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Apple publishes ‘Use your AirPods’ guide for new owners

Following this morning’s release of the delayed AirPods, Apple has published a new usage guide for the Apple AirPods. The guide drills down into the basics of setting up and using the new AirPods out of the box.

With iOS 10, Apple introduced a new system of pairing their Bluetooth headsets that included the new W1 chip. Instead of going through the traditional Bluetooth settings to pair the AirPods, simply opening the AirPods’ charging case next to the iPhone while the phone is unlocked will being the pairing process.

Most interesting to the guide is the explanation of how to control the Apple AirPods using Siri. The lack of controls on the AirPods may be a downside for some, but it looks as if Siri can do everything you’d want. Some of Apple’s examples include “play my Favorite playlist”, “turn up the volume”, “how do I get home from here?”, and “how is the battery on my AirPods?”. When receiving calls with the AirPods in ear, Siri can announce it, and the call can be answered with a double tap at the top of the AirPods earbud.

One common misunderstanding that occurred when the AirPods released was that it would not configure with devices other than Apple’s own. While that simply isn’t true, the AirPods are Bluetooth earbuds after all, not all the AirPod features will be available on other devices. Apple’s guide is sure to clarify this by providing the following steps in pairing with another Bluetooth enabled device:

  1. Put your AirPods in the case.
  2. Open the lid.
  3. Press and hold the setup button on the back of the case until you see the status light flash white.
  4. Follow the steps to set up a Bluetooth device with your iPhone or iPod touchMac, or Apple TV.

Take a look at all of Apple’s current AirPod guides below:

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