Your AirPods Pro 3 aren’t just another pair of wireless earbuds — they’re your gateway to more productive workdays, more immersive entertainment experiences and even refined fitness tracking without Apple Watch.
Whether you’re crushing deadlines from your home office, unwinding with your favorite playlist, or going for a run, you can maximize AirPods Pro 3 through features that transform how you interact with audio throughout your day.
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10 ways to maximize AirPods Pro 3 for work and play
As great as they sound, your AirPods Pro 3 represent more than premium audio technology. They’re tools for enhancing productivity, entertainment and daily quality of life. By mastering these 10 approaches, you’ll discover capabilities you might not know exist — and transform routine activities into enhanced experiences.
Note that not all of them are new or exclusive to the well-reviewed AirPods Pro 3. But most are improved in Apple’s latest premium buds, even if they started off in original AirPods Pro or AirPods Pro 2.
Ready to unlock your AirPods Pro 3’s full potential? Start with one or two techniques that align with your daily routine, then gradually incorporate others as they become second nature. The investment in learning these features will pay dividends in improved work efficiency and entertainment enjoyment.
Apple's best wireless earbuds get even better, adding a heart rate monitor and tweaks that boost active noise cancellation and deliver even better audio quality.
- Supports Live Translation feature
- Foam-infused ear tips for better fit and ANC
- Built-in heart rate monitor
- Can function as hearing aids
- Only available in white
1. Master noise cancellation for laser-sharp focus
Transform any space into your personal productivity zone by leveraging AirPods Pro 3’s advanced Active Noise Cancellation feature. During video calls, the intelligent algorithms block out everything from barking dogs to construction noise, ensuring your colleagues hear only your voice — not your chaotic surroundings.
Apple says its third-gen Pro earbuds block twice as much noise as the previous generation and four times more than the original AirPods Pro. Independent testing shows they can reduce outside noise by an average of 90%. The improved noise cancellation comes from combining ultra-low-noise microphones with advanced computational audio and new foam-infused ear tips that provide better passive isolation. (See also: Size matters: How to get the perfect fit for your AirPods Pro 3 ear tips.)
For deep work sessions, activate noise cancellation and watch distractions melt away. The technology adapts in real-time, automatically adjusting to your environment whether you’re in a bustling café or a quiet library. Pro tip: Squeeze the stem to quickly toggle between noise cancellation and Transparency mode when someone needs your attention.
2. Break language barriers with live translation
Live Translation is a standout feature for international travel or multicultural work environments. Powered by Apple Intelligence, this capability allows you to communicate across language barriers in real time through supported apps.
While the feature currently supports select languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, it opens up new possibilities for seamless cross-cultural communication during business meetings, travel interactions or casual conversations with international friends.
Find out more about how it works — and how well it works — by reading about Cult of Mac‘s live tests.
3. Harness Spatial Audio for immersive entertainment
Step into a three-dimensional soundscape that makes movies, music and games come alive around you. Spatial Audio, which debuted in AirPods Pro 2, creates a theater-like experience by tracking your head movements and adjusting sound accordingly. For example, when you turn your head left, the audio shifts naturally.
This feature shines during gaming sessions, where directional audio cues can mean the difference between victory and defeat. In first-person shooters, you’ll hear footsteps approaching from behind or gunfire echoing from specific directions, giving you a competitive edge that traditional stereo simply can’t match.
And turning Spatial Audio on or off is super-easy — just go to AirPods Pro in Settings and toggle it on or off.
4. Control your iPhone camera remotely
A new feature for photography enthusiasts and content creators, the AirPods Pro 3 can function as a camera remote for your iPhone. By activating the Camera Remote feature in Settings, you can press the stem once or press and hold it to start recording in the Camera app.
This is particularly useful for taking group photos, capturing stable shots from a distance, or creating video content when your phone is mounted on a tripod or stabilizer.
In addition to AirPods Pro 3, the camera control feature works with AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2. It requires iOS 26. Here’s more on how to use it.
5. Optimize battery life for marathon work sessions
Stretch your listening time beyond the ordinary with smart battery-management techniques. AirPods Pro 3 deliver up to six hours of continuous playback, but strategic use of the charging case extends this to over 30 hours total.
During long work days, you can try alternating between earbuds. Use one while the other charges in the case. For extended calls, this technique ensures you never miss a beat. And the quick-charge feature provides one hour of listening time with just five minutes in the case, perfect for those back-to-back meeting marathons.
6. Leverage seamless device switching for workflow efficiency
Eliminate the frustration of manual reconnection by taking advantage of automatic device switching, a feature that came along in iOS 14 in 2020. So your AirPods Pro 3 intelligently detect when you shift from your iPhone to MacBook, seamlessly transferring audio without missing a beat.
This feature revolutionizes multitasking workflows. Start a podcast on your phone during your commute, then effortlessly continue listening on your laptop once you arrive at your desk. The transition happens so smoothly, you’ll forget you’re using wireless technology at all.
And if the auto-switching bothers you, you can follow these tips to turn it off.
Photo: Apple
7. Unlock Siri’s potential for hands-free productivity
Although the Siri voice assistant’s reputation for braininess has taken big hits in recent years and attempts to revive it are ongoing, you can still transform voice commands into your secret productivity weapon by customizing Siri interactions. Simply say “Siri” or “Hey Siri” to begin dictating messages, setting reminders or controlling music without touching your device.
And as of iOS 18, you can use head gestures with AirPods Pro 2/3 and AirPods 4 to interact with Siri by nodding or shaking your head. Just make sure Announce Calls and Announce Notifications are enabled in Settings.
During workouts, you can ask Siri to skip tracks or adjust volume while your hands are occupied. In the kitchen, request recipe timers or unit conversions while your hands are covered in flour. The always-listening feature means Siri responds instantly, making multitasking feel effortless.
8. Personalize your audio experience with precision audio and adaptive settings
Unlock new levels of creative expression by utilizing the high-fidelity audio reproduction for content creation tasks. Whether you’re editing podcasts, mixing music or reviewing video content, the detailed soundstage reveals nuances that cheaper earbuds miss.
The low-latency connection proves crucial for video editing, ensuring audio stays perfectly synchronized with visual elements. Creative professionals appreciate the accurate frequency response that helps identify issues in their work before final export.
The new multiport design precisely controls airflow into your ear, delivering deeper bass, a wider soundstage and remarkably vivid vocal clarity. Next-generation Adaptive EQ customizes the sound signature based on your unique ear geometry, while inward-facing microphones measure what you’re actually hearing and make real-time adjustments.
Experiment with different EQ settings for various activities — boost bass for workout motivation, enhance mids for podcast clarity or use a balanced profile for music appreciation. And the Conversation Boost feature helps during phone calls by emphasizing speech frequencies, making conversations clearer and more comfortable.
And you can also fine-tune your listening experience and even use AirPods Pro as hearing aids using the comprehensive customization options available through iOS settings. The Headphone Accommodations feature can amplify soft sounds and adjust frequencies based on your hearing preferences, creating a truly personalized audio profile. Find it here: Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Headphone Accommodations.
9. Enhance video calls with crystal-clear communication
Become the colleague everyone wants on their calls by utilizing advanced microphone technology and noise reduction features. The dual beamforming microphones focus on your voice while suppressing background noise, ensuring your words come through clearly even in less-than-ideal environments.
The computational audio processing adapts to your speaking patterns, automatically adjusting sensitivity and filtering out keyboard clicks, air conditioning hum and other office distractions. Your professional image improves when colleagues can focus on your ideas rather than struggling to hear them.
10. Maximize fitness motivation and track activity without Apple Watch
Transform your workout routine by leveraging AirPods Pro 3 features designed for active lifestyles. The secure fit ensures your earbuds stay put during intense cardio sessions, while sweat and water resistance protect against moisture damage.
And you can use transparency mode during outdoor runs to stay aware of traffic and surroundings while still enjoying your pump-up playlist. The adaptive EQ automatically tunes music to your ear shape, ensuring consistent sound quality even as you move through different exercises and positions.
And incredibly, AirPods Pro 3 introduce Apple’s smallest custom-built heart rate sensor, allowing you to track workouts without wearing additional devices like Apple Watch. The sensor uses photoplethysmography technology, pulsing invisible infrared light 256 times per second to measure blood flow. When paired with your iPhone’s Fitness app, you can monitor heart rate and calories burned across 50 different workout types, from running and cycling to HIIT and yoga. You can even close your Move ring and earn fitness awards, all while your Apple Watch stays on the charger.
Apple's best wireless earbuds get even better, adding a heart rate monitor and tweaks that boost active noise cancellation and deliver even better audio quality.
- Supports Live Translation feature
- Foam-infused ear tips for better fit and ANC
- Built-in heart rate monitor
- Can function as hearing aids
- Only available in white
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
