I'm wondering if there is a way to permanently turn off the "[name]'s Airpods nearby" notification on Big Sur. It pops up repeatedly despite the fact that I've closed it at least 10 times in the last hour. How do I permanently turn off this notification? I can't seem to find how to do so in System Preferences > Notifications. I don't want this notification to pop up with either of my Airpods.
First, connect your AirPods. Then Settings > Bluetooth > Select "Options" on your connected AirPods.
Change "Connect to This Mac" to 'When Last Connected to this Mac".
Hi iTyra,
It sounds like you're seeing a notification that your AirPods are nearby when using your Mac, and we'd like to help.
Just to confirm, are the notifications you're seeing asking if you want to connect your AirPods to your Mac? If so, it sounds like this behavior may be related to automatic switching.
"In some situations with macOS Big Sur, you'll see a notification about your AirPods on the screen of your Mac. When you hold the pointer over the notification, a Connect button appears. Click Connect to confirm that you want your AirPods to switch to—or stay with—your Mac."
"If you want to turn automatic switching off for your Mac, open Bluetooth preferences on your Mac with your AirPods in your ears. Click the Options button next to your AirPods in the list of devices. Click Connect to This Mac, and then choose When Last Connected to This Mac. To turn this feature on again, choose Automatically."
You can find more information about connecting and using your AirPods here: Connect and use your AirPods and AirPods Pro
There's also some great information about connecting your AirPods with your Mac here: Connect your AirPods with your Mac
Take care!
It would be really helpful to have a middle ground as requested by the OP, where these notifications could be managed. I wonder why they weren't implemented in a user configurable manner like other notifications.
Personally, I use airpods daily between my 2020 iphone 12, 2018 ipad pro, and 2016 macbook pro. Unfortunately, the audio quality in the Music app is terrible on my mac - the audio cuts out frequently - so I need to play music from my iphone or ipad as a workaround.
Disabling automatic switching, however, isn't an appealing workaround for me to disable these notifications, because I need to use automatic switching for Zoom, Slack, and Skype calls on my Mac. Maybe a newer mac and a newer bluetooth chipset would result in better audio quality, but I'd hate to shell out only to be disappointed as it relates to this issue.
I agree with the OP that this is annoying. I would go as far as SUPER ANNOYING. There needs to be the ability to just turn the notification off. As suggested by another person in this thread I have submitted it to Apple. This should be an easy fix to a major UX problem.
I'm currently using this "When Last Connected to this Mac" setting, which disables automatic switching. It's a shame since I was really looking forward to this feature. But I'd rather have more reliable manual controls than glitchy auto switching.
This is primarily a user-to-user support forum. Apple doesn't read here for suggestions. You should let them know your thoughts here:
This is stupid, as I am listening music on my phone near by and it keep popping up on my Macbook, very annoying even I already turned off the whole notification. I hate that I need to explicitly turn it off the Bluetooth connection as I may need it to be switched automatically next time. Sigh..
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Permanently turn off "Airpods nearby" notification
