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How to answer a call on your AirPods
Whether you’re listening to your favorite jams or making a phone call, Apple AirPods offer great sound quality and an exceptional listening experience. They also have several touch controls to prevent you from reaching for your phone every time.
However, unless you know how these controls work, using them can be fiddly. That’s why we’ll explain how to answer calls on AirPods, as well as hang up and mute calls.
QUICK ANSWER
For the 1st and 2nd generation AirPods, double-tap either pod.
For the 3rd gen AirPods and all generations of the AirPods Pro, press the indent/force sensor on one of the stems.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
How to answer a call on your AirPods (1st & 2nd generation)
We’ll first look at how to answer calls on AirPods 1st and 2nd generations. The process works similarly for single and multiple calls.
If your AirPods are connected to your device and you’re wearing them when a call comes in, you can answer by double-tapping any of the AirPods. If you’re on a call and a second call comes in, double-tapping either of your AirPods puts the first call on hold and answers the new one.
Once on both calls, double-tapping also switches between them. There are no controls to decline a call. You can either end the call with your connected device or wait until it goes to voicemail.
How to answer a call on your AirPods (3rd generation and Pro)
This section covers how to answer calls on AirPods 3rd generation and the AirPods Pro, since they work similarly.
With your AirPods connected to your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or other device and in your ears, press the stem’s force sensor once on any of them to answer a call. If you get a second call, pressing the stem puts the first call on hold and answers the new one.
You can switch between both calls by pressing the stem. Meanwhile, double-pressing the stem ends the current call and switches to the one on hold. Like the 1st and 2nd gen AirPods, there’s no option to decline calls.
Note that you can also answer or decline calls with your voice if you turn on the call announcement feature.
How to hang up a call on your AirPods
Like answering calls, the 1st and 2nd generation AirPods are similar when hanging up. If you own any of them, double-tap one of the pods to end a call.
You can end a call on the 3rd generation AirPods and AirPods Pro by double-pressing the stem on either pod. If you’re on two calls simultaneously, double-pressing the stem ends the active call and switches to the one on hold.
How to turn call announcements on or off on your AirPods
When the iOS call announcement feature is activated, Siri says the name of the caller. This saves you the trouble of taking out your iPhone or looking at your Apple Watch. Here’s how to turn it on or off:
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Go to Phone settings.
- Scroll to the Allow Phone to Access section and tap Announce Calls.
- Choose Headphones Only from the options to announce calls on your AirPods and other headphones.
Now, your AirPods will tell you who’s calling. You can answer the call using the methods in the previous sections or simply say “Hey Siri, answer it” or “Hey Siri, decline.”
On earbuds with the always-on Siri functionality like the second generation AirPods or newer, the AirPods Pro, and supported Beats headphones, you can simply say “Answer it” or “Decline.”
How to make a call with AirPods
Once you’ve connected your 1st gen AirPods to your phone or tablet, you can make calls. Double-tap either of the pods to activate Siri, wait until you hear a chime, and make your request by saying “Call XYZ.”
Like the 1st generation, you can activate Siri on the 2nd gen AirPods with a double tap if you have the feature enabled in your settings. But because of the always-on Siri functionality, you can also say “Hey Siri” to activate the assistant and follow it up with a command like “Call XYZ” or “Make a FaceTime call.”
On the 3rd generation AirPods and AirPods Pro, press and hold the force sensor or say “Hey Siri” to activate the voice assistant. Then, say “Call XYZ” or “Make a FaceTime call.”
FAQ
Thanks to the touch controls Apple introduced with iOS 17, you can mute and unmute calls on supported AirPods. Press the stems of your 3rd generation AirPods and AirPods Pro or the digital crown of your AirPods Max when on a call.
If your AirPods disconnect when you answer a call, it can be one of several reasons. We’ll take a look at how you can troubleshoot them:
- Bluetooth disconnection: This may seem pretty obvious but ensure your AirPods are connected to your device via Bluetooth by checking the Bluetooth settings.
- Wrong call settings: If Bluetooth is connected, you may want to check your call settings. Confirm that calls are set to route through your AirPods by going to Call Settings and selecting your AirPods as the audio output device.
- Bugs and outdated software: Check that your device and AirPods are running the latest firmware since updates contain bug fixes that can address connectivity issues.
If the previous steps fail, try resetting your AirPods to factory settings. If resetting doesn’t work, you may need to contact Apple Support for further assistance.
The AirPods Max and noise-canceling earbuds like the AirPods Pro can reduce background noise during calls to allow you focus on your conversation. However, the first, second, and third-generation AirPods do not have ANC and are unable to actively reduce background noise on calls.