Fact · Dictation
In the AirPods settings on a Mac, Apple's Automatically Switch AirPods option lets either of your AirPods act as the microphone.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Automatically Switch AirPods: Either of your AirPods can act as the microphone.”
Change settings for AirPods or AirPods Pro, Apple, Apple Support (AirPods User Guide), n.d., Microphone settings.
Open the original- What it measures
- Apple's AirPods guide for the Mac. The Microphone option sits in the AirPods settings, and Apple also offers Always Left AirPod and Always Right AirPod choices.
- What it does not show
- The page does not say which earbud Automatically Switch picks at a given moment, and it does not describe audio quality while the microphone is in use.