- iOS 17 promises “Automatic Switching” improvements for AirPods
- Limitations apply to certain models of AirPods and iPhones
- Find out how to manually switch your AirPods to another device
Apple announced that Automatic Switching will be improved in iOS 17 for AirPods. However, certain models of AirPods and iPhones are excluded from receiving these updates. If you are unable to take advantage of the Automatic Switching feature, you can still manually switch your AirPods to another device.
To manually switch your AirPods, swipe down to get Control Center on iPhone. Press the icon at the top right of the music section and choose your desired device from the list that appears. Be sure to tap the icon within the music section as tapping anywhere else will take you to a detail page about the currently playing track. Depending on what devices are around you, that detail page will have an AirPlay button and a further button labeled “Control Other Speakers & TVs”. Tapping this button will give you options for HomePods, etc. but not AirPods.
Tapping the icon at the top right of the music section will take you to a page that presents a list with your iPhone and AirPods at the top. The bottom of the list has a section called “Speakers & TV”, which includes any HomePods, Apple TV 4K, or Macs.
As Apple is working on improving the Automatic Switching of AirPods, there is still some work to be done on making it clearer where to find the right manual options.
