This Mac tip is provided by Mark Greentree and was originally posted on Mark’s blog – Everyday Mac Support. For more of Mark’s tips visit his site, follow him on Twitter, or browse his archive of posts here.
Many users will tell you that the Apple included headphones are not the best. Certainly, there is evidence to support this claim. The advantage is they come bundled at no additional cost with all new iPhones. My philosophy is simple. If it’s free, use it.
The first difference you will notice between these and other Apple headphones you may have had is they have an in-line remote control.
It’s not fancy like some. Nor does it have a visual screen. It is functional though.
To answer and end a call simply press the centre button. When calls are being received if you have the headphones in your ears you will hear music for instance pause and the ringtone begin. The ringtone will also be played through the iPhone’s internal speaker.
To use voice control press and hold the centre button for about three seconds and voice control will launch. For iPhone 4S owners this will launch Siri.
To decline an incoming call simply press and hold the centre button for a couple of seconds. When you hear the beeps you will know the call has been declined.
When speaking on the phone or experiencing content on your device you can turn the volume up and down by pressing either the plus or minus buttons on the inline controller.
When talking to someone on the iPhone and another call comes through simply tap the centre button to place the first call on hold whilst you answer the second call. Press the centre button again to go back to the first call.
When you want to end either the first or second call but resume the conversation with the other person on the other line, simply press and hold the centre button for a couple of seconds and you will hear two beeps which will confirm the specific call in question has ended. You will then automatically be swtiched back to the other call.
When playing media on your iPhone with the Apple supplied remote headphones you can also control standard media commands.
In order to pause a song or video simply press the centre button. To resume play press the centre button again.
Moving to the next song you simply need to press the centre button two times quickly.
To go to the previous track press the centre button three times quickly.
Fast forwarding can be undertaken by pressing the centre button twice quickly and then holding the centre button.
To rewind you will need to press the centre button three times quickly and then hold the centre button.
Adjusting the volume up and down is simply achieved by pressing either the + or – buttons.
The Apple supplied headphones also have an inbuilt microphone to allow you hands free calling.
If you ever need to be a guest on a Podcast and you don’t have a microphone setup you can use these headphones with a service such as Skype and surprisingly your voice has significant clarity. I have tested this with various people on my own podcast and the vocal quality far exceeds that of the inbuilt microphones on your Mac.