Apple Tips & Tricks

Will The Apple AirPods Pro Work On iPhone 6 And iPhone 7?

by Chelsea Bruhl on Sep 26, 2024

Will The Apple AirPods Pro Work On iPhone 6 And iPhone 7

Wanna know will Apple AirPods Pro work on iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 before you buy them? Read on to find the full compatibility list of AirPods Pro.

The latest earbuds from Apple known as the AirPods Pro come with a new design and new features as well. Unlike its predecessor, these new ones seal the ear canal completely and also come with active noise cancellation (ANC), this feature by itself makes the new model trump the old one.

All users of Apple devices who wish to have truly wireless earphones have to go with the new AirPods Pro for the best audio experience when paired with Apple products. For the true audiophile, the active noise cancellation is top quality.

The design of these new AirPods fit perfectly in your ears, although you should pick out the right sized ear plugs for your ears, picking smaller ones that do not fit properly can cause the AirPods to fall out while you are running or working out and can even get lost. Picking ones that are too large can cause pain in your ear.

For those who love their fitness and music, the sweat resistance that Apple AirPods have is a huge advantage during those extra hard workouts.

There are other features that Apple has that make the AirPods better than the rest in its segment. The Transparency mode will allow you to continue listening to your favorite tunes while at the same time allowing a certain percentage of ambient noise to come through so you always know when your train stop arrives or can jump in and out of a conversation without missing out on either.

Will The Apple AirPods Pro Work On iPhone 6 And iPhone 7

The Apple AirPods come with a set of touch controls now, which makes control even easier.

Some of the basic controls are,

  • Tap once to play, pause or answer a phone call.
  • Tap twice to skip forward and three times to skip back.
  • Press and hold to change between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode.
  • And to use Siri, just say ‘Hey Siri’ to ask for specific directions or play a track.

The new AirPods Pro come with better battery life as well, you get up to 5 hours of listening time with active noise cancellation and transparency mode off, having it on reduces listening time by about 15 minutes on a single charge.

Talk time on a single charge is around 3 hours 40 minutes

That's just the AirPods themselves.

When considering the usage time of the AirPods along with the MagSafe charging case, listening time is more than 24 hours and talk time is more than 18 hours.

Charging the AirPods in the case to get around one hour of listening and talk time takes just 5 minutes, it's super quick.

Apple’s AirPods Pro iPhone Compatibility List

  • iPhone 13 mini
  • iPhone 13
  • iPhone 13 Pro
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 11
  • iPhone 11 Pro
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max
  • iPhone XS
  • iPhone XS Max
  • iPhone XR
  • iPhone X
  • iPhone 8
  • iPhone 8 Plus
  • iPhone 7
  • iPhone 7 Plus
  • iPhone 6s
  • iPhone 6s Plus
  • iPhone SE (2nd generation)
  • iPhone SE (1st generation)

According to Apple’s own website all of the above models of the iPhone do support the AirPods Pro, but if you are going to try and use them with one of the older models remember that to get full functionality out of them your iPhone has to be running on at least iOS 13 or newer.

In the list above Apple mentions the iPhone 7, 7 Plus and a couple of the newer iPhone 6 models but does not list the iPhone 6 itself.

This does not mean that the AirPods Pro is not compatible with iPhone 6, at least not completely incompatible. Read on to find out more details regarding iPhone 6 and 7 compatibility levels.

Is AirPods Pro compatible with iPhone 7 And 7 Plus

Apple’s iPhone 7 does make it on to list of compatible iPhones for the AirPod Pro, you will have to update your iOS software if you are still using anything older than iOS 13.

Once your iPhone 7 is updated to the latest iOS firmware, you will be able to use all the features of the AirPods Pro including using Siri, activating transparency mode and active noise cancellation.

To update your iOS wirelessly to the latest version follow the steps below.

  • Before you begin this process it is recommended you backup your iPhone using iCloud or your PC.
  • To start, connect your iPhone to the charger because this process may take time and the phone should not switch off midway. Connect your iPhone to the WiFi as well.
  • Once connected, open the settings menu.
  • In settings, select the General tab.
  • On the General settings page, click on the Software Update tab.

If your iPhone has not been updated for a while, you may be presented with two options, for example, to update to iOS 14.8 or iOS 15, like shown in the picture below.

Will Apple AirPods Pro Work On iPhone 6 And iPhone 7
  • If you are offered two different software update options, choose the one that you would like to install. It is recommended that you install the latest version whenever possible.

When you have selected the iOS version you want, click on the Download and Install tab to start downloading the update. Enter your passcode if prompted to do so and then click Install now.

Once you have the latest iOS firmware installed, you will be able to use the AirPods Pro with all its features on your iPhone 7.

AirPods Pro Compatibility with iPhone 6, iPhone 6s And and iPhone6s Plus

If you have gone through Apple’s list of supported iPhones, you probably noticed that the iPhone 6 is not on it. But if you have an iPhone 6 you can actually use some features of the AirPods Pro but not all like active noise cancellation for example.

The main reason the iPhone 6 cannot use all the functions of the AirPods Pro is because it cannot install the iOS 13 system update, which is necessary for full functionality.

So if that does not bother you and you just want to enjoy great sounding music then go for it. Any iPhone which has iOS 10 or later installed can use the AirPods Pro for music.

As for the Apple iPhone 6s and 6 s Plus, both can run iOS 13 and therefore get almost all functions of the AirPods Pro except the Audio Sharing feature according to Apple. All other features including Siri are fully compatible with these models.

How To Connect The AirPods Pro

When you are connecting your AirPods Pro for the first time with your iPhone just follow the steps given below.

  • First, go to the home screen on your iPhone,
  • Leaving the AirPods in the MagSafe charging case, open the case close to your iPhone.
  • An animated pop up should appear on your home screen at this point.
  • Click on connect.
  • Your AirPods will now be connected.
  • If you have already set up Siri on your iPhone, Siri will be ready to use as soon as the AirPods are connected. If not you will be walked through the process after connection of the AirPods.
  • When you sign in to iCloud, the AirPods will automatically be set up with all of your other supported Apple devices that are signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID.
  • For users of the iPhone 6 who do not receive the above auto pop up to connect the AirPods, the AirPods can be connected via the Bluetooth device list.
  • This process can also be followed when connecting the AirPods Pro to an Android device or other non Apple products. The steps given below will detail how to do so.
  • To begin this process we have to set the AirPods Pro to Bluetooth Pairing Mode.
  • First, place the AirPods back into the MagSafe charging case.
  • While keeping the lid of the charging case open, press and hold the setup button located on the back of the charging case.
  • When you see the status light on the case begin to flash white it means that your AirPods are now in Bluetooth pairing mode.
  • Now, on your iPhone or Android device, first, turn on the Bluetooth.
  • Once on, Open the settings page, on the settings page select Connected devices.
  • Select the AirPods Pro from the list of connected devices and click on connect.

How To Clean The AirPods Pro

If you are one that uses your AirPods every day they are bound to get dirty after some time, a good cleaning once in a while will keep the mesh from clogging up with dirt and affecting the sound quality. Cleaning your AirPods is a simple task.

Get your materials ready first, keep some cotton swabs, a toothbrush, cleaning alcohol, some liquid soap and paper towels.

First, remove the silicone ear tips and put them into some slightly warm water along with the liquid soap, let this sit for a couple of minutes, make sure the water is not too hot.

Next, with the toothbrush start gently cleaning the AirPods without too much pressure. Brush away all visible dirt.

Now, take a cotton swab and dip it into some cleaning alcohol, then start to wipe down both the AirPods completely, clean the inside and outside surface thoroughly.

Once done, take out the silicone tips and rise them in plain water, use the paper towels to wipe them completely dry. Attach them back onto the AirPods.

Use another cotton swab with very little alcohol to clean any dirt in the AirPods case as well.

Conclusion

The new AirPods Pro with its new design is a lot cooler and smaller too, making it sometimes easy to lose, especially if you use the wrong sized ear tips.

With Apple’s H1 headphone technology powering the AirPods you will get nothing less than brilliant sound.

The AirPods Pro along with its MagSafe charging case has now become a powerful and long lasting combination. The quality sound that the new AirPods Pro deliver along with a really long battery life when paired with the MagSafe case makes these earbuds the most obvious choice for your iPhone or other Android devices as well.

Though functionality is slightly limited when the AirPods Pro is paired with older iPhones like the iPhone 6, we hope that you find information in this article to help maintain and make the best use out of your Apple AirPods Pro.

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