This cheeky AirPods hack is changing users’ lives

Apple’s true wireless AirPods earphones are already sitting comfortably in the ears of millions of users around the world, but we wonder how many have noted this handy little hack?

Although many users choose to keep in their AirPods whether they’re listening to music or not, there are times when basic social norms dictate that they should be removed; like when someone is attempting to engage you in conversation at work.

So what do you do? Hold them in your hand? Faff around with the case while someone’s trying to talk to you? Or put them on your messy desk to roll around ne’er to be seen again? None of those solutions are perfect, but you know what is? Simply placing them on the bezel of your MacBook and letting a little magnetism do the rest. The magnets in the bezels are designed to give the display closing mechanism a little more security, ensuring it requires a little more force to open, but have developed a new role here.

Related: Best true wireless earphones

The cheeky little hack was published on Reddit (where else) recently, under the title: “Does anyone else do this when they need to take out their AirPods for a quick second?”

The safe-keeping method’s proved a hit with fellow Mac and AirPods users, some of whom say they’d done the same with the Apple Pencil cap on the iPad where the magnets for smart cases live.

Of course, there has also been some concerned raised about the affects the magnets may have on the AirPods themselves, but as yet no-one has suffered any issues from placing the wireless buds on their display bezels, which likely contain very low-powered magnets.

As with any little hack of this nature, it’s doubtful Apple recommends, which means we don’t also. So do it at your own risk. It’s also important to remember that although AirPods go into low-power mode when not in use, keeping them in the case is a better option when it comes to preserving battery life. As the OP says, this is a good stopgap for “a second.”