The introduction of shortcuts in iOS 13 opens the door to a lot of new iPhone tricks, but there's been less focus on shortcuts and automations that can be applied to AirPods. I use my AirPods Pro almost every day, and it's already very easy to connect and adjust them through my iPhone's settings, but I've set up a few shortcuts and automations that make using them even easier.
Set up automation whenever you connect AirPods
Perhaps one of the easiest and most convenient things you can do with shortcuts is set up automations when your AirPods are connected. This can be useful for those who like to always have their media volume set to the same level, or if you always listen to a certain playlist first.
To set up an automation that triggers when your AirPods are connected, navigate to Shortcuts > Automations > New Automation and scroll down until you see the Bluetooth option. Click on it, select Connected , and then you can choose between Run after confirmation and Run now . Running after confirmation will require you to actually press the "Run" button, but if you run immediately it will run the automation without any user input. Finally, make sure to select your AirPods from the "Select a Device" category.
After filling out the basic information, select "Next" and you are free to choose any of the shortcuts available here. You can also build a custom automation using the New Blank Automation option. For example, this specific feature can be useful if you want to lower the media volume on your iPhone to a certain level when your AirPods are connected, or if you want to launch a specific playlist from Apple Music.
I recommend trying a few different options here to find what works best for you, as automation can make things a lot more convenient in the long run, but here are some really good examples of ways to use automation as long as you Connect AirPods to iPhone.
Automatically set the volume of AirPods
This automation feature comes in handy if you want to set your media volume while using your AirPods. Some people may prefer running at maximum volume, but others may find that 51% or another setting works best for them. This can be easily done by setting up an automation that triggers the media volume to a certain level when the AirPods are connected. To set this up, navigate to the Shortcuts app and select Automation > New Automation (select the + sign in the upper right corner if you have a saved automation), then select Bluetooth . Change the trigger time to "Connected" and then set up your AirPods in the "Devices" section. Select Run after confirmation if you want to confirm before each run, or Run now for convenience.
Click Next and select New Blank Automation . From here, look for "Set Volume" in the search bar and select it. Click on the percentage shown in the blue text to change it to a specific level, then click "Done" to save the automation. Now, whenever you connect your AirPods to your iPhone, the media volume is automatically set to the percentage you choose.
Automatically set ANC mode on AirPods
By default, your AirPods remember the ANC mode you set the last time you used them. That's why it's so convenient to use the automation feature to set them to your preferred ANC mode. Setting this up is also very simple as you just need to follow these quick steps to do it.
Open Shortcuts and navigate to Automation > New Automation (use the + icon in the upper right corner if you have another automation saved). Tap Bluetooth , then select your AirPods from the Device drop-down list, select Connected , and choose when you want it to run (after confirmation or immediately). Select New Blank Automation and search for " Set Noise Control Mode" . Now make sure you have your AirPods connected to your iPhone, then tap "Routes" and select your AirPods again. Now click on Noise Control Mode. Depending on which AirPods you have, you have a few different options to choose from here. If you wish to turn on ANC, select Noise Cancellation . If you want transparency , select it. If your AirPods have the new adaptive mode, you can select that mode as well. Or, if you want to change a pattern that you use frequently, you can have the automation ask you every time.
Automatically launch a playlist or podcast
Another very handy option you can take advantage of with Shortcuts & Automations is to automatically launch a playlist or podcast when you connect your AirPods to your iPhone. Unfortunately, Apple Shortcuts and Automations currently only support certain apps. Therefore, I can't find a way to get Spotify to use the playlist command since it won't appear in the Shortcuts app without exploiting the vulnerability. However, if you use Apple Music or Apple Podcasts, you'll be able to take advantage of both automation features without any problem. The following examples assume you use Apple Music and Apple Podcasts, since by default they are the only apps available in the shortcut for these purposes.
Start the automation as before, choose to open the Shortcuts app, then choose Automation > New Automation > Bluetooth . Now, select your device, select Connected , and then select Run after confirmation or Run now . The next few steps may differ depending on whether you want to play a playlist or a podcast.
Set up a playlist: Select Music > Playback > Library > Playlists , then tap the playlist you want to use. While viewing a playlist, find the + icon at the top and click on it to add it to the automation.
To start a podcast when connected: Select Podcasts > Play , then search for the podcast you want to start. If you only want to play the next podcast in the queue when connected, you can select "Previous" instead of "Play" after selecting a podcast.
Set up workout automation when using Apple Watch
If you exercise regularly, you can also set up specific automations to automatically change noise transparency settings, which is helpful if you want to be more aware of your surroundings. This feature is especially useful if you usually listen to your AirPods in noise-cancelling mode, but want to turn on transparency or adaptive mode while running outdoors.
Technically, there are two ways you can do this, with the simplest method requiring an Apple Watch workout to trigger the automation. I'll also show you how to do this without an Apple Watch.
To set up this automation, first go to Shortcuts > Automation > New Automation and select Apple Watch Workout as the trigger. Here, you can select the Set Noise Control Mode action to turn noise cancellation off (or on) when you start a workout on your Apple Watch. You can also try other things you can do to change the volume of your media or even start a specific workout playlist. To do this, select Play music from the action, select the blue text, find the playlist you want to use, and click the + icon to add it to the action.
Set up workout automation for specific times without using Apple Watch
To set up an automation to work out at a specific time without using your Apple Watch, go to Shortcuts > Automations > New Automation > Bluetooth , then select your AirPods, Connected and select "Run after confirmation" or "Run immediately" . Click Next and select New Blank Automation. This setup is a bit complicated, but bear with me. Next, set up some actions in the automation in the following order:
date
Set the date format : Select Custom and change the format string to HH:mm:ss.
Get Time Interval : Select the time between times you want this automated check to occur.
If : This script basically lets you set up a branching scenario for your automation, having it check if you're doing something and if you want to set the AirPods to a specific mode you want.
Set Noise Control Mode : You actually need to do two of these things. One is to turn off noise reduction, and the other is to turn it back on.
As I said, it's a little more complicated than just using the workout automation I mentioned earlier, but it's still a good option if you prefer to use a device other than your Apple Watch to trigger your workouts.
Ultimately, there's a lot you can do with Shortcuts and your Apple AirPods (or even any other Bluetooth headphones). Experiment with shortcuts and automations to find the options that work for you, and if you want to make things a little more convenient for you, be sure to try the options listed above.
You can also download third-party apps to increase the number of actions available in the Shortcuts app, so be sure to check those out if you want more options to choose from.
Automatically start playing music when you arrive at your favorite gym
If you go to the gym to work out, you can also set your AirPods to automatically start playing music when your iPhone detects you're at the gym. You'll need to know the address of this automated gym, but a quick Google search should turn it up. To set this up, follow these steps:
Open the shortcut and select Automation > New Automation > Reach. Enter your gym address in the "Location" drop-down list and select "Anytime," or enter a specific time frame if you usually go to the gym at a specific time. I recommend setting it to "Run after confirmation" because you probably don't want to start playing music right away.
After clicking "Next" you'll need to set up a playlist to start listening to. This can be done using the same steps I outlined above: Music > Playback > Library > Playlists , then tap the playlist you want to use.
If you want to do more, such as set volume and noise mode, then you can set up multiple actions in your automation by selecting "New Blank Automation" and adding "Play Music", selecting the playlist and then adding "Settings" Volume" and set the noise control mode. The entire setup is as follows:
Automation > New Automation > Arrival > Enter gym location and select any time or time range . Now select New Blank Automation > Play Music (select the playlist you want) and add Set Volume and select your preferred volume percentage. Finally, add "Set Noise Control Mode" and change it to Noise Cancellation , Transparency , or Adaptive , depending on your preference. Once saved, your phone will start playing your favorite playlist whenever it detects you're at the gym. Unfortunately, there's no way to have this automation check if your AirPods are connected, which is why I recommend asking for confirmation on this.
