Airpods - new owners views, problems and questions

[daijholt]

Me too. So spot on. The convenience and entire experience are so classic Apple. Even down to the "snap" of the lid on the charging case. Everything just feels so premium. It's unfortunate about the lack of sound isolation.

Lack of isolation is unfortunate, and whilst I feel the sound quality is very good, turning the EQ on makes a huge difference to the sound. They're very balanced to begin with, meaning the EQ doesn't overdo any of the elements as they do with beats headphones (due to the already overpowering bass).

I find the Rock EQ is the best for a wide variety of music.

 

[BulkHedd]

I have the identical issues and I've completed the identical steps you have - almost word for word. I have and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Watch S2, AirPods. Same issues are still happening. It's the most irritating thing because the dropping connection the the car is happening more and more. You don't drive a VW by any chance do you?

No. I drive a Toyota.

There must be something wrong with Bluetooth in the 6s but I really don't think it started until iOS 10.

Or maybe it's the Apple Watch causing it.

 

[barry.wiestling]

I notice it exactly as you mentioned and I've read all 27 pages of this thread to see who else noticed this. It seems no one else is mentioning this. I'd like to know if this is normal and expected of bluetooth headphones or if it's faulty. If this is normal then it's a bummer, it's quite distracting especially when using airpods with a mac.

I have the EXACT same thing happening. I was wondering if it was normal as well.

It's not a deal breaker, but can become annoying when I watch a video, and then go into music and I get this noise.

 

[trifid]

I have the EXACT same thing happening. I was wondering if it was normal as well.

It's not a deal breaker, but can become annoying when I watch a video, and then go into music and I get this noise.

It's unbearable for me when using it on my mac, the way I use it now is I put a youtube video in the background with volume down which keeps the Airpods awake and they never go in sleep, so there is never a noise. Otherwise if I don't do this the noise comes and goes every few seconds/minutes, it's very distracting.

 

[SpitUK]

How do you turn on the EQ?

 

[wittyphrase]

Ok, I've had mine about two weeks; I second the sound issue re: not as loud vs. same audio setting vs wired. Love not having wires! But, Siri for me is mostly not available when used with a desktop as I'm connected via VPN so Siri cannot "call home".

I know there's a preference re: double-tap for Siri / pause, which you can set on the iPhone via settings, but where is this setting kept? Can I dis Siri when used with a desktop ?

/los

You can do it via phone or ipad in the bluetooth menu - you click the little i button to bring up the options. I think that option carries across devices, so that might be one way. I didn't check to see if the options existed when using them with my MacBook Pro.

 

[daijholt]

How do you turn on the EQ?

In iOS you go to settings, music, and EQ.
In macOS, you open iTunes, click Window at the top, then Equaliser.

 

[Ad13]

I've seen a few posts mentioning issues when using an iPhone 6s, Apple Watch and the AirPods. I have a 6s and a S0 Apple Watch. I've been having intermittent Bluetooth issues since iOS 10, I'm pretty sure. Disconnects in my car, etc.
I just got the AirPods a few days ago. I experience momentary cutouts and disconnects frequently.

When I began having the car issues I reset my phone, wiped all data and restored from the backup. That didn't fix anything. Subsequent iOS updates seem to have made things better but I'm wondering if others are still having the same issues I am.

I've contacted Apple Support regarding this issue so I'm hopeful for solution. One thing I noticed is that the Bluetooth drops the car connection constantly. However, when I switched my Apple Watch so it can't communicate with the iPhone, the iPhones stays connected to the car with zero drops. It's bizarre. It's like the iPhone can't handle all of the connections and is forced to drop them in order of priority.

 

[Mr. Zarniwoop]

I've contacted Apple Support regarding this issue so I'm hopeful for solution. One thing I noticed is that the Bluetooth drops the car connection constantly. However, when I switched my Apple Watch so it can't communicate with the iPhone, the iPhones stays connected to the car with zero drops. It's bizarre. It's like the iPhone can't handle all of the connections and is forced to drop them in order of priority.

This is the first explanation I've seen that explains everything I've witnessed with my iPhone 7 Plus (A1784 with Intel chipset).

I really started noticing the issues once I got the AirPods, which I've swapped at Apple after demonstrating the issue.

And perhaps it explains why I had no Bluetooth issues at all for the 10 days I had a different model, the A1661 with Qualcomm chipset.

So... do you also use an iPhone 7/7 Plus with Intel modem?

 

[Ad13]

This is the first explanation I've seen that explains everything I've witnessed with my iPhone 7 Plus (A1784 with Intel chipset).

I really started noticing the issues once I got the AirPods, which I've swapped at Apple after demonstrating the issue.

And perhaps it explains why I had no Bluetooth issues at all for the 10 days I had a different model, the A1661 with Qualcomm chipset.

So... do you also use an iPhone 7/7 Plus with Intel modem?

No unfortunately, I have an iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Watch s2 & AirPods.

 

[Ralfi]

If I'm not mistaken, I think the deafening notifications at full volume have now been toned down.

I thought it happened a couple of days ago, but wasn't sure. I haven't had my ears blown apart since then.

 

[rstark18]

If I'm not mistaken, I think the deafening notifications at full volume have now been toned down.

I thought it happened a couple of days ago, but wasn't sure. I haven't had my ears blown apart since then.

I thought the same thing but had my ears blasted earlier today.

 

[JNGold]

Finally contacted Apple about the slow, robotic incoming calls (inconsistently) and disconnects with my iPhone 7. Genius appointment this Saturday. I am hopeful that a replacement might address some issue, but if most of this inconsistency is software related, it will all be for naught.

Problems I am experiencing:
1. Time to time incoming calls are slow, motion robotic sounding
2. Inconsistent sound re-direct of calls back to iPhone
3. In the car, when I am not connected to Carplay, BT connection causes AirPods to become unresponsive to double tap Siri requests.

 

[Ad13]

Finally contacted Apple about the slow, robotic incoming calls (inconsistently) and disconnects with my iPhone 7. Genius appointment this Saturday. I am hopeful that a replacement might address some issue, but if most of this inconsistency is software related, it will all be for naught.

Problems I am experiencing:
1. Time to time incoming calls are slow, motion robotic sounding
2. Inconsistent sound re-direct of calls back to iPhone
3. In the car, when I am not connected to Carplay, BT connection causes AirPods to become unresponsive to double tap Siri requests.

Can I ask if you have an Apple Watch? I'm having huge problems with Bluetooth and dropping connection with AirPods and the car and it appears if I put the Apple Watch into Airplane mode so it can't communicate with the iPhone, my problems disappear completely.

 

[-Ryan-]

Can I ask if you have an Apple Watch? I'm having huge problems with Bluetooth and dropping connection with AirPods and the car and it appears if I put the Apple Watch into Airplane mode so it can't communicate with the iPhone, my problems disappear completely.

I am going to have to try this as it is infuriating. It seems to have only begun with iOS 10 for me. I have my iPhone connected via Bluetooth to my Apple Watch, my car and my AirPods. My Apple Watch always remains connected as far as I can tell, while my AirPods and car regularly (perhaps every 10-30 minutes) drop connection and then find it difficult to reconnect.

I do really like the AirPods but the software at the moment is fairly poor. The only reason I am keeping them is because when they work they're great. I get hissing far too often, I get the robotic phone calls, I get the unresponsive double tap, I deal with the clunky switching between devices. They're ok, but definitely a "gen 1" product.

 

[ascender]

My AirPods aren't connected to my Apple Watch, not sure if that's supposed to happen automatically or not...

 

[Ad13]

I am going to have to try this as it is infuriating. It seems to have only begun with iOS 10 for me. I have my iPhone connected via Bluetooth to my Apple Watch, my car and my AirPods. My Apple Watch always remains connected as far as I can tell, while my AirPods and car regularly (perhaps every 10-30 minutes) drop connection and then find it difficult to reconnect.

I do really like the AirPods but the software at the moment is fairly poor. The only reason I am keeping them is because when they work they're great. I get hissing far too often, I get the robotic phone calls, I get the unresponsive double tap, I deal with the clunky switching between devices. They're ok, but definitely a "gen 1" product.

I have identical issues to you and the same thoughts on the implementation. I think this is why the AirPods were delayed. Apple knows more about this that they're letting in.

Try putting the Watch into Airplane mode and I can guarantee your connection will remain rock solid. If you try this, can you please report back it if works for you too please?

I did some dignostics for Apple Support and mine dropped connection from the AirPods 17 times in a three hour walk.
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My AirPods aren't connected to my Apple Watch, not sure if that's supposed to happen automatically or not...

Mine also almost never connect first time. The thing to do is put the AirPods in your ears and they connect to the iPhone. Manually disconnect from the iPhone via the iPhone Bluetooth settings and then they'll automatically reconnect, but this time to the Watch too.

 

[danmart]

My AirPods aren't connected to my Apple Watch, not sure if that's supposed to happen automatically or not...

Yes, it should. I had trouble getting them to work originally. I unpaired and re-paired my Watch with my iPhone and forgot then re-paired my AirPods. That got things working correctly, and now I can move easily between using my AirPods with my iPhone or directly to play music from my Watch.

 

[Domen151]

So I’m getting AirPods on Monday and I have a couple of questions:
a) Does the auto-pause feature also work with Mac while using Spotify or YouTube in Safari? So if I listen to a song, watch a video and take one AirPod out, does it pause?
b) Because they have batteries and they degrade over time, how many years do you think I can expect from them to work? I hope that they would last 2-3 years.
Thank you and I’m sorry if those were already answered

 

[blasto2236]

So I’m getting AirPods on Monday and I have a couple of questions:
a) Does the auto-pause feature also work with Mac while using Spotify or YouTube in Safari? So if I listen to a song, watch a video and take one AirPod out, does it pause?
b) Because they have batteries and they degrade over time, how many years do you think I can expect from them to work? I hope that they would last 2-3 years.
Thank you and I’m sorry if those were already answered

A) Yes, this works for the most part. Unsure on Spotify as I use Apple Music, but it works in iTunes as well as YouTube in Safari. Does not work on Netflix though. Which is weird, because it works in the app on iOS.

B) Probably all we can do is speculate here. My guess would be that like all lithium batteries, they'll start to see some degradation after 2 years and last anywhere from 3-5 before they hold so little charge they're useless. Then again, I'd imagine we'll also see something happen with the tech in that time that would warrant an upgrade, so...

 

[The Game 161]

anybody on android using the air pods?

 

[JUiCEJamie]

Hi guys, couldn't find a dedicated AirPods section so I thought I'd try here..

Quick question - has anybody noticed recently that AirPods simply don't pause when you take one/both out of your ear. I'm thinking this has been since the recent firmware upgrade.

Anybody else noticed the same?

 

[blasto2236]

Hi guys, couldn't find a dedicated AirPods section so I thought I'd try here..

Quick question - has anybody noticed recently that AirPods simply don't pause when you take one/both out of your ear. I'm thinking this has been since the recent firmware upgrade.

Anybody else noticed the same?

Have you checked Settings>Bluetooth>AirPods (the little i next to them) and made sure that Ear Detection is turned on? I found that mine has turned itself off twice now, not really sure how.

 

[cap7ainclu7ch]

Question: With the new find AirPods features coming in the future updates, is there anyway of finding the pods if they are in the case? I assume when they are in the case all radios are off, so you would only have the data of the last location the case was opened. Just curious if maybe Apple put in some sort of pinging ability when they are still in the case, as its small enough to lose on its own.

For the meantime I actually attached on of my tile trackers and its pretty clunky, but passable.

 

[blasto2236]

Question: With the new find AirPods features coming in the future updates, is there anyway of finding the pods if they are in the case? I assume when they are in the case all radios are off, so you would only have the data of the last location the case was opened. Just curious if maybe Apple put in some sort of pinging ability when they are still in the case, as its small enough to lose on its own.

For the meantime I actually attached on of my tile trackers and its pretty clunky, but passable.

They actively share their location even when in the case, but I have had trouble with the Play Sound feature. It always works when they're out of the case. Sometimes it works when they're in the case, sometimes it doesn't. I can't really tell if they're intended to do this and its just beta issues or what.