How to fix choppy audio on MacBook Pro with Bluetooth devices?

I read in another forum, that this happens if there are more than two devices connected via bluetooth. Sure enough I also have mouse, keyboard and speaker connected. Switching the mouse to usb "fixed" the problem. @Apple: Please look into this issue. Happened to me after upgrading to 13.1 on m1 max.

just to clarify: 3 bluetooth devices make the sound choppy, 2 bluetooth devices and it works.

TLDR of my (temporary?) fix (May 2024): Reset your Mac's Bluetooth module.**

To do this, launch Terminal with a Spotlight search (Command + Space), then run the following command: 

sudo pkill bluetoothd

You then hit the Return/Enter key and Terminal will prompt you to enter your account password for logging into your Mac. After entering the password and again hitting the Return/Enter key, your Mac should reset its Bluetooth module and reboot your Mac.

**Your Mac will most likely reboot and disconnect all Bluetooth devices from your Mac upon running this command in Terminal. So you want to make sure you have a wired mouse and keyboard connect to your Mac before running this command in Terminal.

Or, optionally, you can disable your Mac's log-in password so that it boots directly into macOS without needing a password. You can re-enable your password after trying this fix.

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My longwinded explanation of why I believe this issue is not related to number of Bluetooth devices, or anything on the hardware side:

Whether you experience Bluetooth lag on your Mac seems completely random. It can happen from the day you get your Mac, years into using it, or never ever. Therefore, I believe it's a bug in macOS. Not fixing it after years of complaints has to be some lack of competency or lack of funding for Apple's macOS development team.

I believe this as I've had flawless Bluetooth for my various AirPods and Logitech accessories ever since I got my 8/256 M1 Mac mini in late 2020. Even auto-switching for AirPods between my Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Watch has worked 9/10 throughout the years, which I'm very happy about.

Neither Wifi routers, electrical wiring, house walls, or anything else has ever interfered with my AirPods or bluetooth on my Mac in these 3-ish years of owning an M1 Mac and AirPods. No choppiness ever, no matter how my devices where used or placed, or the number of devices connected.

But now, in late April 2024, I'm experiencing the same issues as everyone in here is describing: Constant choppy audio on my AirPods, that has the audio cutting out or distorting every couple of seconds. This is accompanied by choppy scrolling on my MX Master S3 wireless mouse. Auto-switching between Apple devices still works. But every input from any Bluetooth on my Mac is now suddenly choppy and distorted. All input lags at the exact same 2-3 second intervals, perpetually.

Whenever I switch away from my Mac to my iPhone or another Apple device, the choppy bluetooth is resolved momentarily. It then returns shortly again when I switch over to my M1 Mac mini.

Switching off Bluetooth and using only wired headphones, keyboard, and mice kills the lagging input.

The Bluetooth lag issue has plagued me for 2-3 days in total, trying out every fix under the sun. Only the one I explained at the top of my response worked. However, it didn't fix the issue immediately which leads me to question if the issue was actually solved by resetting my Mac's Bluetooth module or if it just randomly fixed itself.

I don't know if I can like to pages outside of this discussions board without the post getting taken down. But there's a website called "makeuseof" that has a post with more fixes to try out with the title "How to Fix Logitech Mouse Lag on M1 and M2 Macs".

Apple M1 Pro / macOS Ventura 13.3.1 - the problem occurs randomly with certain bluetooth connected devices, it depends on the bluetooth service used.

I usually have the apple keyboard and mouse connected + audio

Apple keyboard - HID ACL

Magic mouse - HID ACL

Tested with:

EU Megaboom 3 - no problems - Bluetooth 5.0

Audio Technica ATH-SR50BT - no problems - Bluetooth 5.0

Harman Kardon Allure - intermittent problems, especially if you move the mouse or change the volume

HK Allure uses

• Bluetooth version: v4.2

• Bluetooth profiles: A2DP V1.3, AVRCP V1.5

• Bluetooth transmitter power: <9dBm

• Bluetooth transmitter frequency range: 2.402 – 2.480GHz

• Bluetooth transmitter modulation: GFSK, π/4-DQPSK, 8DPSK

So the problem is somewhere in BT v4.2 communication < AVRCP A2DP GATT ACL >

The interesting fact is that using another HK product, HK Aura Studio, it works without any problems - the only difference is that Aura uses the AVRCP V1.6

Shame on Apple. It seems that lately they are trying their best to alienate their users through the idiocy of their engineers.

I found a solution that might work for you. If your headphones are connected to two devices at the same time, e.g., iMac and iPhone, disconnecting and completely removing them from one device will significantly improve the audio quality. I was able to reduce the stuttering of my Bose QuietComfort 45 from once every 3 minutes to once every hour by using them exclusively with my iMac. I removed them from my iPhone's list of Bluetooth devices and also deleted the Bose app to prevent it from reconnecting.

Right now I have five Bluetooth devices connected to my iMac, including the Bose headphones, so, at least in my case, having multiple devices connected to the machine wasn't the culprit.

I also don't have interference issues because I only started experiencing severe stuttering after upgrading to macOS Ventura (13.3.1a) from Big Sur and the arrangement of the Wifi router, USB hubs, and all Bluetooth devices in my study remain the same throughout this stuttering ordeal.

For your information, I tried the following recommendations to no avail:

• Delete the Bluetooth preference, i.e., com.apple.Bluetooth.plist.
• Factory reset the bluetooth settings using sudo pkill bluetoothd.
• Remove and re-add the Bose headphones.
• Disable AirPlay Receiver

I also experience stuttering with AirPods Pro, but I'm reluctant to use AirPods exclusively on one device. If you don't have any other Bluetooth ear/headphones and are tired of your AirPods stuttering, you might want to try the above suggestion too.

Let me know if this helps!

The only true fix is to never use more than 2-3 Bluetooth devices with your Mac

Yes, very obvious advice. But hear me out:

I've spent several many hours researching this, and have found that no fix works for everyone.

A lot of articles online state that Apple has officially recommended to not have more than 3-4 Bluetooth devices transmitting to your Mac's built-in Bluetooth module at once. I can't locate the official statement from Apple.

From the complaints I have seen, Apple's recommendation mostly holds true. But, considering your unique environment and hardware setup , Wifi, house walls, etc., the number is not 3-4, but probably closer to 2-3 devices or 1-2.

In particular, it seems that Bluetooth mice, new or old, even Apple's own Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad, are the worst offenders causing Bluetooth lag loop.

You want to either use a wired mouse, or opt for a wireless mouse that's connected to your Mac using a USB "receiver dongle", like the ones you get with most Logitech products, like "Logi Bolt" or "Unifying Receiver".

Inserting this USB receiver dongle into a USB hub that's placed as far away from your Mac as possible may also be necessary for some. A USB extender cable with one female USB-A end can be used instead of a USB hub.

Personally, I experience zero lag when connecting one pair of AirPods, or other Bluetooth headphones, and one Logitech MX Master keyboard directly to my Mac's Bluetooth.

My MX Master 3S mouse is connected via a Logi Bolt USB dongle, not via my Mac's built-in Bluetooth.

I know this advice is very obvious and very lengthy. I just hope anyone reading this understands that Bluetooth on all Macs and MacBooks, even the all the newest, Apple Silicon ones, M1, M2, M3, has these limitations and that it won't get fixed in an update or by changing a setting, running a terminal commands, etc.

*Technically, you should be able to pair up to 7 Bluetooth devices to your Mac. Just note that you probably have to manually shut down or disable Bluetooth on all of them except the 2-3 devices that you are actively using with your Mac.

FIXED!

Bluetooth will prioritize processing the data of the first device connected. To solve this, turn off each of your other devices, you can see all your connected devices in your bluetooth settings. I had a keyboard and mouse connected, so here are the steps I took.

1. Connect bluetooth headset, oops it sounds choppy!
2. Checked connected bluetooth devices, there is my keyboard, mouse and headset.
3. Turn off the power on the keyboard and mouse.
4. Wow, choppiness is gone!
5. Turn on keyboard and mouse and choppiness is still gone because the headset was connected first.

Hope this works for you, Cheers!

I was facing this issue with my JBL Flip 5 bluetooth speaker and my Mac Mini M2 (running Sonoma) setup. I have a Logitech Flip mouse and a Logitech keyboard, both bluetooth, connected to my Mac.

I could barely play anything on my speaker before it started stuttering and disconnected. Disconnecting either my mouse or keyboard definitely helped but that wasn't a solution for me. Instead I switched my Wifi to a 5g band from the usual 2.4 GHz and it seemed to have solved the issue. Now I have three devices connected over bluetooth, and all of them are working flawlessly without any issues. Kindly see if it works for you.

Cheers

"Good news, everyone!"

After weeks of struggle and hate towards Apple, I managed to fix this issue on my M1 Air. And it wasn't Apple's fault.

I was so angry that I contemplated buying a Linux laptop.

I ditched my Bluetooth headphones and worked on Mac speakers for some time.

Fortunately, after that transition, Zoom, being as stupid an app as it is, still keeps changing my audio device to "Apowersoft Audio Device," leftover from the Apowersoft Audio Recorder I installed and removed on my Intel Mac Pro a few years ago.

Digging deeper, I found it in the "Output & Input" section in Preferences >Sound and further in System Information > Applications listed as Kind: Intel and in System Information > Disabled Software.

If you can replicate the above (It can be a different device, anything that's not your mikes and speakers), you are on a path to success.

I will describe how it works with Apowersoft Audio Recorder, but your case can be similar.

What you need to do is find ALL files with "Apowersoft" and delete them (also remove them from the trash).

The Finder can only find some of them. You must use the terminal or this soft -> https://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/ (if you can't use a terminal, that app helps you, and you earn more than 6$ an hour, you should consider buying a license. It saves you much more time ;)

If you use the "FindAnyFile" app, you will be required to grant it admin permission, and after it deletes all it can, a few files will still be shown. Thats OK. You can restart your Mac, and you are good to go.

Please let me know if it works on your devices. Good luck.

Hi Guys,

my previous solution worked for a week, and then the problem returned.

This time, I gave myself 3 weeks, and so far, everything works just fine.

Check 2.4GHz networks in your neighborhood.

The problem was the old 2.4GHz router in the garage.

I read on another forum that 2.4GHz WiFi can interfere with Bluetooth cards in M1 Macs.

On that old TpLink, the "Transmit Power" was set to "High". The moment I changed that setting to Middle, everything started working just fine.

I was very rarely connected to that network as I usually use 5GHz in my office.

I still have access to that 2.4 network from my office (two concrete walls away), but the Bluetooth issues have stopped.

So, for those of you whose router caused the trouble, there is a simple fix.

For those that the issue is created by your neighbor's WiFi in residential buildings - Good Luck - I hope you have understanding and tech savvy neighbors.

I have the same experience with the follow hardwares.

MacBook Pro 14 M1 Pro

If I connect more than two bluetooth devices of the list below. My audio stutters as it feels like all three devices are fighting for bandwidth.

• Sony XM5 (bluetooth headphones)
• Nuphy Air75 v1 (bluetooth keyboard)
• Razer Naga Pro (bluetooth mouse)

My work around is either switch one of them in wifi mode (which is currently default to my Windows PC). Or wired mode.

I'm seeing the same here. I have a 2020 M1 MacBook Pro (Sonoma 14.3) with a bluetooth keyboard and Apple Trackpad.

When I connect a Bluetooth speaker (Anker Soundcore 3), the speaker stutters.

If I turn off either the keyboard or trackpad, the stuttering immediately stops.

If I turn the device back on, the stuttering returns within seconds of the device re-establishing the Bluetooth connection.

I could understand if this were a problem with five or more devices, but a setup with keyboard, mouse/trackpad, and speaker or headphones seems so basic as to be standard.

This still occurs on my M2 Max and presumably the M3.

The only solution was to not use bluetooth keyboards and mice. I switched to the USB receivers for both my devices and the problem is resolved.

It's crazy that this is still a consistent problem.

This is disappointing to say the least. Also tried all of the "fixes" and nothing works except not connecting more than two devices. Headphones, mouse, keyboard = stuttering audio in Music app. Disconnect keyboard, audio is fine. MacBook Pro M1 2021, latest Sonoma.

Hello mf_ent,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. We would suggest booting the computer in safe mode. This will isolate anything app or software related that could be lending to this issue. Follow the steps per the Apple Support article: Start up your Mac in safe mode

Start up your Mac with Apple silicon in safe mode

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > Shut Down.

Wait for your Mac to shut down completely. A Mac is completely shut down when the screen is black and any lights (including in the Touch Bar) are off.

2. Press and hold the power button on your Mac until “Loading startup options” appears.

3. Select a volume.

4. Press and hold the Shift key, then click Continue in Safe Mode.

The computer restarts automatically. When the login window appears, you should see “Safe Boot” in the menu bar.

Let us know the outcome, and we can go from there if needed.

Best regards!

I think I found the issue on my end. Someone else in my office had (accidentally - what??) paired my headphones (ATH-M20xBT). He was not connected to them, but his phone was in the room. After he removed ("forgot") them, the stuttering stopped - for now at least.

I guess that this is the same as some other people were writing about removing their headphones on all other devices. But in my case, it was a headphone hijack :) :)

I hope this helps anyone :)