How to skip songs with AirPods

Say you were listening to a song and wanted to skip to the next or previous track. You could easily do that with your phone or laptop. But it becomes a hassle if the audio source isn’t nearby. Thankfully, top-of-the-line wireless earbuds like the Apple AirPods have gestures for this.

This article will explain how to skip songs with AirPods.

Skip forward to the next song using your AirPods (1st and 2nd generation)

If you connect your 1st generation or 2nd generation AirPods to your phone or laptop with a song playing, you can skip to the next track by double-tapping the right or left pod. This is the default action on the 2nd generation AirPods.

If it isn’t the go-to action for any reason, navigate to Settings > Bluetooth, tap the i icon beside your AirPods, go to Double-Tap on AirPod, select the right or left bud, and select Next Track.

Return to the previous song using your AirPods (1st and 2nd generation)

To skip to a previous song on the 1st generation and 2nd generation AirPods, double-tap the touch control on the right or left pod.

Note that you can change the double-tap function for each earbud. You can set the right to skip forward and the left to skip backward. You can also set it to launch Siri or play and pause your audio.

Skip forward to the next song using your AirPods (3rd generation) or AirPods Pro

Suppose you connect your 3rd generation AirPods or AirPods Pro (all generations) to your device and play a song. You can skip to the next track by double-pressing the force sensor (the indented area) on the stem of the left or right earbud.

To fast forward through the currently playing track, hold down the force sensor on the second press.

Return to the previous song using your AirPods (3rd generation) or AirPods Pro

With the 3rd generation AirPods and all generations of the AirPods Pro, you can return to the previous track by triple-pressing the force sensor on the stem of the right or left bud. To simply rewind the current song, press the sensor three times and hold it on the third press.

Note that this function is not customizable on the 3rd generation AirPods and the AirPods Pros.

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