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Home / News / This AirPods update lets you nod your head to respond to Siri and fixes my biggest gripe

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This AirPods update lets you nod your head to respond to Siri and fixes my biggest gripe

Apple's AirPods have a new feature that lets you nod or shake your head to reply to Siri. That's alongside a bunch of other improvements

Connor Jewiss Connor Jewiss
Apple AirPods 2 review

Apple just held its WWDC 2024 developers conference. At the event, the Cupertino tech giant unveiled all of its new software coming later this year. iOS 18 was the biggest announcement, alongside all of Apple’s new AI features. Alongside the new iPhone version, AirPods got an interesting update – you can nod your head to respond to Siri.

In a major update to AirPods, you can now nod or shake your head to respond to Siri. If the smart assistant asks you to take a call, you can now just move your head to respond. Siri will work out what you mean, and acknowledge it. For example, if your mum is ringing, and you shake your head, Siri will decline the call.

Your AirPods also get a new Voice Isolation feature. This uses machine learning to pick out your voice even when there’s a lot of background noise. While the AirPods Pro’s mics are pretty impressive, this is an area they’ve always struggled with. Apple’s pre-recorded demo looked impressive, but I’m interested to see how this fares in the real world.

Alongside this, AirPods will now work better with the Apple TV 4K thanks to Enhanced Dialogue. Speaking of the Apple TV, tvOS brings a few new features. Siri now lives on the device, which helps power a new feature similar to Prime Video’s X-Ray. It shows you context around the actors and music on screen, called Apple InSight.

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About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around nine years now across the web and in print too. Connor has attended the biggest tech expos, including CES, MWC, and IFA – with contributions as a judge on panels at them. He's also been interviewed as a technology expert on TV and radio by national news outlets including France24. Connor has experience with most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he's a fan of gadgets of all sorts. Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup and venture capital scene, which puts him at the front of new and exciting tech - he is always on the lookout for innovative products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home