Credit: Khamosh Pathak
There’s something special about two people listening to the same music over earphones. It can be a movie, or a TV show, it doesn’t matter. That scene in Begin Again, where Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley trade playlists with an old school headphone splitter, is etched into my memory. But the days of headphone jacks and audio splitters are behind us.
Though not as romantic as tethering two people with a two-meter headphone cord, you can achieve the same results using AirPods, too, all without needing a specialized app. You can share music, movies, or anything you like to your friend or partner’s AirPods, without fully pairing them to your iPhone.
Share Audio using Control Center
The most reliable way to share audio between two pairs of AirPods is using the playback controls in Control Center. First, connect your AirPods and keep them in your ears. Next, ask your friend to keep their AirPods case open, or to keep them in their ears as well.
In the Control Center, open the Playback controls. Choose your AirPods from the bottom to open the Devices menu.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Here, choose the Share Audio button.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Now, as long as your friends’ AirPods are open and available nearby, they will show up in the popup menu. If they don’t, try pressing and holding the Pairing button on the back of their AirPods case. Once they show up, tap the Share Audio button.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Now both AirPods will be listed in the Devices menu, and you can independently control their volume levels from here. You can also press and hold the Volume slider in the Control Center to get two distinct sliders, one for each pair of AirPods.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak.
To disconnect your friends’ AirPods, open the media playback screen in Control Center and tap on the
How to Share Audio Between Two Pairs of AirPods on an iPhone
