Headphone Controls are settings on the Android and iOS mobile apps that allow you to customize the actions most commonly found on Bluetooth headsets like AirPods. Headphone Controls are not available on the web and desktop apps.
On iOS, the Previous Action and Next Action settings also control the skip back and skip forward buttons on your lock screen and in Control Center, not just your headphones.
You can find and set Headphone Controls by following these steps:
- Tap the “Profile” tab in the app.
- On the upper-right corner of the screen, tap the “Settings” icon, which looks like a gear.
- Tap “Headphone Controls.”
- You can now view and manage the following settings:
- Previous Action
- Skip Back
- Skip Forward
- Add Bookmark
- Next Chapter – iOS only
- Previous Chapter – iOS only
- Next Action
- Skip Back
- Skip Forward
- Add Bookmark
- Next Chapter – iOS only
- Previous Chapter – iOS only
- Previous Action
Note: The Add Bookmark option requires a Plus or Patron subscription. You can find more information about the feature in the Bookmarks guide.
Why has the skip backward gesture on my AirPods stopped working with Pocket Casts? It still works on other apps.
If you find that your usual headset controls or gestures are no longer working, please check the “Headphone Controls” setting under Profile > Settings (gear icon) and make sure they are correctly configured.
If skip back sometimes jumps back several minutes (skip back goes too far, skip back jumps to the start of the episode, rewind jumps 15 minutes instead of 15 seconds), check whether Previous Action in Headphone Controls is set to Previous Chapter. With that setting, the skip back button on your lock screen, in Control Center and on your headphones goes to the start of the previous chapter instead of skipping back by your usual skip time. This only happens on episodes that have chapters, and chapters are often several minutes long, so the jumps can seem random. Next Action works the same way when it is set to Next Chapter.
To make skip back always use your usual skip time, go to Profile > Settings (gear icon) > Headphone Controls and set Previous Action to Skip Back.
If playback suddenly pauses while using Google Pixel Buds, it may be due to the Conversation Detection feature. When this feature is enabled, your earbuds automatically pause audio when they detect that you’re speaking. If you prefer uninterrupted playback, you can open the Pixel Buds app on your phone, go into the audio or sound settings, and turn conversation detection off. Once that feature is disabled, Pocket Casts and other audio apps should keep playing even when you start talking.
