How to pause your AirPods in 4 different ways

Written by Steven John

2019-12-26T15:50:00Z

airpods pro — There are a few ways to play and pause audio on your AirPods or AirPods Pro. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

The easiest way to pause AirPods is to simply remove one of the earbuds from your ear.
In your Settings app, you can customize the controls of your AirPods and assign different functions to each earbud.
To unlock all of the latest Apple AirPods features, make sure you are using the latest iOS, which is currently iOS 13.
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Considering they are smaller than a child's pinky finger, your Apple AirPods are impressive when it comes to their brilliance of function.

You can use them to control music, calls, and other audio media simply by tapping on them, popping them in and out of your ears, or via your iPhone or iPad.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

AirPods with Wireless Charging Case (From $199.99 at Best Buy)

AirPods Pro (From $249.99 at Best Buy)

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

iPad (From $329.99 at Best Buy)

How to pause audio on your AirPods

How to pause AirPods — Removing both AirPods will switch the audio back to the speaker of the iPhone or iPad to which they are connected. Apple

There are a few very simple ways to pause audio on your AirPods, with one way allowing you to customize how tapping can be used to perform certain function with your first and second generation AirPods.

Remove an AirPod from your ear

If you want to pause the audio currently playing through your AirPods, the easiest way to do so is to pop one of them out of your ear and the earbud's Automatic Ear Detection sensor will register the removal and pause the sound. Take out both AirPods, and you relinquish control of the audio altogether to your iPhone or iPad.

Press the force sensor on AirPods Pro

AirPods Pro force sensor — You can pause audio by holding the force sensor on your AirPods Pro. Apple

1. Press the force sensor on the stem of one of your AirPods to pause your audio. The force sensor feels like an indented oval shape. Press it again to unpause audio.

2. You can also use the force sensor to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode. Active Noise Cancellation blocks out noises around you, which is great for the subway or walking down a busy street. Simply press and hold the force sensor to switch between the two modes.

Double-tap on AirPods (First or second generation)

The next easiest way to pause your AirPods is to double tap on the earbud that you specified in your iOS Settings app.

1. Do this by opening the Settings app.

2. Tap "Bluetooth" and then tap on the tab with your AirPods to connect.

3. Then tap the "i" icon next to your AirPods tab. Now, choose which AirPod will have the Play/Pause function by tapping either "Left" or "Right" under "DOUBLE-TAP ON AIRPOD."

4. Select "Play/Pause" in the next window.

5. Tap the blue text in the upper-left corner with the name of your AirPods to return back to your AirPods settings page.

With the second generation of AirPods, you can also simply say "Hey Siri pause music" to pause the noise. And as with any audio hardware connected to an iPhone or iPad, you can always just use the controls in the app itself to pause the stream of sound.

Use Siri

1. With the new AirPods Pro and the second generation of AirPods, you can simply say "Hey Siri" and then ask Siri to pause or play your music. You can also hold the force sensor on your AirPods Pro to launch Siri.

2. However, with the first generation of AirPods you have to set-up one of your AirPods to use Siri when you double-tap. You can do this by opening the "Settings" app then connecting to your AirPods in "Bluetooth." Once connected tap the blue "i" icon and choose either the Left or Right Airpod to use Siri with from the "DOUBLE-TAP ON AIRPOD" menu.

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Apple AirPods Pro (1st Generation)

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Steven John

Freelance Writer

Steven John is a freelance writer living near New York City by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, four in Boston, and the first 18 near DC. When not writing or spending time with his wife and kids, he can occasionally be found climbing mountains. His writing is spread across the web, and his books can be found at www.stevenjohnbooks.com.