All The Ways You Can Use Apple AirPods

Let’s talk about Apple AirPods for a second. These tiny pieces of hardware fit in your palm, but have blossomed into a multi-billion dollar business. So many people use AirPods that if Airpod users were a country, it would be in the top 15 by population. And depending on which financial metrics you track, AirPods could be one of the largest ‘startups’ in the world. 

One of the reasons behind AirPods’ immense popularity is the sheer number of use cases. They are not just for listening to music on the go. 

Types of AirPods

As of early 2021, there are two versions of the ‘traditional’ AirPods and one new option as of this year. In the traditional category, continuing with regular Apple nomenclature, are the AirPods and the AirPods Pro

Image source: Apple

These now-classics easily sit in your ear and capture your voice from the built-in microphones. Prices start at $200+ for the AirPods and $300+ for the AirPods Pro. An AirPods Pro case runs a bit cheaper: only about $50 depending on what you want.

New for 2021 is the AirPods Max. These more traditional-looking headphones are as cordless as the AirPods or Pro models, but sit around your head to offer better noise cancellation. Unfortunately though, they don’t come cheap. These wireless noise cancelling headphones start at $750+ each.

Image source: Apple

An Airpod by another name would sound as good

One of the funny things is, despite its global popularity and the marketing engine of a titan like Apple, not everyone knows the name “AirPods.” 

Depending on what people are used to (and how many Apple billboards they’ve seen lately), people call AirPods all sorts of things:

• Airbuds
• Earpods (or “Apple Earpods”)
• Earbuds (or “Apple Earbuds”)
• Apple headphones

… and the list goes on. But I’ll say one thing before moving on: if you’ve been calling AirPods by any other name, don’t worry. This article is still for you. 

9 ways to use Apple AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max

When Apple first launched the AirPods, people viewed them simply as headphones. While they certainly have that functionality, there’s a lot more to it.

1 - Listen to music

The first and a classic: the audio experience on AirPods is high quality no matter which model you get. So naturally, listening to music is a key use case. Given that Apple’s modern resurgence as a company was based on music with the creation of the iPod, listening to music had to be the first use case we discussed.

2 - Take phone calls

The built-in mic is clear and crisp - surprisingly so when you consider how far away the mic is from your mouth. Given Apple’s ability to design high quality technology, you can comfortably take phone calls with your AirPods. The mics are also designed to only pick up your voice, minimizing both external voices and other people talking around you.

3 - AirPods Pro spatial audio features

Spatial audio is that feeling of surround sound. Instead of sound coming at you from one direction (like a TV), it’s coming from all over and you’re right in the middle of it. The AirPods Pro and AirPods Max both have spatial audio features you can easily activate.

4 - Use them for noise cancellation

Sometimes, you just need quiet. AirPods can help you here too. All models have some noise cancelling properties, but the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max are the best option if you plan to use them for silence. 

5 - Use Hey Siri commands

Need something done on your phone? Have a question you don’t want to Google? Easy. Using AirPods, you can use Hey Siri commands just like you would through your Macbook. Problem solved (or should we say: question answered).

6 - Use AirPods for voice messaging

Just like talking on the phone, you can use AirPods for voice messaging. It’s easy with an app like Yac. Just open the app, hit record, and start talking. That’s really it. This not only helps you leverage asynchronous communication for more efficiency, but also frees you up to respond to any message while literally on the go. No more needing to be at your computer.

7 - Take an audio-based course

Ever heard of Knowable? It’s like Udemy or Coursera, but completely audio-based. That means you can learn something new right from your AirPods while on a walk, driving, or any other time you’re not in front of a computer. 

8 - Join a social network

If you like learning but still want the conversational element of it, join an audio-first community like Clubhouse. You can listen to talks, join round tables, or just have chats with people from around the world. 

9 - Listen to a story

Storytelling is an age-old tradition. QCode brings that tradition into the 21st century with audio stories (and even audio series and shows). If you need to unplug from work and want to be taken to another world, you can get there with AirPods. 

AirPods are truly just getting started

With the rise of audio tech and voice tech, hardware like AirPods haven’t even scratched the surface of their potential. As more opportunities come in the audio and voice space, you will be able to do even more. Who knows, one day you might even be able to run your whole business from your AirPods. Something tells me Apple is working on it.