Historically, the AirPods cases have always had a physical button on the back for initiating pairing with your iPhone. But with the new AirPods 4 announced this week, Apple has made a significant change. Instead of a physical pairing button, the AirPods 4 case now features a hidden capacitive button that is used for pairing and resetting.
As first noticed by Macotakara, the new AirPods 4 case has a capacitive button on the front. When you open the AirPods 4 case and the status light appears on the front, you can double-tap the front of the case to start pairing with your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Additionally, you can perform a factory reset of AirPods 4 by either long-pressing on the capacitive button or by tapping on it three times, as stated by Gear Patrol. The site also mentions that the status light on the front of the AirPods 4 case is more discreet than before:
“The AirPods 4’s charging case has a tiny built-in LED light for displaying statuses – just like other AirPods. However, unlike those other charging cases, the status light on the AirPods 4’s case is quite unobtrusive. Instead of being visible when the charging case is closed, the tiny dot disappears completely. And then, when you open the case, the status light reappears and lights up.”
Regarding Vision Pro support, Apple’s website confirms that the new AirPods 4 offer Lossless Audio with ultra-low latency when connected to Apple Vision Pro. Previously, this feature was limited to only the most recent version of AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C.
AirPods 4 are now available for pre-order, starting at $129. AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancelation cost $179. The first orders are scheduled to reach customers on Friday, September 20.
