11 Tricks for How to use your Apple Earphones or EarPods with Inline Remote

11 Tricks you can do with your Apple EarPods or Earphones using the inline remoteOne of the things I love about Apple is that the company has figured out the art of putting incredible functionality into very simple and elegant products. Unfortunately, the simplicity sometimes hides features. When the iPhone 5 was announced, Apple also introduced the EarPods. These are specially designed earphones that add additional clarity, deeper bass, better fit for more ears, multiple mics for noise cancellation, and the inline remote. The inline remote is packed full of all kinds of features. Here are 11 of these features:

1. Volume up/down

When you squeeze the plus sign on the inline remote it turns the volume up on your iOS device. When you squeeze the minus sign, the volume goes down.

2. Play/Pause

When you squeeze the middle of the inline remote, you can play and pause the audio on your iOS device (music, podcasts, audiobooks, and audio from apps like Pandora).

3. Fast Forward

When you double squeeze and hold the center of the in-line remote, the audio begins to fast forward. Release to resume normal play.

4. Rewind

When you triple squeeze and hold the center of the in-line remote, the audio will rewind. Release to resume normal play.

5. Activate Siri

When you squeeze and hold the center of the in-line remote, you will activate Siri on devices that have Siri (these include the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 3rd and 4th generation, iPad Mini, and iPod Touch 5th generation). To deactivate Siri simply squeeze the center once again.

6. Take a Picture

You can use the volume up button to take a picture when you have the Camera app open. This can be useful if you want to prop your iPhone up to reduce blur when taking a picture in a lowlight situation.

7. Accept and End Calls

When you have an incoming call simply squeeze the center of the in-line remote to accept the call. When you’re ready to end the call, squeeze the in-line remote one more time.

8. Ignore an Incoming Call

When you have an incoming call that you would like to ignore, simply squeeze and hold the center of the in-line remote for two seconds. The call will be sent directly to voicemail.

9. Switch to a Second Call

If you are on the phone with one person and you receive a second call, you can end the first call and switch to the second call by simply squeezing and holding the center of the in-line remote for about two seconds.

10. Skip to the Next Song or Chapter

When you’re listening to music or an audiobook, you can skip to the next song by double squeezing the center of the in-line remote twice quickly.

11. Go to the Previous Song or Chapter

When you’re listening to music or an audiobook, you can go to the previous song or chapter by triple squeezing the center of the in-line remote quickly.

Overall, these tricks will give you a better experience when using your iPhone, iPad (Mini), or iPod touch.