Can You Control Volume With AirPods?

ByKern Campbell, MBA

One question kept standing out on most of the blog pages that tackled AirPod reviews. Users were interested to know whether they needed to have an external soundbar that made it possible to control the volume. Their concerns were attributable to the fact that AirPods do not have any physical buttons to increase or lower the volume whenever they are connected. 

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Can You Control Volume On AirPods?

You can control the volume on AirPods in three ways: Siri commands, using the volume button on your iPhone or another audio device, or using the double-tap gestures on your AirPods to increase or decrease audio volume.

In this article, I cover how you can control the volume of your AirPods. You shall discover ways to increase the volume on your AirPods and decrease with and without Siri. 

The solutions apply to all models, including first-generation AirPods, second-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.

How Do You Control Volume With AirPods Using Siri (First Generation)?

To turn your AirPod’s volume up or down, you first need to adjust your double-tap settings. When setting your AirPod’s touch control features, you can enable it to do one of these: 

  • Be compatible with Siri
  • Play and pause your audio content
  • Skip or forward the track
  • Go back to the previous track

The quick process when customizing the double-tap option to make the AirPod compatible with Siri is as follows:

  1. On your iOS device, open the Settings app and tap on Bluetooth.
  2. Find your AirPods and tap on the info icon to the right on the list of paired devices.
  3. Under “double-tap on AirPod,” click the preferred side, either right or left, then activate Siri from the list of possible functions.

After the customization of the settings, you can double-tap the AirPods. Tap on whichever you’ve designated between the right and left to summon Siri. 

There are two main ways to use Siri to control the volume of your AirPod content.

  1. Saying, “Hey Siri, turn the volume up.” Or, “Hey Siri, turn the volume down.”
  2. You can also tell Siri a specific percentage you’d like to increase or decrease the volume. For example, “Hey Siri, lower the volume to 25%.”

How Do You Control Volume With Your Airpods Using Siri (Second Generation)?

Apple introduced a new feature when it transitioned from the first generation of AirPods to the second generation. 

The second-generation AirPods were a lot more convenient to the users using voice only. The convenience meant that the users did not have to tap on their ear buds to summon Siri. 

There were no more tedious double-tap settings required to make the AirPods compatible with Siri. However, the procedure for turning the volume up and down remained the same.

How Do You Control Volume With Airpods Without Using Siri (First and Second Generation)?

Can You Control Volume With AirPods 1 Can You Control Volume With AirPods?

Sometimes, you can find yourself in a place where you cannot have access to Siri. 

For example, you are in a silent place like a library, and you do not want to be a source of distraction. In such a scenario, you can adjust volume on your AirPods using the volume button on the side of your device. 

The other option would be dragging the volume slider of the app you are listening to, whose procedure is as follows:

  1. If your phone is not locked, you can access the Control Center. It is at the right corner on the top of your screen (in the latest iPhone versions) or the bottom of the screen (iPhone 8 and earlier versions).
  2. While at the control center, you can raise the volume by dragging the volume slider up or reduce the volume by dragging the volume slider down
  3. If your iPhone is on lock screen, you can control the AirPods’ volume by dragging the volume slider right or left.

How Do You Control Volume With AirPods (AirPods Pro and Max)?

I’ll take you through four different ways of controlling the volume of AirPods below:

Using Siri

One way to increase or decrease the volume is by using Siri. 

First, you must ensure that your AirPod Pro pairs with your iOS device. 

If you cannot see it among your paired devices, you can easily connect them via Bluetooth. 

To adjust the levels of volume to turn it up or down, say “Hey Siri,” then say something like “increase volume by 5%” or “Turn the volume up” or “Turn the volume down.” Just ensure that you speak clearly and loud enough, and she’ll carry out your instructions.

One of the most remarkable features of Siri is that you can do more than just turning your volume up or down. 

You can check your current volume levels by prompting something like: “Hey, Siri, what’s the current volume?” This feature can help you to determine your optimal volume, which can vary from situation to situation. 

For instance, your optimal volume when listening to your favorite podcast at home differs from when in a noisy area.

Using Volume Buttons on Your iPhone

Without any doubt, Siri is instrumental in situations such as when you do not have your phone close by or when you cannot touch your Airpods. 

However, there are situations where you cannot talk loudly or at all. For instance, when you are in an overcrowded public train station, you will seem a little insane when you talk to Siri suddenly. 

In such scenarios, the old-fashioned ways of using the volume button on your phone to change your AirPods Pro volume on or Max. 

You only need to press the volume button on your iPhone to turn your volume up or down.

Using the Volume Slider

This method is like the volume buttons technique in that you will have to reach out to your phone to change your AirPods volume. 

You can control the audio of your AirPod Pro by dragging the volume slider from the active app. You can do this on the lock screen or in the control center. 

On the lock screen, you need to drag the volume slider up or down. On an unlocked screen, you can access the control center. 

While at the control center, you can raise the volume by dragging the volume slider up or decrease the volume by dragging the volume slider down

This method can help you if you have some issues with the volume button.

Using Apple Watch and Mac

You can control the volume of your AirPod Pro or AirPod Max from secondary iOS devices to make them louder or more silent. 

How Do You Change Airpods Volume Using Your Mac Device?

You may be wondering how to change the volume of your AirPods when watching a movie or listening to an online lecturer.

If you have paired your AirPods to your Mac, there are two ways to change the volume. The fastest method is to use the volume buttons on your Mac’s keyboard. 

Another method is by clicking the volume control icon on the Menu Bar. To do this, drag the volume slider up or down to adjust the volume.

There are instances when the volume icon is not on the Menu Bar. To enable it, you should follow the procedure below:

  1. Click the Apple on your computer’s Menu Bar, then click System Preferences. 
  2. Click sound output, then select the AirPods connected to your Mac within the list that appears.
  3. At the bottom window, click the box next to Show volume in the menu bar below the volume bar.

How Do You Change AirPods Volume Using Your Apple Watch?

When listening to audio content directly from your Apple Watch. 

The audio could also be on an iPhone or iPad paired with your Apple Watch. It is possible to adjust the AirPods volume from your watch to make it louder or quieter. 

The procedure is as follows:

  1. From the Home screen, tap the Now Playing icon to go to the Now Playing screen. 
  2. Once this screen appears, you’ll see a small volume icon. 

How Do You Monitor or Limit Your AirPods Volume on?

There are several ways that you can adopt to control the sound of your AirPods, including the following:

  1. Get a notification that will automatically turn down the volume if you have been listening on your AirPods for a long time.
  2. Use a Health app to view the audio levels from your AirPods over time.
  3. Use the Hearing control in the control center to monitor the audio levels from your AirPods as you use them.
  4. Limit the maximum volume for your AirPods.

Closing Thoughts

As much as AirPods devices do not have any physical buttons, it is still possible for users to control their volume. There are old-school methods like using the volume button and volume slider. 

There are also advanced techniques like Siri and double-tap technology. You can also monitor your AirPods volume through the control center or mobile applications such as the health app.

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