How Tos, Guides, and Tips for New AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max Owners

Since their launch in 2016, Apple's AirPods have become wildly popular and are an oft-gifted item. In 2019, Apple released AirPods Pro, and this year the company debuted a pair of over-ear headphones called AirPods Max, offering more choice for consumers this holiday season.

If you received AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max as a gift, make sure to take a look through all of the how tos in this guide, because there are plenty of tips and tricks worth knowing.

airpods family

Basic Features

Must-Know Tutorials

Connectivity With iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac

Tips and Tricks

Troubleshooting

Just for the AirPods Pro

Just for the AirPods Max

AirPods Guides

Videos

/center>








More Info

Know a super useful ‌iPhone‌ tip that other MacRumors readers might not be aware of? Make sure to share it in the comments below.

For more info on Apple's latest iPhones, and the ‌iOS 14‌ operating system, make sure to check out our detailed roundups: AirPods 2, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.

Related Roundups: AirPods 4, AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...

Top Rated Comments

mac_in_tosh Avatar
76 months ago
Come on people, aren't things getting a bit out of hand when earphones have such complexity? Oh for the good old days when all you had to do to hear music was plug earphones into a jack.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wokis Avatar
76 months ago

Come on people, aren't things getting a bit out of hand when earphones have such complexity? Oh for the good old days when all you had to do to hear music was plug earphones into a jack.
Well, this isn’t on Apple really. It’s just Macrumors making article bait as they expect a lot of new AirPod-owners because of the season. It is really not a hassle for most users (bar if you’re unlucky, get a dud and actually have to troubleshoot something). You open the package, the phone/pad offers to automatically pair them to your account, and you’re set.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
76 months ago

Come on people, aren't things getting a bit out of hand when earphones have such complexity? Oh for the good old days when all you had to do to hear music was plug earphones into a jack.
AirPods are literally easier to use than corded headphones because you don’t have to spend any time untangling wires and staying tethered to your device.

“The good old days” are never actually that good in comparison. It’s only people living in the past who say that.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
76 months ago

Call me old fashioned, but that one advantage does not outweigh all the complexity involved with using these devices. And wireless headphones have existed for a long time and don't involve all the complexity that EarPods have.
Seriously, what complexity?

How are EarPods complex? AirPods aren't complex either...the opposite actually.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dave 123 Avatar
76 months ago
I’m just disappointed that airpods pro hiss when using the noise cancellation... https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/very-faint-%E2%80%98white-noise%E2%80%99-when-in-anc-mode.2214392/
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bandaman Avatar
76 months ago

That's great to know, but if it was as simple as that, then why would there even been the need for the massive amount of guides at the top of this article?

I use some old wired ones with an old phone at work.
I plug them in the phone, press them in my ears and they work.
There are no articles needed.
There’s zero need for any of the guides in this article. There’s an intro to the AirPods as soon as you set them up and the intro isn’t very long. There is nothing complex about them.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)