recognition, smart assistant and artificial intelligence capabilities continue to expand.
With enough practice, the number of things you can accomplish and manage with your voice alone is incredible.
Here are a few different ways to use voice commands if you haven’t already begun experimenting with them.
Some voice commands to get used to using Siri:
“Hey Siri”
This is the command to activate Siri to get directions from you.
“Hey Siri pause”
This will pause the audio/video you are playing on your Apple device.
source:makeuseof.com
“Hey Siri set the volume to 25%”
This will set your Apple device volume to 25%.
“Hey Siri, next song”
This command will direct Siri to jump to the next song in your playlist or music library.
“Hey Siri what’s playing?”
By using this command you ask Siri to tell you what you are Playing on your device at that particular time.
“Hey Siri turn up the bass”
This command will turn up the bass of your device.
“Hey Siri, turn down the treble”
This will turn down the Treble of your device.
“Hey Siri stop playing”
This command directs Siri to stop playing the audio/video.
In addition to these basic commands, there are a number of other things you can ask Siri to do.
For example:
“Hey Siri, show me the weather”
By this command, Siri will show you the weather.
“Hey Siri, what time is it in Paris?”
By this, Siri will tell you the time in Paris at that minute.
“Hey Siri, add an appointment for tomorrow at 10 am”
This Voice command will add a reminder to your device at 10 am for an appointment.
“Hey Siri, Call Mom”
This command will tell Siri to make a call to a particular number under the name “Mom” from your Apple device.
“Hey Siri, How many calories does a banana have”
This allows you to get information about the calories in a banana.
And many more endless commands and tasks you can ask Siri to do for you.
Conclusion
AirPods allow you to control your music without taking out your phone.
Touch controls are a fast and simple way to operate your audio on the go.
AirPods, in particular, because Apple was one of the first companies to release Bluetooth earbuds.
You can switch songs, pause and play music, adjust the volume, make calls, and more with the touch of a button on your AirPods.
The force sensor on the earbud is able to control music in case you’ve got one of the first or second-generation AirPods or AirPod Pros.
To improve your productivity, I recommend you to use voice commands with touch gestures.
It’s also a lot of fun to be able to issue orders to your phone.
And, of course, it might not argue back.
Kevin is a Tech journalist for over a decade. He writes on Wearables, Headphones, and Laptops. When he is not glued to his laptop, You will find him working on exciting projects that include Unboxing new Gadgets, comparing them, and tweaking their hardware.