How to Mute AirPods on a Call: One Press on 3, 4, 5 and Pro
How to mute AirPods on a call: press the stem once on either AirPod if you have AirPods 3, AirPods 4, AirPods 5 or any AirPods Pro, and press once again to unmute. Apple’s calls and controls pages for AirPods 1 and AirPods 2 print no mute tap, so on those two you mute from the call controls on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Apple’s calls page for the newer generations puts the step under its own heading, Mute or unmute during a call: “During a call, press the stem once on either of your AirPods.” The same page says that answering a call is also one press of the stem and ending one is a double press.
That is the default, and Apple lets you swap it. The Settings switch that turns mute into a double press is in the section below.
AirPods 3, 4, 5 and AirPods Pro: one press mutes
Put the AirPods in and make sure they are connected to the device taking the call. Apple’s precondition on the calls page is “Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch (with cellular or Wi-Fi).”
Then press the stem once, on either side, while the call is running. One more press turns the microphone back on.
Every AirPods Pro generation gets the same single press. Apple’s calls page groups AirPods 3, AirPods 4, AirPods 5 and AirPods Pro under one heading and prints one mute step for the group.
It prints no separate mute line for the first AirPods Pro or for AirPods Pro 2 or 3.
Why you sometimes hear no mute sound
The confirmation depends on the app. Apple’s line is “In certain apps, like FaceTime, you hear a sound and see a message telling you whether the microphone is on or off.”
Swap it: make mute a double press instead
One press mutes and a double press hangs up, until you change it. Apple’s settings page prints the default in one sentence: “By default, you can double-press the stem on your AirPods once to end a call, and press once to mute and unmute. You can switch these actions.” The heading for that switch names the same four generations, AirPods 3, AirPods 4, AirPods 5 and AirPods Pro.
Wear the AirPods, connected, before you start. Apple’s page opens the steps with “Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your device.”
On an iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app, then tap the name of your AirPods near the top of the screen. Apple’s next step: “Tap Mute & Unmute or End Call (if you don’t see those options, first tap Controls & Gestures), then choose Press Once or Press Twice. The other option automatically switches.”
On a Mac, open System Settings and click the name of your AirPods in the sidebar; Apple notes you may need to scroll down. Then, in Apple’s words, “Click the pop-up menu next to Mute & Unmute or the pop-up menu next to End Call (if you don’t see those options, first tap Controls & Gestures), then choose Press Once or Press Twice.”
Pick Press Twice for Mute & Unmute and End Call moves to Press Once by itself.
AirPods 1 and AirPods 2: no mute tap, so use the device
The first two generations control calls with a double tap on the stem. Apple’s calls page for AirPods 1 and 2 says “Answer or end a call: Double-tap either of your AirPods.” under each generation’s heading, and the same page handles a second call with that tap: “To put the first call on hold and answer the new one, double-tap either of your AirPods. To switch between calls, double-tap either of your AirPods.”
Mute is not one of the jobs. Apple’s calls page for AirPods 1 and 2 never uses the word mute or the word microphone, and its controls page lists four things a double tap can be set to do on AirPods 1 and 2: play and pause, next track, previous track, and Siri.
So on AirPods 1 or 2, mute from the controls on the device that is carrying the call. Apple’s own page already sends you to the device for a close cousin of this: “If you want to decline a call, use the controls on your device, or wait until the call goes to voicemail.”
AirPods Max: press the Digital Crown
The over ear model mutes with its dial. Apple’s controls page lists “Mute or unmute a call: Press the Digital Crown.” under both the AirPods Max 1 and the AirPods Max 2 headings.
Two controls that sit next to mute on the same pages
When your AirPods 3, 4, 5 or Pro are connected to an iPhone, you can decline an incoming phone call with a double press of the stem, the same press that ends a call once you are on it. Apple’s page: “When you receive an incoming call, double-press the stem on either of your AirPods.”
If the people on your call hear your room more than you, Apple’s answer for AirPods 4, AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 is Voice Isolation, which it says you can use “to enhance voice quality and remove background noise (such as wind) for the listener.” On an iPhone during the call, open Control Center, tap FaceTime Controls at the top, then select Voice Isolation.
If callers say you sound muffled even when unmuted, start with AirPods microphone muffled on calls. For how long a charge lasts once you are talking, see AirPods battery life on calls, and if audio keeps stopping on its own, see AirPods keep pausing.
What Apple’s four pages do not print
None of the four pages prints a mute for music or video outside a call, and the word mute appears on these pages only in call sections. On AirPods 3, 4, 5 and AirPods Pro, Apple’s controls page lists pause as one press: “Play and pause audio: Press the stem.”
The calls page for AirPods 3, 4, 5 and Pro prints no triple press, swipe or hold for mute.
No page prints a way to add a mute tap to AirPods 1 or 2.
Frequently asked questions
How do I mute AirPods Pro on a call?
Press the stem once on either AirPod during the call, and press once again to unmute. Apple’s calls page prints that one step for AirPods 3, 4, 5 and AirPods Pro together, with no separate line for any AirPods Pro generation.
Can I mute with AirPods 2?
Apple’s calls page for AirPods 1 and 2 prints no mute tap; the double tap answers or ends a call. Mute from the call controls in the app on your phone, iPad or Mac.
Why does one press end my call instead of muting it?
Check whether the two actions were swapped in Settings. On an iPhone, go to Settings, tap your AirPods name, tap Mute & Unmute (under Controls & Gestures if you do not see it) and choose Press Once; End Call moves to Press Twice on its own.
Is there a mute sound on AirPods?
In some apps. Apple’s line is “In certain apps, like FaceTime, you hear a sound and see a message telling you whether the microphone is on or off.”