Two years after launch, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are still among the best wireless earbuds you can get. Not only do they have features like voice isolation, conversation awareness, and personalized volume, but iOS 18 turns them into a hearing aid.

I’ve been using the AirPods Pro 2 since launch and have found some lesser-known features you can try to improve your listening experience.

The best part? Some of these tips work with previous versions of AirPods and even AirPods Max headphones. Make sure you have updated to the latest version of iOS 18.

Hidden Control Center options

Control Center is a quick way to access many AirPods settings. With your AirPods connected to your iPhone, press and hold the volume slider. A list of options will appear below it, such as noise control mode, conversation awareness, and spatial audio toggles.

But there’s even more you can add to Control Center with just one simple step. Add the Hear option by going to Settings > Control Center. You can also add it directly from Control Center by long pressing the screen and then tapping Add one Control.

Now you should see the hearing icon that looks like an ear in the Control Center. You can see the battery charge on your AirPods and control options like Live Listen Conversation Boost and Background Noise. Background sounds play rain, ocean and other sounds like white noise in your earbuds to help you concentrate. Below you will find more information about the Live Listen feature.

If you don’t see these options, go to Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Control Center and tap the green plus icon next to the options you want to appear in this menu.

Listen live

Live Listen lets you amplify what your iPhone microphone picks up and send it straight to your ears with any AirPods model. It’s primarily an accessibility feature, but you could potentially use it to listen to what’s going on in a nearby room, for example as an audio-only baby monitor.

This feature is also located in the hearing option within the Control Center. Once you’ve enabled it, swipe down and tap the hearing (ear) icon in Control Center, then tap Listen Live.

Check this out: Tips and tricks for the AirPods Pro 2

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Customize audio with headphone accommodations

Want to change the default sound profile on your AirPods? If you use Apple Music, you can start adjusting the equalizer by going to Settings > Apps > Music > EQ. Other streaming apps like Spotify have their own equalizer tool that you can adjust to your liking.

Apple’s Headphone Accommodations options let you fine-tune your audio even further. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Headphone Accommodations. Now you can choose between balanced tone, vocals or clarity, or amplify soft sounds using the slider.

You can also add a custom audio setting in the Headphone Accommodations menu. Tap the custom audio option and your AirPods will switch to noise canceling mode and ask you if you can hear the softly spoken words. Two audio clips will play and you choose which one you prefer.

Head gestures

You can use head movements to respond to announcements while wearing the AirPods Pro 2. Once you’re connected to a device running iOS 18, iPad OS 18, macOS Sequoia, or WatchOS 11, enable it via Settings > AirPods Pro 2 > Head gestures. Then nod your head to respond yes, or shake your head to respond no to a Siri notification, such as a call, message, or notification. You can also switch the gestures so that shaking means accepting and nodding means rejecting.

Head gestures are ideal when you are in a quiet environment and don’t want to say the word yes or no out loud.

Personalized spatial audio

Your iPhone’s TrueDepth camera is good for more than just FaceID. You can even use it to get personalized spatial audio tailored to the shape of your ears.

Go to Settings > AirPods > Personalized Spatial Audio and then follow the instructions to set this up. You will be asked to hold the phone in front of your face and then turn your head left and right to map out your ears. Now make sure spatial audio is enabled from Control Center and try it out with supported movies and music.

Share audio with a friend

Do you remember the good old days of sharing music with a friend via wired earbuds? Here’s the 2024 version. Swipe down to open Control Center, then tap the AirPods icon in the top right corner of the music playback tray. Tap Share Audio.

Bring another pair of AirPods or Beats to hand, open the lid, then press and hold the pairing button on the case. Follow the onscreen prompts to connect this other pair to your phone, and you can listen to the same songs.

Siri can describe images received in Messages

I recently discovered Siri to describe receiving photos in Messages app when wearing AirPods Pro 2 and my phone is locked. For example, one day I was waiting for a bus and Siri announced that my best friend was sending a photo of a brown dog lying on a black and white checkered floor. I picked up my phone to check and Siri was spot on.

I haven’t yet found the magic trick that makes Siri do this on every single photo, but so far it has worked on images of people and pets that are in the center of the frame with a clear background. I’ve reached out to Apple for more information about this feature and will update this story with more details.

If you want to try to replicate this yourself, make sure Announce Notifications is turned on by going to Settings > Notifications > Announce notificationsand that the Headphones option is also enabled. Scroll further down this page to check if the Messages app is enabled. Now just ask a friend to send you a photo (SMS and iMessages have both worked for me) to see if it works!

Unlock more AirPods settings with the Shortcuts app

The Shortcuts app on iPhone is a powerful tool to get even more out of your AirPods. One of my favorite shortcuts is that every time the AirPods connect to my iPhone they automatically switch to my favorite settings: noise canceling mode at 40% volume.

First, make sure your AirPods are in your ears and connected to your iPhone. Open the Shortcuts app > Plus icon > Add action. Here you need to search for ‘set noise control mode’ and then tap on the gray box that says ‘route’. Select the name of your AirPods from this menu and then choose your mode (in this example it’s noise cancellation).

Next you’ll want to add another action. In the ‘Search for apps and actions’ bar, type ‘Set volume’ and select it. Now change the volume to 40% (or whatever volume you want). Give your shortcut a snappy name and tap Finished.

Now let’s run this shortcut automatically when you put the AirPods in your ears. Go to the Automations tab, tap New Automation and find Bluetooth. Where it says “device,” find the name of your AirPods, make sure “is connected” is checked, then “run immediately.” Press Next and then choose the shortcut you just created. The next time you put your AirPods in your ears and they connect to your phone, this shortcut should run and you can test it.

You can learn more about Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 and how they differ from the new AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation.