AirPods iOS 11 Update: Users Will Be Able to Skip Tracks by Tapping Wireless Earbuds

Users of AirPods will soon be able to switch music tracks with just a double tap.

Currently, owners of AirPods can only switch tracks by manually changing it or activating Siri. That means users still need to tap the smartphone itself and speak to the AI assistant — an action some individuals find embarrasing to do in public. It's also not ideal for when the user is outside their home or in a noisy area.

Apple is now doing something to give users more control over their AirPods. Thanks to a new setting that will be included in the upcoming iOS 11 update, users will soon be able to skip backward and forward between music files with a double tap on either earbud.

Developers have already gotten their hands on the platform's prevew version. YouTube channel Appsolutely Tech posted a new video about the update and tested out this new feature. Viewers will notice that aside from switching through tracks, a tap can also activate Siri and play or pause music.

Reports note that in addition to the double tap feature, the update also introduces native support for FLAC files. Select third-party iOS apps are already allowing users to open FLAC files, but Apple will still include full playback support for the file format via iOS 11. The support for FLAC files was first seen by a Reddit user on an iPhone 6s Plus, which was running on iOS11 Beta 1. The said functionality can be accessed as part of the file management app on the device.

The iOS 11 update will be released sometime in the fall. Apple has yet to announce an exact date on which the update will be available to all users.