How to Use AirPods Pro Head Gestures in iOS 18

With the release of iOS 18, Apple introduced Siri Interactions for AirPods Pro, enabling a hands-free and voice-free way to manage notifications, phone calls, and messages. By simply nodding your head "yes" or shaking your head "no," you can respond to Siri prompts seamlessly without speaking out loud or touching your device. This guide explains how this feature works, compatible hardware, and how to enable and use these gestures in everyday scenarios.

How Head Gestures Work

AirPods Pro utilize built-in motion sensors—including the accelerometer and gyroscope—paired with the H2 chip's machine learning capabilities to detect head movements. When Siri announces an incoming call or reads a notification, the system listens for specific, intentional gestures:

  • Nodding Up and Down: Confirms an action. This gesture answers incoming phone calls, confirms message replies, or accepts prompts from Siri.
  • Shaking Side to Side: Declines an action. This gesture rejects incoming phone calls, dismisses message alerts, or cancels a Siri prompt.

Because the processing happens locally via machine learning algorithms, the feature distinguishes between everyday head movements and deliberate nods or shakes, preventing accidental triggers.

Practical Scenarios

Head gestures are particularly useful in situations where speaking to Siri or tapping your AirPods is impractical:

  • Crowded or Quiet Spaces: Decline a call or dismiss an alert in a quiet library or crowded elevator without speaking aloud.
  • Hands-Busy Activities: Answer important calls while carrying groceries, cooking, or working out without needing to tap the earbuds or touch your phone.
  • Noisy Environments: Avoid the frustration of Siri mishearing your voice commands in loud transit hubs or gyms.

Supported Devices

To use head gestures, you need:

  • AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with either the Lightning or USB-C charging case, updated to the latest firmware.
  • An iPhone running iOS 18 or later.

How to Enable or Disable Siri Interactions

Head gestures are typically enabled by default after updating to iOS 18, but you can adjust the settings manually:

  1. Place your AirPods Pro in your ears and connect them to your iPhone.
  2. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  3. Tap the name of your AirPods near the top of the menu.
  4. Scroll down to the Siri section and select Siri Interactions.
  5. Toggle the Siri Interactions switch on or off.

From this menu, you can also complete a brief tutorial to test both the nod and shake gestures to ensure the system accurately registers your movements.