Audio stops when watching YouTube videos on Safari while using AirPods

Hi everyone,

I’m experiencing a recurring issue with Safari when watching YouTube videos using AirPods.

What happens:

• The video continues playing normally.
• Audio suddenly stutters, then completely stops.
• The AirPods remain connected.
• Safari does not show any error.
• Reloading the page does not always fix it.
• Quitting and reopening Safari temporarily restores audio.

Important details:

• This only happens in Safari.
• The same YouTube videos work perfectly in Firefox.
• The issue seems random (not tied to a specific video).
• Bluetooth connection remains stable.
• macOS version: Tahoe 26.2
• AirPods model: AirPods Pro 2

What I’ve already tried:

• Switching audio output away from and back to AirPods
• Restarting Safari
• Restarting the Mac
• Forgetting and re-pairing AirPods

Has anyone else experienced this? Does a fix exist?