If you own a pair of AirPods, you may have experienced the annoyance of automatic play/pause when removing the AirPods from your ears. While this can be a handy feature for some, it may not always be what you want. Fortunately, there's a way to regain control over this behavior.
To turn off automatic play/pause with your AirPods, first, make sure they are connected to your device. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 11 or later, or a Mac with macOS Sierra or later, you can follow these simple steps.
On your iOS device, go to the Settings app. Scroll down and tap on "Bluetooth." Find your AirPods listed under "My Devices" and tap the "i" icon next to them. This will take you to the AirPods settings.
Once in the AirPods settings, you will see a section called "Automatic Ear Detection." This feature is what enables the automatic play/pause function. Simply toggle the switch next to "Automatic Ear Detection" to turn it off. When the switch is gray, it means the feature is turned off.
On your Mac, the process is slightly different. Click on the Apple menu and go to "System Preferences." Then click on "Bluetooth." Find your AirPods in the list of devices and click on the "Options" button next to them. This will open the AirPods settings window.
In the AirPods settings window on your Mac, you will also see the "Automatic Ear Detection" feature. Uncheck the box next to it to turn off the automatic play/pause function.
By turning off automatic play/pause with your AirPods, you can have more control over when your audio starts and stops. This is especially useful if you prefer to keep your AirPods in your ears without playing any content or if you want to avoid interruptions when taking them out briefly.
Remember that once you turn off automatic play/pause, you will need to manually play and pause audio on your connected device. You can control playback using the device's interface or by using playback controls on your AirPods.
If you ever want to turn the automatic play/pause feature back on, simply follow the same steps and toggle the "Automatic Ear Detection" switch back to the on position.
Enjoy your AirPods even more by customizing the settings to suit your preferences!