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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.
Also: You should clean your headphones and earbuds ASAP (and it goes beyond sanitary reasons)
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.
Also: Your AirPods just got a useful power management tool with iOS 26 - here's how to enable it
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
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