Yes! I know this isn’t a mind blowing feature, but fixes a pain point for me.
Apple's first iOS 26 beta includes a new "Keep Audio in Headphones" setting that addresses a common frustration for iPhone users juggling multiple audio devices.
Found in Settings ➝ General ➝ AirPlay & Continuity, the new toggle prevents audio from automatically switching to newly connected devices like car speakers or Bluetooth speakers when you're already listening through headphones or AirPods. Instead of having your music suddenly blast through your car's sound system, audio continues playing through your original output device.
This seemingly simple addition solves an awkward scenario many users will have experienced. Say you're listening to a podcast through AirPods while walking to your car, only to have it unexpectedly resume through CarPlay when you start the engine. Now you can stop that happening by enabling this option.
When iOS 26 launches this fall, the feature should provide welcome relief for anyone tired of their iPhone making assumptions about where they want their audio played. iOS 26 is available in developer beta, with a public beta dropping next month.
Article Link: New iOS 26 Setting Fixes Annoying Auto Audio Switching Issue
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New iOS 26 Setting Fixes Annoying Auto Audio Switching Issue
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I had to make my iPad never connect to my AirPods because of this. I will occasionally let my kids watch a video on my iPad while I'm working on my computer that the AirPods are connected to and Bam, they're mad because they lost audio from the iPad speakers and I'm mad because I suddenly have to listen to Paw Patrol.
Yes! I know this isn’t a mind blowing feature, but fixes a pain point for me.
Also, don’t forget when you turn on the car and it connects CarPlay to your passenger’s phone instead of yours. If they have their headphones in now, it won’t blast their music.
You can have one EarPod in. If there are restrictions, it’s on having both in at the same time.
Also, don’t forget when you turn on the car and it connects CarPlay to your passenger’s phone instead of yours. If they have their headphones in now, it won’t blast their music.
Apple sold wireless headphones 19 years ago?
Yeah that’s how it goes when there are barely any new features worthwhile to release.
Glad they're focusing on improving the audio experience by eliminating common annoyances. I hope my own annoyance isn't too niche... maybe it'll be hit in a future update.
When I switch from music in iTunes to some non-iTunes content, there's frequently a large drop in sound volume, prompting me to crank up the volume on the car stereo to hear properly. That wouldn't be a huge problem by itself... except that when I turn off the engine (such as to pump gas) and the audio stream stops, there is a significant chance that when I turn my car back on, iTunes will reclaim control instead of my other app... resulting in the music blasting me at extremely high volume.
Can I (and my ears) get some love, too, Apple?
When I switch from music in iTunes to some non-iTunes content, there's frequently a large drop in sound volume, prompting me to crank up the volume on the car stereo to hear properly. That wouldn't be a huge problem by itself... except that when I turn off the engine (such as to pump gas) and the audio stream stops, there is a significant chance that when I turn my car back on, iTunes will reclaim control instead of my other app... resulting in the music blasting me at extremely high volume.
Can I (and my ears) get some love, too, Apple?
Cool, now I want to see if it will still let me use my Airpods as assistive hearing devices instead of switching them to audio from my CarPlay
please, please, please - any apple engineers reading this, please add a real graphic EQ with saved settings for each Bluetooth device! why do we need to fiddle with settings every time the phone connects to a car, speaker, stereo, headphone, etc. And why are we stuck with locked presets from ipods? This is such a basic thing for an music/audio device.
Yes, the default behavior probably is what most people want. But good that they recognized that this behavior doesn’t work for everyone.
This is helpful for my family. My home office is right next to our garage. When my wife starts the car and I'm on a call, for whatever reason (might be Honda's fault, honestly) the audio would switch from my AirPods to the van. Now I have some very accepting co-workers, but it's still jarring to go from a nice office meeting/conversation to a van full of six humans. 😅 Hopefully this will fix that!
Excellent. Hopefully they also add:
- An option to lockout audio from apps from playing through CarPlay and connected devices. Gets really annoying if I'm listening to music in my car while parked and start scrolling Instagram or X and the audio in my car gets hijacked by CarPlay.
- The ability to have audio from apps play at the same time as music/video is being played.
I’ve noticed that in my Tesla, when I’m parked and listening to music in the car, it prevents me from playing videos on my phone without either disconnecting the Bluetooth (which will automatically reconnect) or changing the audio source on my phone, which can be quite inconvenient. This will be a helpful feature.
Something I started noticing a few months ago is that, when I'm listening to things on my Mac through my AirPods and remove them, sometimes the audio would then start playing automatically through the laptop speakers rather than just pausing and waiting. It's not consistent, but it's super annoying when this happens, especially when I'm using the AirPods to avoid making noise (like at night, or in hotels).
I find iOS and iPadOS audio handling very basic, especially as someone who uses it for music production/performance.
Firstly, there needs to be a mixer to control the level of each audio source.
Secondly, if I have an audio interface attached, I should for example be able to choose if Spotify goes to Output 1+2 or Output 3+4.
Firstly, there needs to be a mixer to control the level of each audio source.
Secondly, if I have an audio interface attached, I should for example be able to choose if Spotify goes to Output 1+2 or Output 3+4.
This is wrong - The majority of states don't have specific regulations outlawing wearing headphones. It's also not illegal for deaf people to drive.
I want Siri to stop interrupting my music when I tell it to set a timer. Or any command that doesn’t require it to answer me.
It's almost like multiple people can be in a car, like idk... other family members who may have connected to the cars bluetooth in the past...
How about an option to REMEMBER volume level the sound needs to be at for the device you are connected to. Sick of every time i connect to the Airplay device in my kitchen the volume goes down and I have to crank it up so I can hear it
How about a setting that keeps the phone from taking over the audio in a car when CarPlay is in use?
Or keep Apple Music from auto-starting in CarPlay?
I usually listen to a local radio station while using CarPlay, and the number of times it gets overridden by the phone is annoying as hell.
Or keep Apple Music from auto-starting in CarPlay?
I usually listen to a local radio station while using CarPlay, and the number of times it gets overridden by the phone is annoying as hell.