Wearing Only One AirPod?

[Mac 128]

Is it possible to wear just one AirPod as a phone headset, and continually swap it out when the battery drains for the other one that's been charging in the case? I'd like a BT headset that never runs out of juice, but the AirPods seem like an ideal substitute for that, with just a quick swap.

 

[Garemlin]

Yes it is. Charge one while using the other. They can pair as a team or separately. Separately on two different devices at the same time too. And when you use one it plays in stereo.

 

[Analog Kid]

Is it possible to wear just one AirPod as a phone headset, and continually swap it out when the battery drains for the other one that's been charging in the case? I'd like a BT headset that never runs out of juice, but the AirPods seem like an ideal substitute for that, with just a quick swap.

Yeah, I do this frequently. Charge one, use one. When I need to swap, I use them both until they're both enabled, and then charge the weak one.

 

[44267547]

Yes it is. Charge one while using the other. They can pair as a team or separately. Separately on two different devices at the same time too. And when you use one it plays in stereo.

Nice. I didn’t know that myself. The AirPods alone are a massive success for Apple, curious to see if Version two debuts on the 30th or not.

 

[Mac 128]

Yeah, I do this frequently. Charge one, use one. When I need to swap, I use them both until they're both enabled, and then charge the weak one.

Interesting, but you could take one out and put it away, then insert the fresh one, and the process is otherwise the same?

 

[millerj123]

Interesting, but you could take one out and put it away, then insert the fresh one, and the process is otherwise the same?

For phone calls I do it on the other order: put the charged one in, take the drained one out. With music or podcasts, taking the old one out will pause, so you have to start it back up.

 

[Analog Kid]

Interesting, but you could take one out and put it away, then insert the fresh one, and the process is otherwise the same?

This way whoever I'm talking to isn't aware that I'm swapping earbuds. The microphones are pretty seamless at transitioning, so that order just makes sure that the conversation continues uninterrupted.

 

[Mac 128]

This way whoever I'm talking to isn't aware that I'm swapping earbuds. The microphones are pretty seamless at transitioning, so that order just makes sure that the conversation continues uninterrupted.

About how long do they last on standby if you're not taking a lot of calls before you have to swap them?

 

[Mac 128]

Got them and all seemed to be working well for a day. This morning, I swapped the Left earbud for the right one. But it didn’t make the connection sound when placed in my ear. In looking at the iPhone, opening the AirPods case next to the iPhone didn’t bring up the AirPod status. The left bud seemed to work, but the right didn’t, and putting both in my ears, the right continued not to work.

So I “forgot” the pairing, and went to repair by opening the case, and it forced me to press the button on the back of the case. I didnt have to do that before.

Is this normal? We’ll see if it continues to work properly when I switch the AirPods tomorrow.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

What software version are you running on your phone?

I had a similar experience recently after updating to 12.1. Had never happened prior. I'm also getting intermittent audio skips in my car so it's likely a phone Bluetooth issue rather than an Airpod issue.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Is it possible to wear just one AirPod as a phone headset, and continually swap it out when the battery drains for the other one that's been charging in the case? I'd like a BT headset that never runs out of juice, but the AirPods seem like an ideal substitute for that, with just a quick swap.

This is exactly how I use mine... now, if you're into music, you need both to get stereo sound (obviously), but for a phone headset situation, the 'one at a time' approach is a solid solution... should get you about 10-12 hours of usage with this scenario.

 

[Mac 128]

What software version are you running on your phone?

I had a similar experience recently after updating to 12.1. Had never happened prior. I'm also getting intermittent audio skips in my car so it's likely a phone Bluetooth issue rather than an Airpod issue.

Yes, it was just updated to the latest software. Perhaps it will get fixed in the next update.

 

[lewis26]

This is exactly how I use mine... now, if you're into music, you need both to get stereo sound (obviously), but for a phone headset situation, the 'one at a time' approach is a solid solution... should get you about 10-12 hours of usage with this scenario.

I believe if you only have one in, it plays the full stereo signal through that one airpod.

 

[Mac 128]

Anybody know if you can leave the charging case plugged into a charger all the time? I'd assume when it reached full charge it would stop charging, until the level began to drop. But I presume this would take a toll on longevity over time?

 

[3rdiguy]

This is my go-to way of using my AirPods. One in the ear and one charging. Allows me to hear other things better while still listening to whatever I am on AirPod