Stuttering and distorted sound after a few seconds with Apple Watch 9 and AirPods Pro 2

Hi!

I have an Ultra 2 and i'm desperate with this...

In my case the music stops after 3 o 4 seconds:i can control the music(pause,forward...) but there's no sound.

I have Airpods and Iphne 15 Pro max.

It's curious that when i purchased the Ultra in November i can hear music without problems...

It's very disgusting because i use the watch to go the gym without the Iphone and now i'm using a Xiaomi headphones because Airpods are useless :(

Same issue here. Restarting apple watch fixed it. Hoping apple can address this in future software updates.

Have you tried disconnecting any other Bluetooth device connected to the watch? It has worked for some.

I hope you solve it. 🤞

Update

After experiencing some problems again after posting my previous replies, I think that I've now found a definite solution. After resetting my watch the first time, the media playback worked as intended for the first couple of days, before the same problem returned. I later tried to reset the watch again (and restoring from backup, like the first time), and the same scenario played out again. It initially worked well, before the problem returned after a few days. Both times, it worked for a couple of days before the issue returned. I'm not certain, but I think that connecting another Bluetooth speaker or pair of Bluetooth headphones seemed to reignite the issue regarding playback on the AirPods. Initially, I hadn't connected any other Bluetooth devices than the AirPods to my watch, but, both times, after I had connected my Bluetooth speaker, the problem returned. Maybe connecting another Bluetooth device to the watch can cause this issue?

The third time, I once again reset my watch, and this time set it up freshly (i.e. not restoring from backup, like the previous two times). Playback initially worked properly, and this time, I did not connect my speaker to the watch again. Since doing this about three to four weeks ago, the media playback from AW to AirPods has worked properly and I haven't experienced the issue anymore.

I'm not sure whether not connecting another Bluetooth device or setting the watch up freshly solved the problem, but I don't want to find out by testing. I'm not sure whether both measures were necessary, but I'm pleased that it's now working properly and I hope that it will continue to do so, and that this maybe can help others experiencing the same problem.

I had the exact same issue using my AirPods Pro 2nd Generation and my Apple Watch Series 9 while listening to the Audible app. After a few seconds, the audio would stutter so badly it was physically painful to listen. Rebooting my watch seemed to work, but having to reboot every day is a giant pain.

After reading all the replies here and elsewhere, I disconnected the watch from my Bose Ultra Quiet Comfort headphones (in the Bose app). That seems to have resolved the issue. Apparently, having the watch listed as an ongoing device in the Bose app causes the Bluetooth connection (from the AirPods, the watch, or the headphones I'm not sure, but they all use Bluetooth 5.3 so they should be compatible) to oscillate, causing the interference.

I would suggest that if you have any third party devices connected to the watch via bluetooth that you tell the watch to forget those devices to see if that helps.

I'm hoping either Apple or Bose (probably Bose) will soon have a fix to resolve any further communication issues between all three devices.

Solution is very simple, just forget all other BT devices on your Apple Watch and leave only AirPods. No need to reset watch or do any other drastic moves:)

Hope it helps all of you:)

Hi! I had the exact same issue that you had. After talking to Apple Support and ruling out many different reasons for the issue, they suggested forgetting the watch and setting it up again. To my surprise, this worked for me! I first tried setting it up freshly, but later figured out that it still worked after resetting it again and restoring it from the backup. It now works just as intended and I’m so happy that there is a solution. I thought I’d share it here and hopefully this works for others having this issue.

What worked for me was resetting the watch (i.e. removing it and setting it up like it’s completely new). In my case, I could still restore it from backup so no settings are lost. I was thrilled that it worked for me, hopefully it does for you too! 🤞

I do have the same issue with Apple Watch 9 cellular and BeatsX.

Strange things: While not looking at the watch screen, it does work more (or lets say less distortion), but when I do look at the watch face during running, the stuttering starts.

I can even hear the music speeding up, like it needs to catch up the missed timing. Unpairing etc. did not help at all.

Hello everyone, reading your suggestion to disconnect other Bluetooth devices enlightened me and I just disconnected my other airbuds and that was only thing I’ve did and it helped!! I didn’t have to reset the ultra watch or even reboot it. I just simply turned off the Bluetooth turned it on again, forgot other headphones that I had, and that’s all, I even didn’t have to reconnect AirPods Pro. It is working for couple of hours now without any issues.

Just test this method and give feedback as this is far quicker than resetting AW.

hope it will work for others :)

It's absolute incredible that i can use a 20 euros huawei headphones to listen iphone or apple watch music and it's imposible with my Airpods...

I have tried everything:unpair all the devices,begin the process,leave airpods only in watch,reset the devices...

I think is an absolute technological same i can't listen music in my standlone Ultra in the gym with a 200 euros device,and i have to do this with any other headphones in the market...

Do you mean forget airpods in the Watch without forget in the iPhone?

Thanks a lot for the advice 😊