AirPods Pro, like the ears in which they reside, typically come in sets of two. One in the left ear, the other in the right. T'was ever thus. (It's what makes AirPods Pro one of the best earbuds on the market today.)
It's not uncommon to see someone wearing just a single earbud. Maybe that's just their preference. Maybe they need to be aware of their surroundings and want to keep one ear free. Or maybe they only have one ear. But the bottom line is, you don't need a reason. If you want to wear a single AirPod, go ahead. We're not here to judge.
However, if you're using a single AirPod Pro and want to activate the active noise cancellation (ANC), it's turned off by default and won't turn on with the usual squeeze of the stem.
Having ANC turned off when you're only using a single AirPod Pro is by design. But if you really want to have one ear open while the other has ANC turned on and the world tuned out, here's how to do it.
Step 1: Turn on your AirPods Pro either by opening the case or by inserting at least one into your ear.
Step 2: On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings menu.
Step 3: Select your AirPods Pro.
Step 4: Scroll down (way down) and head into the Accessibility section.
Step 5: About halfway down (you may have to swipe depending on your text size), you'll see Noise cancellation with one AirPod. Turn the toggle on.
And that's that. You'll now have one ear with active noise cancellation. The other ear is left free to roam about the world, burdened by the din.
There's likely a very good reason this is turned off by default — it's definitely a little weird. But having an option is better than not having an option, so you can feel free to turn it on if you want.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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