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This one feature reminded me why an iPhone and AirPods are the perfect pairing

AnyFans 2025-09-26

By Tammy Rogers

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The AirPods Pro 3 are a big upgrade over the old model. The sound is improved, the ANC is even better, and the new fit makes them extremely secure. They’re the same price at launch, too — and the same cannot be said about the Bose and Sony competition.

It’s all in the pairing

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No, I mean literally in the pairing — it’s so easy to connect your AirPods to an iPhone, it’s almost comical. Open the case next to your iPhone, and the AirPods appear on your screen, ripe for Bluetooth pairing. No dipping into separate menus, no playing with Bluetooth settings, no holding down buttons waiting for tiny lights to start flashing. Just simplicity itself.

Android has got something similar in “quick pair,” but in my time testing nearly 50 Bluetooth devices with an Android phone, I never once found that it worked properly. There was always some app or another that didn’t like the connection, and I found I had to reconnect things through the Bluetooth settings menu for things to work properly.
Earbuds that went all screwy when I connected them to an app, headphones that got annoyed that I didn’t connect them through their app, and Bluetooth speakers that didn’t get access to their features because I didn’t assemble the correct magic circle under the sign of the Empress while wearing the sigil of a long forgotten deity. Bluetooth and Android are a chore, and one that often isn’t worth the effort.
If only they could all be as simple as the AirPods connection. It’s not just the latest AirPod Pro 3 that features the connection, of course. All AirPods connect easily with a new device. Even better, you only need to do it once. Connecting to your first device binds the AirPods with your Apple account — and that’s where the really clever stuff comes into play.

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The best multi-device pairing — bar none

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With your AirPods connected to your Apple account, the world is your audio oyster. Say, for example, you’re listening to your favorite Britney Spears album on your iPhone. And then, suddenly, a call arrives on your MacBook — no problem!
Pause your music, and answer the call on your laptop; the AirPods will instantly switch over without any issue at all. Call finishes, new instructions for the afternoon in hand, you press play on your iPhone. Your AirPods switch over again.
It’s the best multi-point connection around. Sure, others work, but none as well as with AirPods and Apple devices. Technics’ three-device pairing is about as good as you’ll find, but it’s not as magical a feeling as Apple’s integration. Other headphones fill themselves with beeps and boops as you switch over, or stuttering audio when it gets confused as to which device you actually want to connect to.

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Apple only features

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Look, I know that one of the main reasons you buy AirPods is because you know they’re going to work perfectly with your iPhone. After all, they’re not even half the buds they could be if you connect them to your Android handset. No lossless listening, no Spatial Audio. The heart rate monitor of the AirPods Pro 3 isn’t going to work if you connect them to a Galaxy S25, and the fit check and other features are only going to work with an iPhone.
On the one hand, that’s a shame. Because I wish that everyone could experience that magical pairing, the clever extra features, and the fantastic multipoint connection. It’s a testament to just how good Apple actually is at designing usable products, highlighting inspired design and software decisions.
On the other hand, I understand that it’s because of the iPhone exclusivity that those features actually work. The iPhone line is united in its software, silicon and design, created from the ground up to work in a cohesive whole. There’s a reason we call it an ecosystem, after all.
Which leaves me with just one thing left to say. My time with my new iPhone 17 Pro Max and the AirPods Pro 3 reminds me that if there’s one pair of earbuds to buy with your new iPhone, it’s a pair of AirPods. Even if you ignore the sound, features and fit, they just work so well.
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Tammy Rogers

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Tammy and her generous collection of headphones have found a new home — Tom’s Guide! After a two-and-a-half-year stint as iMore’s resident audiophile, Tammy’s reviews and buying guide expertise have more focus than ever on Tom’s Guide, helping buyers find the audio gear that works best for them. Tammy has worked with some of the most desirable audio brands on the planet in her time writing about headphones, speakers, and more, bringing a consumer focussed approach to critique and buying advice. Away from her desk, you’ll probably find her in the countryside writing (extremely bad) poetry, or putting her screenwriting Masters to good use creating screenplays that’ll never see the light of day.

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