iOS 26 lets you keep AirPods audio from auto-switching to speakers

iOS 26 is packed full of new features, but one that lots of users might appreciate most is flying under the radar. Thanks to a new setting added in iOS 26, you can finally stop AirPods’ audio from automatically getting hijacked by other Bluetooth speakers, including your in-car speakers.

‘Keep Audio with Headphones’ gives you control of your iPhone’s audio stream

If you use AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, you’ve likely experienced a surprise occurrence around other Bluetooth speakers.

Without any action on your part, another Bluetooth speaker hijacks your iPhone’s audio stream, making whatever you were listening to via AirPods suddenly blast out loud.

For me, this has especially been a problem with in-car speakers. But fortunately, iOS 26 has a solution.

Though it’s off by default, there’s finally now an option to prevent this auto-switching Bluetooth behavior.

On your iPhone running iOS 26, follow these simple steps:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap General
3. Tap ‘AirPlay & Continuity’
4. Then toggle on ‘Keep Audio with Headphones’

Here’s Apple’s description of what this will do:

When using AirPods or other wireless headphones, keep audio with headphones when other devices like speakers or cars connect to iPhone.

It’s a simple fix for a problem that’s existed for many years.

While some users no doubt prefer the existing behavior—thus the new setting is off by default—I suspect plenty of others will be glad to see it changed.

Why now? Perhaps Apple is providing this new option as a way to complement the new support for automatic CarPlay switching.

Whatever the reason, ‘Keep Audio with Headphones’ is a great option to have.

Similar to some of the other settings in the ‘AirPlay & Continuity’ screen, it gives you the power to choose how your iPhone responds—or doesn’t—to nearby devices like your car, Mac, HomePod, and of course, Bluetooth speakers with buggy on/off features.

Will you enable the new ‘Keep Audio with Headphones’ setting for your AirPods in iOS 26? Let us know in the comments.

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