In iOS and iPadOS, Apple includes an option for users to specify the Bluetooth accessories they connect using pre-defined individual labels.

device type bluetooth
Labeling your Bluetooth accessories helps to identify connected devices and improve audio notifications. Apple says that classifying Bluetooth accessories like this can also ensure that real-time Headphone Audio Level measurements are accurate.

When using headphones with an iPhone, for example, you can check the audio level in decibels by viewing the Hearing control in Control Center. In the Health app, you can also review the history of your headphone listening habits.

Apple provides five categories with which to label your Bluetooth accessories: Car Stereo, Headphone, Hearing Aid, Speaker, and Other. Here's how to access them.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Select Bluetooth.
  3. Tap the info button (the encircled 'i') next to a Bluetooth device in the list that you want to label.
    settings

  4. Tap Device Type.
  5. Select a label if the accessory is not already correctly identified.
    settings

Note that iOS recognizes AirPods and AirPods Max as headphones, so there isn't an option to change their Bluetooth label. (The same goes for Apple Watch.) However, you can still change the name of Apple earphones and headphones as they appear in Bluetooth device lists.

Top Rated Comments

DutchApplePie Avatar
6 weeks ago
It would be nice when playing music in a car through bluetooth if notification sounds would come from the phone instead of momentarily lowering the music volume.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ambientdaw Avatar
6 weeks ago
My experience with Bluetooth pairing with speakers from my iPhone and Mac is nothing short of miserable. Sometimes it works but it is 50/50 at best.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
6 weeks ago
Have set it up for some of my Bluetooth accessories. Will try enabling them for the rest of them and see.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
6 weeks ago

What would you want to change them to?..
I would want Apple to document what the effect of each setting is, and letting me decide if I want my AirPods to work like e.g. a speaker. Instead it's "Tell us what you have (but for AirPods we already know), and we'll decide what is good for you."
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thejadedmonkey Avatar
6 weeks ago
I've always wondered, is a stereo with a bluetooth input the same as a speaker, in Apple land? Or should I select "Other" for my stereo?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
liberte1776 Avatar
6 weeks ago
What we need is mic gain controls like we have on the Mac, why is this not available in iOS?! ??
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
ios 26 control center b2

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2

Monday June 23, 2025 2:57 pm PDT by
Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we're early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to iOS 26, which we've rounded up below. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Control Center The background behind the...
ios 26 control center b2

iOS 26 Beta 2 Fixes Control Center Design

Monday June 23, 2025 10:58 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26 that Apple provided to developers today, Apple addressed one of the major complaints that people have had with Liquid Glass. iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on right The Control Center buttons are now slightly more opaque, making it easier to see the different control options even on a multicolored background. The new, more opaque look is apparent with the ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26 Includes These Five Smaller Features You Might Have Missed

Saturday June 21, 2025 11:18 am PDT by
While the dust is beginning to settle on the first iOS 26 beta, we continue to take a closer look at new features coming with the update. Below, we recap five smaller changes that you might have missed. Emoji Game Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can play a new Emoji Game, which tasks players with completing words and phrases with emoji. This is the fifth game that is...
airpods 4 blue

Apple Offering Free AirPods — Here's How to Get Them

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
Apple is running a new promotion that offers free AirPods to qualifying customers. Now through September 30, college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Singapore can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. If you do not want AirPods, the promotion also offers various other...