This viral wireless dongle lets you share your audio on a flight - how it works

pros and cons

Pros

• Makes in-flight amusement afloat wireless
• You tin usage your favourite headphones' spatial audio and ANC
• Small and casual to pack

Cons

• Not utile if you're not a predominant flier

Flying for hours connected extremity is the bane of my existence. From sitting successful a tiny spot for hours to the highly communal restroom, I indispensable support myself distracted passim the formation to support from going crazy. I effort my champion to work, sleep, oregon work the full formation due to the fact that watching movies connected a level conscionable isn't the astir luxurious experience.

Also: I expected Samsung's caller flagship earbuds to bore me, but I fell successful emotion with them instead

But flying connected an airplane is an apt accidental to drawback up connected your movie watchlist, adjacent if the level amusement strategy tin thwart your plans. You person 2 options: usage the airline-provided "headphones" and perceive everything connected the level but your movie, oregon usage your headphones and beryllium tethered to the backmost of the idiosyncratic successful beforehand of you. 

To debar either scenario, I've been investigating TwelveSouth's latest Bluetooth adapter, the AirFly Pro 2. The institution sent maine the latest AirFly adapter to trial connected my formation recently, and if you're a predominant flyer and a movie buff, here's my verdict aft hours of use.

The archetypal AirFly was 1 of Twelve South's astir fashionable products, and for bully reason. It's a multi-use Bluetooth adapter that wirelessly connects headphones to airplane amusement systems, gym equipment, and gaming consoles, arsenic agelong arsenic the big devices person a 3.5mm adapter.

The caller AirFly Pro 2 has each the astir desirable features from the erstwhile AirFly exemplary -- dual headphone connection, carnal measurement buttons, a lengthy artillery life, and auxiliary input compatibility -- and overmuch more.

On my formation from Atlanta to New York past week, I tucked the AirFly Pro 2 into my idiosyncratic container and plugged it into the level amusement system's 3.5mm headphone jack. After turning it on, I enactment my Sonos Ace into pairing mode and watched "Moana 2." You tin link 2 headphones to the AirFly Pro 2, truthful 2 radical tin ticker the aforesaid media connected the in-flight amusement system.

Also: This glorious astute talker is the HomePod successor Apple fans person been longing for

The movie sounded terrific done my headphones. I turned connected sound cancellation and spatial audio with caput tracking to drown retired the level motor noises and heighten my listening experience. In wired mode, astir wireless headphones can't entree their wireless audio settings, allowing outer noises to leak in. With the AirFly Pro 2, this wasn't an issue.

Pairing the dongle was alternatively simple. I pressed my headphones' powerfulness fastener until they entered pairing mode, past held the AirFly's "Pair 1" button, and I was each set.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

The AirFly Pro 2 has an upgraded Qualcomm spot inside, which improves audio quality, provides much unchangeable wireless connections, and reduces powerfulness consumption.

On the close broadside of the dongle is simply a power to toggle betwixt transmit (TX) mode and receiver (RX) mode. In TX mode, the AirFly transmits audio from an analog source, similar an in-flight amusement system, to your headphones. RX mode receives audio from your telephone to play done the aux-in larboard of a car, boat, oregon stereo system.

Also: Bluetooth's latest wireless audio propulsion could lick a connectivity occupation we've each dealt with

With 25 hours of artillery life, the AirFly Pro 2 tin past you done a round-trip travel crossed the US. And erstwhile you request to complaint it, there's a useful USB-C larboard for that.

ZDNET's buying advice

The Twelve South AirFly Pro 2 is simply a fantastic question companion for predominant flyers. It takes up small abstraction successful your container and makes an different unenjoyable listening and watching acquisition overmuch better. Although it's marketed for in-flight use, you'll get your money's worthy with its aux-in compatibility with non-Bluetooth audio devices and systems.

If you'll apt usage this merchandise often, I urge spending the $60 for a reliable and high-quality product. However, if you privation a cheaper option, Twelve South offers the AirFly SE, but it doesn't person aux-in compatibility oregon dual headphone connectivity.

This nonfiction was primitively published connected April 5, 2025, and was updated connected March 19, 2026.