This Airpods Hack Is A Game-changer For Frequent Flyers - How To Find It In Your Iphone Settings

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Your AirPods tin observe erstwhile you've fallen dormant and region your media.
• The AirPods apt usage an accelerometer, not a bosom complaint sensor, to observe erstwhile you've fallen asleep.
• The characteristic requires a brace of AirPods Pro 2, Pro 3, aliases AirPods 4, and iOS 26.

If you're for illustration me, nan 1 spot you tin autumn dormant upright is connected an airplane, but you request a brace of noise-canceling headphones to do so. Most of nan time, I'll autumn dormant during a "Real Housewives" segment and aftermath up 2 episodes later.

Also: Your Sony headphones conscionable sewage a useful Bluetooth upgrade pinch nan latest package patch 

There's a characteristic successful your iPhone's settings that tin alteration immoderate AirPods to region your audio contented erstwhile they observe that you've fallen asleep. Here's really to move it on, and really it worked erstwhile I tried it.

What is AirPods slumber detection?

In nan iOS 26 package update, Apple implemented a caller slumber discovery characteristic for AirPods. This characteristic is abnormal by default, truthful you'll request to entree your iPhone settings to alteration it. If you do, put your AirPods Pro 2, Pro 3, aliases AirPods 4 successful your receptor and play media. Your AirPods tin past observe erstwhile you autumn dormant and respond by pausing nan media. 

When your AirPods are connected to your iPhone, unfastened your phone's settings, pat connected your AirPods' settings, and scroll down to "Pause Media When Falling Asleep."

How does it work?

I've only tried nan slumber discovery characteristic pinch nan AirPods Pro 3. Each clip I wore my AirPods while flying, I connected them to my MacBook and played my TV show. The characteristic worked each time, arsenic I woke up to a sleeping MacBook, but my show was paused a fewer minutes aft I fell asleep. 

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Since nan AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 deficiency in-ear bosom complaint monitoring and are not compatible pinch this feature, it's apt that nan AirPods usage their soul accelerometer, alternatively than your bosom rate, to observe sleep. These accelerometers are nan aforesaid sensors that are responsible for deterioration detection, nan characteristic that pauses your media erstwhile you region an earbud from 1 ear.

Apple Watch besides uses its accelerometer to observe erstwhile you've fallen asleep, relying connected a deficiency of activity to find erstwhile you've fallen asleep. 

However, dissimilar nan Apple Watch, nan AirPods Pro 3 do not passively way your bosom rate, truthful there's nary bosom complaint information for slumber successful your iPhone's Health app erstwhile you autumn dormant wearing nan AirPods Pro 3 without an Apple Watch. To way your bosom complaint pinch nan Pro 3 earbuds, you must commencement a workout successful nan Fitness app.