Picture this: you and a friend want to listen to something together, but you only have one iPhone. Worry not! It’s possible to connect two pairs of AirPods to a single iPhone, creating a shared listening experience that’s perfect for road trips or quick media sharing. Here’s how it works.
Check compatibility
This works with all types of AirPods and Beats headphones – but be aware the iPhone or iPad you’re connecting to needs to be running at least iOS 16 / iPadOS 16.
Pair the pair of pairs
We presume at least one pair of AirPods is already recognized by your device, but if not? Simply head to the Home Screen and open your AirPods case near your iPhone or iPad. Press Connect when you see the setup animation.
It’s likely the second pair of AirPods belongs to someone else with a separate Apple ID. In that case, you might need to manually enter pairing mode when connecting the second set. Open the lid of the charging case as before, then press and hold the setup button on the back of the case until the LED light starts flashing.
You can open the Settings app to check your connections. Both pairs of AirPods should be shown at the top of this menu along with their names. You can tap either one to configure each set further if needed.
Control playback
Even with two pairs of AirPods connected, by default iOS only plays audio to a single destination. To change that, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center. Press the audio playback card to expand it and tap the AirPlay icon. You’ll see all recognized headphones and speakers listed, including both sets of AirPods. Simply tap the secondary pair to add it – you should see check marks next to all destinations currently playing audio.
Enjoy!
You can now play music, watch videos, or engage in any audio activity on your iPhone, and the sound will be wirelessly transmitted to both pairs of AirPods simultaneously. You can adjust the volume individually on each set of AirPods to suit your preferences. Nice!