Thanks for the reply. I do have each AirPod set to different things, but I find it just doesn't work as well as the interface that I had with the Beats headphones. The tap-tap on my ear is much more distracting than the click-click on the Beats, and so often I have to pause and think whether I can do something. For example, I used to be able to fast forward 30 seconds at a time through podcast ads then rewind 15 seconds once I went into the content. Now I can only do the fast forward part, since the other ear is set to pause. And of course I can't quickly turn up or down the volume.

I know the answer to this is "use Siri" but I dislike using Siri. Even if it worked perfectly, which it doesn't, it would still be annoying to be that guy in a coworker space or cafe that's talking to his phone.

Thanks for the feedback on the Pro's though. Maybe they will help, but I'd like to test them before I commit, which is admittedly a little difficult because of the yuck factor.

I rarely jump back and forth when listening to audio.. so I went digging. In Apple's docs: • To skip forward, double-press the force sensor on the stem of an AirPod. • To skip back, triple-press the force sensor. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207010

So the only issue left is volume. Hey Siri.. how do we change the volume without talking to you?