If you’ve ever found yourself in a situation where the music you’re enjoying in your AirPods suddenly starts playing through your car’s speakers when you start it, you’re apparently not alone. Apple has introduced a simple solution to the problem in iOS 26, as spotted by MacRumors, that should also work with any other pair of wireless headphones connected to your iPhone.
A new iPhone setting will stop CarPlay from stealing your AirPods’ audio
Keep your listening habits private when your wireless headphones connect to your car.
Keep your listening habits private when your wireless headphones connect to your car.
is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.
Open your iPhone’s Settings app and navigate to the General > AirPlay & Continuity section. In there you’ll find a ‘Keep Audio with Headphones’ option you can turn on that keeps the audio playing through your wireless headphones even after your iPhone connects to devices like Bluetooth speakers or CarPlay-compatible stereos.
Having the option turned on doesn’t permanently prevent you from listening to music or podcasts through your car’s stereo. You can switch to listening through your vehicle’s stereo at any time using iOS’ Control Center or within the CarPlay interface, and you’ll still have access to other CarPlay features while the audio from your phone is routed to your headphones.
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