You’re sitting on a plane or maybe a crowded train. You want to watch the same movie as the person next to you, but you both have your own AirPods. In the old days—like, five years ago—you’d each take one earbud, which is honestly gross and kills the stereo sound. Apple eventually fixed this with a feature called Audio Sharing. It’s been around since iOS 13.1, yet half the people I know still don't use it because they think it's too complicated to set up. It isn't.
Actually, it's basically magic when it works.
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How to share audio with AirPods when you're on the move
To get this going, you need an iPhone 8 or later. It also works on the iPad Pro, the newer iPad Airs, and the iPad mini (5th gen and up). You can't just do this with any old headphones, though. It’s strictly for the Apple ecosystem. We’re talking AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and a bunch of Beats products like the Powerbeats Pro or Solo Pro. If your friend is rocking some third-party Sony buds, you're out of luck.
First, put your AirPods on and start playing your music or Netflix show. Open the Control Center on your iPhone. You do this by swiping down from the top-right corner. See that little icon in the music player that looks like a triangle with some circles behind it? That’s the AirPlay icon. Tap it.
Underneath your current headphones, you'll see an option that says Share Audio. Tap that. Now, this is the part where people usually mess up. Your friend needs to bring their AirPods close to your device. If they have the earbuds in the case, they need to open the lid. If they’re wearing them, they just need to hold their iPhone or iPad near yours. A little pop-up will appear on your screen asking if you want to share audio. Tap Join and you’re synced.
Managing the volume (the tricky part)
One person always wants it louder. It’s inevitable.
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When you're sharing audio, you can actually control the volume for both pairs of headphones independently. Back in the Control Center, you'll see two volume sliders now. You can drag them separately so you don’t deafen your friend while trying to hear a quiet dialogue scene. Or, if you’re feeling lazy, you can use the main volume slider to move both at the same time. It maintains the relative difference between the two, which is actually a pretty thoughtful bit of engineering.
Why doesn't it work sometimes?
Sometimes the "Share Audio" button just... isn't there. Or it spins forever. This usually happens because of a version mismatch. Apple is pretty aggressive about wanting everyone on the latest software. If you're on iOS 17 and your friend is still clinging to iOS 15 for some reason, the handshake between the two W1 or H1 chips might get grumpy.
Another common culprit? The "Find My" lock.
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If your friend's AirPods are actively connected to their own Mac or another device nearby, your iPhone might struggle to hijack the signal. Tell them to turn off Bluetooth on their other devices for a second. It clears the path. Also, keep in mind that this only works for two pairs of headphones. You can't turn your iPhone into a silent disco hub for five people. Two is the hard limit.
Compatibility check for older gear
I mentioned the iPhone 8 earlier. That’s the cutoff. If you’re still rocking an iPhone 7, the hardware literally lacks the Bluetooth radio capabilities to broadcast two high-quality AAC streams simultaneously. It’s a hardware limitation, not Apple being greedy. Well, maybe a little of both.
The Beats lineup is surprisingly robust here. Most people forget that the Beats Flex, which are relatively cheap, support this perfectly. It’s a great way to keep kids quiet in the back of a car without buying two pairs of $250 Pro models.
Real world use cases that actually matter
Most people use this for movies, but it's killer for podcasts during a long walk. Honestly, listening to a comedy podcast with someone else while you’re both walking the dog is way better than trying to play it over a phone speaker that gets drowned out by traffic.
There's also a niche use for fitness. If you and a partner are at a gym that’s playing terrible overhead music, you can both sync to one iPhone and run on treadmills side-by-side while listening to the same high-energy playlist. It stays perfectly in sync. There’s zero lag between the two sets of AirPods, which is impressive because Bluetooth is usually notorious for latency issues.
Stopping the stream
When you're done, don't just walk away. It can sometimes leave the second pair of AirPods in a weird "guest" state. Go back to that AirPlay menu in the Control Center. You’ll see a checkmark next to both pairs of headphones. Just tap the checkmark next to your friend's name to disconnect them. Their AirPods will immediately try to reconnect to their own iPhone.
It’s seamless. Usually.
If things get really buggy—which happens if you’re switching between apps like YouTube and Spotify—the best fix is the oldest one in the book. Toggle Bluetooth off and back on. It forces the H2 chip to reset its broadcast priority.
Actionable steps for your next session
To make sure your next flight or commute goes smoothly, follow this specific order of operations:
- Ensure your AirPods are active and playing audio first.
- Have your friend keep their AirPods inside the charging case but with the lid open right next to your iPhone.
- Access the AirPlay menu through the Control Center, not the Bluetooth settings menu.
- If the "Share Audio" prompt doesn't appear within five seconds, lock your phone and unlock it again to refresh the proximity sensor.
- Once connected, adjust the individual volume sliders immediately to avoid any "it's too loud!" shouting matches.
This process eliminates the need for splitters or third-party apps that drain your battery. It's built into the silicon. Use it.