The WF-1000XM5 has touch controls on both earbuds, and you can customize exactly what each tap, double-tap, triple-tap, and hold does. The defaults are fine for most people, but tweaking them to match how YOU use the earbuds makes a big difference.
Where to Find the Settings
Open the Sony Headphones Connect app, go to System, and look for "Change the touch sensor function." From there you can configure the left and right earbuds separately.
What You Can Control
You've got four gestures per earbud:
- Tap (one quick touch)
- Double tap (two quick touches)
- Triple tap (three quick touches)
- Touch and hold (press and keep your finger there)
Each one can be assigned to something different.
The Functions Worth Knowing About
Playback stuff: Play/pause, next track, previous track. The basics.
Volume: This one uses touch and hold. Keep your finger on the earbud and volume gradually goes up or down. You'll need to assign volume up to one earbud and volume down to the other if you want both.
Noise control: You can cycle through Noise Canceling, Ambient Sound, and Off. Super useful if you need to quickly let sound in.
Voice assistant: Works with Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri depending on your phone and preferences.
Speak-to-Chat: Instantly pauses music and turns on ambient sound for a quick conversation.
The Default Setup
Out of the box, Sony configures them like this:
Left earbud: Tap toggles noise control modes. Hold triggers Speak-to-Chat.
Right earbud: Tap plays/pauses. Double tap skips forward. Triple tap goes back. Hold activates your voice assistant.
This is actually a pretty solid setup for most people.
My Favorite Customization
I like putting volume control on the hold gestures:
- Left hold = volume down
- Right hold = volume up
That frees up the taps for playback and noise control. Being able to adjust volume without pulling out my phone is really convenient.
Some Tips
Dominant hand gets the important stuff. If you're right-handed, put your most-used controls on the right. You'll naturally reach for that side.
Keep quick access to ANC/Ambient. The ability to instantly switch noise modes is one of the best features. Don't bury it under triple-taps.
You can disable touch completely. In the app, there's an option to turn off touch controls. Handy when you're cleaning the earbuds or if you keep accidentally triggering gestures.
Fair Warning
Touch controls on earbuds are not perfect. Sometimes you'll accidentally tap when adjusting fit. Sometimes a double tap registers as two single taps. It's just the nature of touch-sensitive surfaces in your ears. You get used to it.
