iOS 16 Makes It Easier to Manage AirPods Settings

[MacRumors]

iOS 16 is designed to make it simpler to manage your connected AirPods and Beats headphones by adding a new section to the Settings app when the accessories are connected.

In iOS 15, accessing AirPods settings requires opening up the Bluetooth interface and tapping on the "i" next to the AirPods listing, and it's a menu that's hidden and harder to find for those who are not particularly familiar with the iPhone.

With iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, if you pair a set of AirPods to your iOS device, you can see a new AirPods setting app directly below your name, making it much easier to get to the various options for adjustment.

You can still access the same settings in the Bluetooth menu and see AirPods information under General > About.

The AirPods settings have changed, and on supported models, there are direct options to set up Personalized Spatial Audio and view the AirPods in Find My.

Article Link: iOS 16 Makes It Easier to Manage AirPods Settings

 

[Justin Cymbal]

Awesome!

I’m glad that Apple is making it easier to manage the AirPods settings on iOS 16

I have both the AirPods Pro and the AirPods Max and I use both of them all the time

I use my AirPods Pro when I go for walks and work out and I use my AirPods Max when I travel on the plane

 

[AtomicDusk]

Hooray! This has been a big pain to find, I'm loving this change!

 

[4jasontv]

Which airpod settings are people changing so much they needed fewer steps?

 

[_Spinn_]

Very nice! I'm glad Apple is adding additional quality of life updates.

 

[4jasontv]

Awesome!

I’m glad that Apple is making it easier to manage the AirPods settings on iOS 16

I have both the AirPods Pro and the AirPods Max and I use both of them all the time

I use my AirPods Pro when I go for walks and work out and I use my AirPods Max when I travel on the plane

I have the regular and pros. When do you need to access the Airpod settings? Is it for the Max?

 

[macsplusmacs]

THANK ALLLLL GODS

 

[nutmac]

It would be perfect if I can trigger firmware update from this screen.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

So many people will appreciate this feature. Dang, this is another nice feature.

 

[R740]

so far most of the announced new features of iOS 16 deserve an "about time" comment

 

[4jasontv]

So many people will appreciate this feature. Dang, this is another nice feature.

I don't get it. Why will they appreciate it? It's not like they added settings, they just moved it. I have accessed the Airpod settings as many times as I have accessed my address book sync settings. That is, once, while setting it up. If anything it seems like it clutters the setting menu.

 

[Justin Cymbal]

I have the regular and pros. When do you need to access the Airpod settings? Is it for the Max?

I occasionally need to adjust settings within the AirPods settings section under Bluetooth

I just noticed that the picture shown on this article indicates that battery percentages will be available to view all the time instead of having to open the case of the AirPods or needing to take the AirPods Max out of the case that it comes with to view the battery percentage so that’s definitely a nice feature in iOS 16

 

[lazyrighteye]

And yet somehow... There will be a seemingly endless sea of those claiming this keynote was garbage. To each their own, obviously. But I found this one of the more stand-out WWDCs I can recall. Not just one of those more under the hood OS updates (which has seemed more the norm of late). But real, usable features and updates many will use and appreciate on day one. Plus new processors! And hardware updates?!? C'mon people - solid WWDC! 😜

 

[lazyrighteye]

so far most of the announced new features of iOS 16 deserve an "about time" comment

Totally agree. While some will interpret that as a lame WWDC, I'm happy to see my device functionality increase in some really needed areas. That, to me, is a solid OS update.

 

[lazyrighteye]

So many people will appreciate this feature. Dang, this is another nice feature.

Count me as one who has felt the AirPod management side of the game has been weirdly absent. The title of this year's WWDC could have been 'Bout Time! 🤪

 

[jimthing]

It would be perfect if I can trigger firmware update from this screen.

^ THIS!

Can someone confirm this is now possible, so we now don't have to play the guessing game...?

 

[MallardDuck]

We desperately need an option to bind AirPods to a single device at a time. The auto switch never works right.

 

[MacAddict1978]

Great. Can they fix the apple watch kicking your audio to the iPhone speaker when Siri announces anything like closing rings? For thirty seconds?

I was listening to a true crime podcast (yay… Small Town Murder) while in a walk the other day and they were talking about a graphic pedophile rapist and all the gory detail and didn’t that bitch Siri decide to announce I closed my ring and broadcast what had to sound like pedophile pornography to a bunch of children in their parents completely out of context.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

so far most of the announced new features of iOS 16 deserve an "about time" comment

Yeah, one of the major things you want to do when designing a new feature, is list all the settings a user could possibly want, and then program them in. It's not a major task. It's simply a mindset that Apple lacks. Which shocks me, as surely most of these software devs actually use Macs and iPhones? Do they have some secret hidden OS version with all these settings just for themselves? Or have access past all the "security and privacy" restrictions on their own machines and can just go and tweak everything via command line at will?

 

[MallardDuck]

Yeah, one of the major things you want to do when designing a new feature, is list all the settings a user could possibly want, and then program them in. It's not a major task. It's simply a mindset that Apple lacks. Which shocks me, as surely most of these software devs actually use Macs and iPhones? Do they have some secret hidden OS version with all these settings just for themselves? Or have access past all the "security and privacy" restrictions on their own machines and can just go and tweak everything via command line at will?

They 'know best' because thats how they use their own devices on gigabit always on internet connections while plugged in. It's like the gaming segment - sure the tech might be cool, and for porting iPad games over it's nice, but AAA titles? No major studio is going to rebuild their entire engine and code base for a low volume platform. If they were serious about games on Mac they'd build something like Rosetta for directx on top of metal. But since that's not in their insular scope, they won't do it. Like the airpod auto switch...it works for them so it must work for everyone, or the portrait camera on the iPad, or the music and tv app that hang on low speed connections and don't even display local content, and on and on and on. they're slowly starting to come out of the bubble though...that's why we have useful macs again, and a lot of these things. Hopefully it'll continue.

 

[Shirasaki]

Wow, nice timing after I already lost my AirPods Pro case because there was no way to locate that. (No beeps or anything, and by this point battery was long dead)
When can we locate case or airpods in a few taps?

 

[DaveMcM76]

Obviously not as many settings to choose from, but this same settings change also applies to the Beats Flex (and presumably other wireless beats headphones) too.

 

[svish]

Very good change!! So many useful updates in IOS 16.

 

[Weaselboy]

We desperately need an option to bind AirPods to a single device at a time. The auto switch never works right.

Yep... I actually quit using mine and bought a set of Jabra earbuds because of this.

 

[subjonas]

Speaking of better integration, I still don’t understand why Apple doesn’t add a “connect” button to the pop up window that temporarily shows up on all your nearby/on Apple devices’ screens when you power on the headphones. That would do away with having to go levels deep into control center to connect. I have Beats Flex which doesnt have the feature that automatically connects to whatever device you’re using, but I imagine even that can’t always know which device you want if you’re using multiple simultaneously.

Also if I quickly press the power button on my headphones while it’s already on, it will sometimes show the pop up window, sometimes not. I wish it would pop up consistently, again with a “connect” button, so that I can easily and quickly see battery level and switch to any Apple device.

Also I wish the headphones would simultaneously tell me battery percentage via voice (when I press the button while headphones are already on), and regardless of whether they’re connected to a device or not. Besides letting me quickly know battery percentage, this would also always give me a fast way to know whether or not the headphones are on—all this regardless of if I’m connected to a device. One of my biggest complaints with my Beats Flex is not knowing if the headphones are on or off without taking them off my neck and looking to see if the light is on. This is especially a problem when I try to turn it on and the last device I was connected to is not nearby, so I get no audio confirmation of power on/off. This would pretty much solve that and just make things easier all around.