Learn how to make your iPhone keep playing the audio through the currently connected AirPods or wireless earphones, even when you start your car and your iPhone auto-connects to your vehicle’s Bluetooth or CarPlay.
When you start your car, your iPhone (with Bluetooth enabled) will automatically connect to the infotainment system’s Bluetooth or wireless CarPlay.
While this setup is suitable for most, if you’re already using your AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, the audio playback will shift to your car’s speaker, which can be inconvenient for some.
iOS 26 addresses this by adding a new “Keep Audio with Headphones” option that keeps the playing song, podcast, or other media routed to the existing Bluetooth earphones, instead of the car’s speakers, even after your iPhone has connected to your car.
Caution: It’s not safe for you and others on the road to use eaphones when driving a vehicle. Secondly, doing this may even have penalties in some jurisdictions.
Furthermore, note that this feature isn’t just limited to cars. Turning on “Keep Audio with Headphones” will also stop the iPhone audio from jumping to other wireless speakers in your home.
And when you do want the audio to play through your car’s or other speakers, just use the AirPlay icon on the iPhone Lock Screen, in Control Center, or in the media app itself.
Stop iPhone from shifting audio to another speaker when you’re already using AirPods
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone running the latest version of iOS 26.
- Tap General.
- Select AirPlay & Continuity.
- Turn on Keep Audio with Headphones.
Now, the next time you’re listening to music on your AirPods and start your car or go near your home’s wireless speakers, the audio will continue playing in your ears, even after your iPhone auto-connects to the car’s/home’s Bluetooth.
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