Wwdc 2019 apple airpods audio sharing – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
Skip to main content

Remember sharing earbuds with a friend? Apple’s AirPods audio sharing means less earwax

Not nearly as cute as the time-honored tradition

Not nearly as cute as the time-honored tradition

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Sean Hollister
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

Time was, you’d let your best bud / crush / sibling listen to that awesome new single by handing them an earbud. You’d be joined at the hip! But now, Apple has a slightly more high-tech (and sanitary?) way of sharing music: AirPods Audio Sharing.

Apple claims it’ll soon be this simple, if you’ve got a pair of its $159 AirPods:

Just bring your devices close together (a little bit like you how pair a set of AirPods to a phone right now), tap that button, and you can listen in.

But it couldn’t have been nearly that easy for Apple to implement. Think about all the wireless radios Apple had to sync up to make something like this work — in each AirPod and in each phone.

No word yet on whether these’ll come to the (Apple-owned) Beats PowerBeats Pro. I’d guess Apple reserves this gesture for the AirPods, though.

Update, August 28th: We’ve since learned that this feature will indeed come to the PowerBeats Pro as well.

Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.