How To Share Audio From Your iPhone To A Friend’s AirPods Or Headphones

Did you know that you can share what you’re listening on your AirPods with a nearby friend that’s also wearing Apple’s wireless earbuds or other compatible Beats headphones? In this article I will provide a step-by-step tutorial and you can start group listening your favorite songs, videos or any other media content that involves audio playback.

Before we start please be aware that you and your friend need to have your compatible headset paired with each owners’ iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. All devices need to run iOS 13.1, iPadOS 13.1 or later. At the time of writing alongside the AirPods the other compatible Beats headphone models are: Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo3 Wireless, BeatsX, Beats Studio3 Wireless, Powerbeats3 Wireless and Solo Pro.

3 Ways To Share Audio From iPhone To A Friend’s Earphones
1. When the friend’s earphones are charging
The quickest way to share your iPhone’s audio is when your friend’s AirPods are in the charging case. Here is what you have to do:
1. Wear your headphones and bring your iPhone next to your friend’s charging case.
2. The “Temporarily Share Audio” feature pops up on your iPhone’s screen.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the procedure.

2. Share when your friend wears the headphones
1. You have to also wear your AirPods or other compatible headphones.
2. Grab your iPhone and bring up the Now Playing controls. These are found:
– A. In the Control Center. (swipe-down from the right corner for iPhone X and newer, swipe-up from the bottom of the screen for iPhone 8 and earlier.)
– B. In the app that you’re using to play the music or video.
– C. On the Lock Screen.
3. No matter what solution (A,B, or C) you used to bring up the Now Playing controls, tap the “Playback Destination” button.
4. Select “Share Audio”. This is available below the name of your paired headphones.
5. Bring your iPhone in the close proximity of your friend’s iOS device and tap “Share Audio” on your iPhone.
6. Your friend has to select “Join” on his/hers device.

3. Sharing to Beats headphones
Make sure that your AirPods (or other headphones) are connected to your iPhone and that your friend’s Beats listening device is turned On.
1. Your friend has to press briefly (under 1-second) the power button of the headphones.
2. Wear your AirPods and move your iPhone in the close proximity of your friend’s headphones.
3. A prompt that allows you to “Temporarily Share Audio” is unveiled on your iPhone. Tap the option and follow the onscreen instruction to complete the process.

How To Separately Control The Volume On Each Headset
1. Grab your iPhone and open the Control Center.
2. Touch & hold the volume controls until you get the expanded view.
3. Drag the appropriate volume slider to control the two AirPods.

How To Stop Sharing The Audio
1. On your iPhone, open the Now Playing controls (in Control Center, Lock Screen or the app that you use for audio playback).
2. Tap on the name of your friend’s wireless earphones or headphones to terminate the connection.

Have you ever shared music from your iPhone to a third-party headset? Let us know how it worked in the comment section available below.

Related: Do you know that you can use your AirPods to eavesdrop with the iOS Live Listen feature?