I tried this genius gadget to hear airplane movies with my AirPods — here's my review

Rick Broida
·7-min read

We may receive commission from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

The AirFly Pro is a slim, shiny dongle that adds Bluetooth to airplanes, home stereos and lots more. (Photo: Rick Broida/Yahoo)
The AirFly Pro is a slim, shiny dongle that adds Bluetooth to airplanes, home stereos and lots more. (Photo: Rick Broida/Yahoo)

It's a first-world problem, but a problem all the same: You plunk down in your airplane seat, all set to watch some in-flight entertainment, when you realize there's no way to use your AirPods. They're wireless, of course, and paired with your phone. Now what?

Now you remember the Twelve South AirFly Pro ($55 at Amazon) you cleverly remembered to attach to your keychain for just such an emergency. This handy little accessory plugs into any 3.5mm audio jack and pairs with AirPods or other wireless earbuds or headphones. And it's not just for airplanes, either: If you have, for example, a Nintendo Switch, you've probably wished for a wireless audio option. This is it.

$55 at Amazon

The AirFly Pro can also work the other way: You can plug it into, say, an older home stereo or car stereo and then use your phone to stream tunes. All this happens via Bluetooth, with little more than a button press required for setup.

The device looks decidedly Apple-like, with its glossy white finish and rounded edges — a worthy AirPods companion, to be sure. It charges via a USB-C port and includes a little keychain cap for the stereo plug. The latter fits very snugly, which should keep the AirFly from accidentally falling out and getting lost, but I'd still be a little leery about letting it ride shotgun with my keys. Thankfully, there's also a drawstring carrying case if you'd rather go that route.

That case also holds the instruction guide, which has rather small print but is very clear and easy to understand. After the initial pairing process with your AirPods or other device, you just have to remember to hold the power button for five seconds to turn the AirFly on — and five more to turn it off again.

Meanwhile, there's a little switch on the side that toggles between transmit and receive modes. If you're not interested in the latter (meaning you just want the headphone option for planes and such), the AirFly Duo costs about $10 less and actually has slightly better battery life: About 20 hours, versus 16 on the Pro.

One great perk with both: You can pair two sets of headphones simultaneously, meaning you and a companion can watch the same in-flight movie.

In my tests the AirFly Pro worked flawlessly, pairing easily with my AirPods Pro and remembering that connection from one session to the next. While there are less-expensive options out there, I like the AirFly's compact, all-white design.

Bottom line: If you've ever wished for a way to turn a wired headphone jack into a wireless one, this is your dongle.

$55 at Amazon

Looking for more great Amazon deals? Check these out:

Home theater deals:

Headphone, earbud, smartwatch and tablet deals:

Tablet and tech deals:

Video game deals:

Smart-home deals:

Vacuum deals:

Fashion deals:

Kitchen deals:

Beauty deals:

Bedding deals:

Health and Wellness:

Lawn and Garden:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Life's newsletter.

Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting

Latest stories

  • The excuses that get you out of an Election fine

    Here are some valid excuses that get you out of paying an Election fine.

  • Flood warnings in drenched southeast Qld

    Southeast Queensland residents are on flood watch after intense rainfall hit soaked catchments with some dams releasing water ahead of another forecast drenching.The Sunshine Coast suburb of Maroochydore copped more than 60mm in five hours on Saturday, and other areas recorded 100mm in 24 hours, as a low-pressure trough moved south along the coast from St Lawrence, north of Gladstone.

  • Call for carbon emissions to peak by 2025

    Angry householders and business owners will be knocking on the door of the federal energy minister as prices rise, regardless of who wins government, experts warn."We face a kaleidoscope of options from tomorrow's election," Carbon Market Institute CEO John Connor told an online forum on Friday.

  • McEwen to keep TV role despite gay slur

    Australian cycling commentator Robbie McEwen has apologised for his on-air homophobic slur during the Giro d'Italia.The retired sprint ace and his employer Global Cycling network have issued statements two days after the incident earlier this week during stage 10 of the Giro.

  • Bandt declares election a 'Greens-slide'

    The Greens are declaring a "Greens-slide" in the lower house as the party remains on track for a historic electoral win.The minor party is set to gain two seats in Queensland, including Liberal-held Ryan and Labor-held Griffith, based on ABC projections on Saturday night.

  • 'Insensitive' detail in listing for boarding house destroyed by fire

    The listing for the fire-damaged, 12-room boarding house in Newtown has raised some eyebrows over the wording in the ad. See what it said.

  • Rajasthan books place in IPL qualifier

    Rajasthan Royals booked a spot in the Indian Premier League play-offs qualifier after edging Chennai Super Kings by five wickets on Friday.Rajasthan overtook Lucknow Super Giants on run-rate to finish second in the regular season standings.

  • 'DISMAL STATE': China's frank message over Australian election

    Chinese state media doesn't hold much hope for the future of Sino-Australian relations regardless of who wins the election. Find out more.

  • Boothby a 'hard ask' for independent Dyer

    High-profile independent candidate for the key South Australian electorate of Boothby, Jo Dyer, has conceded she is unlikely to win the marginal Liberal-held seat in Adelaide's south.Few seats are expected to change hands in South Australia at Saturday's election and much focus has been on Boothby, which is held by retiring Liberal MP Nicolle Flint on a 1.

  • Federal Election 2022: The key seats that will decide who wins

    The future of Australia will likely come down to just a handful of battleground seats. See how important your vote could be.

  • US talkshow mocks Scott Morrison

    Comedian and talkshow host Stephen Colbert has ridiculed Scott Morrison over his latest gaffe and revisited an disturbing rumour the PM wished he could shake off. Source: The Late Show

  • ABC election viewers fume over 'bloody pinging' noise

    People took to Twitter to complain about the disruption to the ABC's live election coverage. Read more.

  • Palestinian teen shot in Israeli raid

    Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian teenage boy as clashes erupted when they entered a volatile town in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry and local media said.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has intensified overnight raids in the northern West Bank town of Jenin over the past months.

  • Federal Election results - 'Humbled' Scott Morrison concedes defeat, will step down

    Scott Morrison has been dramatically turfed from office with voters flocking to independents and the Greens in a stunning election result that will see Labor form government.

  • Morrison steps down after conceding defeat

    Scott Morrison has stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after conceding defeat, saying he accepted responsibility for the result.Mr Morrison says he will hand over the leadership at the next party meeting.

  • Greens eye new House, Senate seats

    Three new Senate seats and a second in the House of Representatives are on the Greens' wishlist heading into the federal election.Already boasting nine upper house seats, they could add to that tally in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia, while inner-city Brisbane and Melbourne seats such as Griffith, Brisbane, Higgins or Macnamara appear their best chance in the lower house.

  • Cream rises in Vixens' netball victory

    The enlivened Melbourne Vixens have challenged their Super Netball rivals to rise to a new benchmark after an impressive 59-53 comeback victory against the NSW Swifts at John Cain Arena.After absorbing the best the Swifts could throw at them in an even first half, the Vixens found another gear and remain clear on top of the ladder in their pursuit of the minor premiership and potentially a home grand final.

  • 'Some leaders only want to hear the good news': politicians tell us how political careers can end

    Mick Tsikas/AAPWith the election almost upon us, thoughts are more than ever turned to political survival. While getting pre-selected and winning elections are the initial, difficult challenges of a political career, a major ongoing one is surviving in the treacherous galaxy of politics. As part of our study of political leadership, during 2021 we interviewed 13 politicians from across the Australian political spectrum. They included federal and state ministers, senators, federal and state membe

  • Australia confirms second monkeypox case

    Australia has recorded its second official case of monkeypox with NSW confirming its first case after Victoria.NSW Health had flagged the case of a man in his 40s who returned recently from Europe and confirmed the infection after further tests on Friday evening.

  • Anthony Albanese shocks Today hosts with 'un-Australian' election day decision

    Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has been mocked for a controversial election day decision. Find out more.