Bluetooth headphones stutter on Macos Monterey 12.0.1

Yes, exactly the same issue as I have but it happens with all my bluetooth headsets (But Sony WH-1000XM4 and XM3 are two of them).

And just like for you they work great with iPhone and the iPad running iOS 15, also works fine with my work mac thats still running Big Sur, something must have happened to the bluetooth implementation in Monterey obviously bluetooth audio is not working good for me.

i reported it to Apple using the bug reporter, but the issue says no similar issues been reported.

Try disabling airplay handoff on your ipad/iphone.

The stuttering begins if I play a game like Shadow of the Tomb Raider or Batman Arkham City. These games do something to the PS4 Controller settings (the colour changes) which some other 2D games don’t do (like Broforce… no problem)If I try to use PS4 Controller with Bluetooth Headphones the stuttering starts. If I turn off either, the stuttering stops. If I try to disconnect the headphones and reconnect while Dualshock4 is on, crazy settings changes happen to the headphones. This behaviour has all started with Monterey so I suspect Monterey is trying to do something different with Bluetooth it wasn’t doing before. Perhaps changing the way it interacts with PS4 Controller has caused the problem. Without the PS4 Controller my Sony XM4s work with everything else no worries.

I have the same issue after the macOS upgrade, with 2 diferent wireless headphones (Bose QC 35 II, and AirPods gen 2). The connection simply drops in the middle of a call, or I break out and no one in the call can hear me properly.

To be mentioned that all works ok on my iPad and iPhone, no connectivity issues there with either of the headsets.

I tried everything, removed all existing bluetooth devices and added them back again, removed the bluetooth files from Library, reset the SMC.

I see some suggestions here that the new AirPLay receiver is causing interferences in Bluetooth connectivity with headphones and other peripherals.

I tried to remove it from System Preferences -> Sharing, but I don’t even have Air Play Receiver (i think my model does not support it: MacBook Pro 2015).

This is becoming very frustrating, anyone else found another solution/workaround for older gen macs?

I think Apple screwed up the bluetooth stack badly in the recent OS across the product line, while I basically only had this issue with macOS before I noticed iPadOS have the same problem if connected to additional bluetooth devices; which is also the case with my mac that always has at least an external trackpad connected.

on the ipad side I got the same issue when connecting a dualshock 4 and not only does audio start skipping the entite ipad gets unresponsive and reacts badly to touch (and thats completely unexpected considering I have an iPad Pro M1)

Yes, unfortunately there seems to be some software bluetooth problem on 12.0.1

It's for sure not a hardware issue, because on Big Sur everything was working perfectly fine.

I highly suggest you wait for an MacOS update from Apple. Even more so, because like I've mentioned, I've got the same problem on my brand new AirPods 3. If an Apple product doesn't work right on another Apple product, that's entirely on them.

I noticed bluetooth issues with monterey too on my Macbook Air M1, while it's not stuttering the audio is speeding/updown slightly randomly and it causes music to drop beats etc. This happens with all my bluetooth equipment now (Sony WH-1000XM3, WH-1000XM4, Anker Soundcore Q35) never had this issue on Big Sur.

Tried reset the bluetooth module, repair equipment etc it just doesn't help this computer is basically useless for audio now.

Very weird (both of them) work perfect with my iPad M1 running iPadOS 15.1, my iPhone 12 Pro Max running iOS 15 and my corporate Macbook Pro 16" 2019 running Big Sur- and they used to work great with my MacBook Air M1 with Big Sur- but not with Monterey, just saying disabling airplay receiver makes absolutely no difference at all.

So if it's not macOS related it's obviously a hardware fault but why would it manifest immediately after installing Monterey?

I have had the exactly same experience since I've updated to the latest OS 12.0.1. I use the AirPods Pro & BeatsX, and the problem remans the same on both headphones on Apple Music, which I have never encounter before. On my iPhone 13 no Problem.........This issue needs immediate attention and is so annoying as a Apple user, using just about everything from Apple. "fixit Apple"!

It seemed like it was working okay for a month or so. Then as of last Tuesday, Feb 22, my iMac started producing skipping noises while listening with airpod pros. 

There have been a few MacOS updates lately - I suspect one of them as regressed us to have this issue again. It feels like every new update now comes with an issue. Updates should not be a dice roll on basic functions and $250 headphones should work with a $1K+ desktop from the same brand. You can’t do things like remove headphone jacks and ports and force people into “adapting” / purchasing overpriced Bluetooth headphones and have them not work.

Today, March 3rd, my powered Edified bookshelf speakers plugged into the 3.5mm port on my iMac began making the same random, intermittent skipping while playing music. I tried plugging them into the USB-C port with an Apple 3.5mm-to-USB-C dongle and same issue. I have began plugging in my mouse and keyboard directly to the ports of my iMac in an effort to help mitigate the possible bluetooth interference but it is not helping.

While disabling Airplay Receiver had temporarily solved this in the past (and removes a feature I use daily), now disabling it is not helping the issue at all. This is unacceptable.

Couldn't agree more. Beyond frustrating. I have also realized that it can happen even when plugged on a 3.5mm input... don't know what's up, don't know why this happens, macOS releases aren't going under proper testing. Feels like if the computer enters on some remotely heavy task it will do that.

Music.app can be easily crashed... I usually leave all that open and the next day after unsleeping it will be in a weird hung and intermittent sound skipping (if it plays that is) state that it has to be force quit. So much for the "rewritten again to be fully native!" promise.

Also, for sure related, just went on using the keyboard in wired mode for the time, the key presses either being skipped or shuffled or appearing seconds later is getting out of control.

Yes, I did all the reset/kill/restart bluetooth, NVRam, SMC, YOURRam, MYRam all of the rams 😡