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Level 1

14 points

Automatic device switching not working on AirPods Pro

I have the most recent OS on all devices (iPhone iOS 14, iPad iPadOS 14 & AirPods Pro 3A283) and all devices are signed in to the same iCloud account. The AirPods have been successfully paired to both devices, they are set to automatically connect to each device (iPhone & iPad) in their corresponding Bluetooth settings, I’ve even tried “forget this device” and re-pairing the AirPods but the automatic device switching is still not working. Are there any other settings outside of the Bluetooth settings that need to be activated to use this function? Or does this only work in certain situations like when ending a phone call, FaceTime call, etc.? This is the situation I tried: I was listening to a podcast on my phone with the AirPods, but then wanted to use them to watch a film on my iPad. I closed the podcast app, put my phone down then picked up the iPad and started a film but the audio was playing on my iPad speakers and I had to manually choose the AirPods as audio device like before the OS updates. I would be thankful for any information on what I may be doing wrong or for suggestions or tips on what I could try.

iPad Pro, iPadOS 14

Posted on Sep 23, 2020 2:11 PM

Best reply

MsCornchip Author

Level 1

14 points

Posted on Sep 27, 2020 3:41 AM

This post is going out to those who noted that they have the same question.

Since posting a few days ago, I have continued to try different things to fix the problem. This morning, on a whim because this function works in connection with a user’s iCloud account, I upgraded my iCloud account security to two-factor authentication to see if this would make a difference. This didn’t seem to solve my issue immediately, though after reconnecting the AirPods to my iPhone after the security upgrade (at that moment I was already using them with my iPad) I can now listen to audio on both my iPad and iPhone without manually switching. Both devices are showing in their Bluetooth settings that they are connected to my AirPods Pro. I’m not sure if this is how it is intended to work, that both devices are simultaneously connected to the AirPods, however when I now start any kind of audio (or receive an incoming call) the audio automatically starts playing on the AirPods from the device with the most recent audio activity. I also get a pop-up message on the screen of the inactive device that the AirPods Pro have been switched to my other device.

It would interest me to know if the community members still having issues also have the older security settings without two-factor authentication or if it was just a coincidence that it is now working for me after I upgraded. Hopefully it will help at least some of you. I know how frustrating this problem was for me, it was the function I was most looking forward to in the OS 14 updates.

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Automatic device switching not working on AirPods Pro

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