AirPods automatic output switching

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AirPods automatic output switching

I just purchased AirPods a couple weeks ago and while they have worked perfectly for the most part, I'm having some difficulty switching between my devices.

Based on the keynote video for the AirPods, I was led to believe that their output would change based on what device you were currently using (i.e. if you were listening to music on your phone and then you started watching a video on your laptop, the music would pause and you would hear the video through the AirPods). However, in order to use the AirPods on my laptop I have to open bluetooth settings and connect them manually, and vice versa when I want to use them with my iPhone again.

I am signed in on iCloud, have handoff turned on, and have the latest operating systems installed on both my laptop and phone, so is there something else I'm forgetting? Or did I simply misunderstand the features advertised in the video?

The laptop is a mid-2014 MBP w/ retina display 13" and the phone is an iPhone 6s.

I've been searching around on forums for days now and I haven't been able to find a definitive answer so any help would be much appreciated. I apologize for the lengthy post.

iPhone 6s, iOS 10.2, AirPods

Posted on Jan 9, 2017 4:10 PM

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Answer 1

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ADC

Level 1

124 points

Jan 10, 2017 10:04 PM in response to alecd104

I found the connection for AirPods on my Mac in the Bluetooth menu (right-hand side of the menu bar, between Time Machine and WiFi). This menu is not necessarily enabled; you will find the check box for it in System Preferences > Bluetooth. Just pull down to (your name)'s AirPods or whatever you've named them, select that, and Bob's your uncle. On iOS, just as the first responder said, it's in the Control Center. Swipe up from the bottom of your iOS device's screen, then from right to left to get the playback controls. At the bottom, there's an AirPlay icon and a named source. Tap on this, select (your name)'s AirPods, and you're done.

But yeah, it's not exactly automatic. Super-easy once you know what you're looking for, but not automatic.

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Answer 2

Jan 10, 2017 10:04 PM in response to alecd104

You don't have to reconnect using bluetooth. If you tap on the menu bar volume, on your laptop, it should show AirPods and you can select them there. AirPods will then switch to receiving sound from your laptop.

If switching to an iPad or iPhone then open control center and select AirPods from the list of outputs.

Shouldn't take more than 2-3 seconds to connect to AirPods.

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