How to set up AirPods on my iPhone for an iPhone 7 user?

Question

Level 1

4 points

How to set up AirPods on my iPhone for an iPhone 7 user?

My mom-in-law needs the adaptive hearing features of the AirPods Pro 3. She has an iPhone 7 with the latest iOS, but the adaptive hearing features do not appear under her Bluetooth menu.

I “forgot” the AirPods from her iPhone. Then I paired the AirPods to my iPhone 13 mini and we completed the setup.

She loves the AirPods!

I disconnected the AirPods from my iPhone and connected them to her iPhone. The adaptive hearing features still worked, yay!

Her iPhone warned her that her AirPods were connected to my Apple ID. She doesn’t care.

When she switches between her iPhone and her iPad, the AirPods do not automatically connect to the next device. I think this is because the AirPods are connected to my Apple ID.

How can I fix this problem?

Note: The easy solution is to give my mom-in-law a new iPhone so she can setup the AirPods, but she would not accept it.

iPhone 13 mini, iOS 26

Posted on Oct 20, 2025 7:24 PM

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Answer 1

ahnem Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 20, 2025 8:00 PM in response to Zachyy

Thank you, Zachyy, for your reply.

I agree - the iPhone 7 is too old to configure adaptive hearing on the AirPods Pro 3.

If I remove the AirPods from my account, the AirPods will lose the adaptive hearing configuration.

So I think you are saying we can’t fix this problem:

When she switches between her iPhone and her iPad, the AirPods do not automatically connect to the next device.

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Answer 2

Zachyy

Level 6

13,942 points

Oct 20, 2025 7:31 PM in response to ahnem

FYI, the Hearing Health features require a device on iOS 18 or later. The iPhone 7 is on discontinued iOS 15.

It would also appear all devices must be signed in with the same Apple Account. You likely would need to remove them from your account first.

Switch your AirPods to another device - Apple Support

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