AirPods Switching between iPhone and non Mac?

[fangiotophia]

I have an iPhone 7 and an Apple Watch with which I would like to use Airpods (haven't purchased yet). However, I'm looking at buying a non-Apple laptop and I'm curious what the experience is like switching between an Apple product, and a non-Apple product.

Basic scenario here: I would like to use them on my non-Apple laptop most of the time, but if I get a phone call, I'd like to switch and use them on the iPhone. Once the call ends, I'd like to quickly switch them back to the laptop.

Has anyone else done this before? Is it a pain?

Is the switching between an iPhone and a Macbook SOOO great that I have to pay an extra $1100 to get a decent MBP?

Thanks!

 

[hendrilei]

Not really, i need to connect my mba manually by clicking the bluetooth option as well, and it's not automatically. Maybe i'm wrong, just 2 days using airpod

 

[fangiotophia]

Not really, i need to connect my mba manually by clicking the bluetooth option as well, and it's not automatically. Maybe i'm wrong, just 2 days using airpod

I know you need a newer machine with Bluetooth 2.1 (I think), so your MBA may not have the right Bluetooth. I know my 2012 MBP also doesn't support it, otherwise I would have bought them by now.

 

[teidon]

Basic scenario here: I would like to use them on my non-Apple laptop most of the time, but if I get a phone call, I'd like to switch and use them on the iPhone. Once the call ends, I'd like to quickly switch them back to the laptop.

That scenario won't happen. To switch between Apple and non-Apple device, you have to pair the AirPods. Which means you need to open the lid (AirPods case), press the button on the back until the light starts to blink, open Bluetooth settings on the device you want to connect them to and pair them. And do that again every time you want to switch between Apple and non-Apple device. It's slow and kind of a hassle.

Switching between Apple devices requires just selecting them from the Bluetooth menu. And I think on newer Macs they should also appear in the Audio volume menu. You only need to pair them with one Apple device and they will automatically be paired with all of your Apple devices that are using the same Apple ID.

Automatic switching happens only between iPhone and Watch. For example if they are connected to your iPhone you can start playing music from Apple Watch's Music app and the AirPods will automatically connect to your Watch.

 

[fangiotophia]

That scenario won't happen. To switch between Apple and non-Apple device, you have to pair the AirPods.

Just curious, are you saying this from experience or assumption? Since the Airpods use the W1 chip to switch between Apple products, I was hoping that the "pair to iPhone during a phone call" wouldn't actually unpair it from the laptop, but rather just disconnect it, which would allow for a quicker (albeit slower than an Apple laptop) reconnect.

 

[teidon]

Just curious, are you saying this from experience or assumption? Since the Airpods use the W1 chip to switch between Apple products, I was hoping that the "pair to iPhone during a phone call" wouldn't actually unpair it from the laptop, but rather just disconnect it, which would allow for a quicker (albeit slower than an Apple laptop) reconnect.

I only have Apple devices. But the "Magic Pairing" (as Apple calls it internally) only happens between Apple devices. For every non-Apple device they are just your average Bluetooth headphones and are paired with them as such. That "Magic Pairing" is not in Bluetooth specification so standard Bluetooth devices are unable to benefit from it. Also it requires the device to be linked with an Apple ID which is only possible with Apple devices.

 

[hendrilei]

I know you need a newer machine with Bluetooth 2.1 (I think), so your MBA may not have the right Bluetooth. I know my 2012 MBP also doesn't support it, otherwise I would have bought them by now.

No, I was wrong
Let me revised
with the same apple ID, my macbook no need to pairing (from bluetooth menu/shortcut). I tried it again just now

Here's the condition :

My AirPods is connected to my iPhone. I start my MacBook, click on the sound menu shortcut, wait for a while around 2-3 seconds, then AirPods option will pop up (this is what I did wrong, previously, I didn't wait, and I assume it was not connect and needed pairing again from bluetooth shortcut). After the menu pop up, I just click on the airpods to make it connected to my mac (which need around 3 seconds as well)

Now ... if my phone ring, and I want to use my airpods to answer, I cannot do it directly. I must pick up the phone, then swipe up the control center menu, and click the AirPods for it to connect, and it takes 3 seconds, sometimes more than 5 seconds - sometimes it failed - sometime I got impatient and just pick up my phone and put it my ear (meanwhile on the other line, keep saying hello, hello, helloooooo)

Then ... I hang up the phone, in order to switch back to mac, I need to re-click again the sound shortcut, wait 3 seconds for the AirPods to pop up, then click the AirPods

Maybe I did it wrong, not so sure, but this is what I experienced.

Well, not as my expectation, but maybe it's already "fast" comparing to other bluetooth earphone, not so sure

In my opinion :
1. the so called "magic pairing", meant we don't need to paired manually from bluetooth menu for each    devices (under same apple id) as other usual bluetooth headset. We only need to click the click the AirPods on the control center, which for me, it's just "shortcut" to bluetooth menu. It will best if the "shortcut menu" can be placed at widget and caller id screen as well (so we could switch the airpods connection immediately to our phone)
2. Sometimes , the connection needs 3-5 seconds in average, sometimes more, if we switch between devices. Not so smooth as per my expectaion.
3. After few trials with several    devices, I can confirmed that, the AirPods (once we took out from the case - or sometimes we need to took out and put in again into our ear in order for the airpods to be activated), will re-connect to the last connected device.
4. the airpods activation worked based on pressure at the AirPods speaker. If we held the speakers with our hands or palm a little tighter (coop the speakers with our hands), the airpods will be activated even out from our ear
5. logically, for non    laptop, to switch back from iPhone to laptop, we only need to click the bluetooth shortcut menu and reconnect. Not much different from MacBook, which need to click on the sound shortcut menu and click AirPods. I don't have any windows laptop to test this. Maybe slower, but i guess in seconds count , no ?
6. sound quality (streaming music or answering phone call, from our side or other line), all good, no complaint at all
7. not hurting my ear for long time wearing (at least for my ear)
8. can stay inside my ear without dropping out (don't care about the odd appearance for some people)