Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

BigAppleNYC123

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 6, 2017
211
158
Can you pair the Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones? If I want to go for a bike ride without my phone, do I have to sync the headphone with the watch, and then re sync the headphones with my iPhone after?
 

waw74

macrumors 601
May 27, 2008
4,767
1,002
ear pods (and the newer beats with apple's chip) pair differently with apple devices than standard bluetooth headphones.
your devices share the pairing info over iCloud.

if they are regular bluetooth headphones, you'll have to pair and repair with your different devices

i have the beats, they will try to connect to the last thing they connected to.
so if you want to change from your laptop to phone, on the phone you have to select them as output.
but if you were listening on your phone before, then they automatically start playing from the phone when powered on.
 

BigAppleNYC123

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 6, 2017
211
158
ear pods (and the newer beats with apple's chip) pair differently with apple devices than standard bluetooth headphones.
your devices share the pairing info over iCloud.

if they are regular bluetooth headphones, you'll have to pair and repair with your different devices

i have the beats, they will try to connect to the last thing they connected to.
so if you want to change from your laptop to phone, on the phone you have to select them as output.
but if you were listening on your phone before, then they automatically start playing from the phone when powered on.

BeatsX should work the same as AirPods right? W1
 

bigjnyc

macrumors G3
Apr 10, 2008
8,287
7,627
Sorry to hijack the thread but figured i’d Post my question here rather than starting a new one.

I have a pair of Jabra elite Bluetooth headphones and today for the first time I paired them to my Apple Watch series 2...

The problem is when I tried to use them with my iPhone they wouldn’t connect because it kept pairing to the watch. I had to resort to going in and “forgetting device” on the Apple Watch for it to work.

Is there an easy way to have your headphones switch back and forth from Apple Watch to phone?
 

BigAppleNYC123

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 6, 2017
211
158
Sorry to hijack the thread but figured i’d Post my question here rather than starting a new one.

I have a pair of Jabra elite Bluetooth headphones and today for the first time I paired them to my Apple Watch series 2...

The problem is when I tried to use them with my iPhone they wouldn’t connect because it kept pairing to the watch. I had to resort to going in and “forgetting device” on the Apple Watch for it to work.

Is there an easy way to have your headphones switch back and forth from Apple Watch to phone?
You have to get Apple or Beats branded headphones with W1 chip. BeatsX are my choice. But AirPods are more popular.
 

bigjnyc

macrumors G3
Apr 10, 2008
8,287
7,627
You have to get Apple or Beats branded headphones with W1 chip. BeatsX are my choice. But AirPods are more popular.

That’s very disappointing to hear. I really like the AirPods but they don’t stay in my ears... BeatsX wire is so long it might as well be wired headphones...

So basically if you don’t have a W1 chip you have to pair and unpair headphones every time you want to go from watch to iPhone and vice versa?
 

BigAppleNYC123

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 6, 2017
211
158
That’s very disappointing to hear. I really like the AirPods but they don’t stay in my ears... BeatsX wire is so long it might as well be wired headphones...

So basically if you don’t have a W1 chip you have to pair and unpair headphones every time you want to go from watch to iPhone and vice versa?
The wire isn’t so bad :p
 

mk313

macrumors 68020
Feb 6, 2012
2,074
1,150
I'm not an expert on this but some of my Bluetooth accessories (speakers, etc) will connect to the first paired device they find. You may want to try turning off the Bluetooth on the watch (airplane mode), then turning on your headphones and seeing if they pick up the phone, then you can pull the watch out of airplane mode.
 

bigjnyc

macrumors G3
Apr 10, 2008
8,287
7,627
I'm not an expert on this but some of my Bluetooth accessories (speakers, etc) will connect to the first paired device they find. You may want to try turning off the Bluetooth on the watch (airplane mode), then turning on your headphones and seeing if they pick up the phone, then you can pull the watch out of airplane mode.

I'll give that a shot, thanks. thats certainly less cumbersome than pairing and unpairing the headphones every time.
 

erfg1234

macrumors newbie
Sep 25, 2017
3
0
With apple music it works just fine. But if you try third party apps like iHeart Radio or Overcast podcast app it will try playing audio through the phone.
 

honglong1976

macrumors 68000
Jul 12, 2008
1,675
1,135
UK
I have the Beats x and honestly, you may as well just buy any pair of bluetooth headphones. The only benefit is the nice connect screen. After that you still have to go to bluetooth settings to press on it anyway. You can use the airplay option when playing something but half the time it doesn't show the headphones anyway. Maybe an iOS11 bug but it's annoying! I switch between iPad, iPhone and Macbook sometimes it doesn't connect and I have to hold the button to turn off, on to pair and connect and it picks it up.

Also, I can never get the things to fit in my ear properly.

I gave up and have been using a pair of Shure SE215 since saturday. Noise isolation is superb, quality is superb and no connection problems. Also, fit is superb! I actually traded in a pair of Beats EP. Sound is dreadful! I have a pair of B+O H2 now (amazing sound). The Beats EP sounded just dull and muffled to my ears! Also, cable is quite delicate. Headphones build is very good though.

Shame really.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bigjnyc

deeddawg

macrumors G5
Jun 14, 2010
12,467
6,564
US
if they are regular bluetooth headphones, you'll have to pair and repair with your different devices

Is there an easy way to have your headphones switch back and forth from Apple Watch to phone?

Depends on the headphones. I run with Mpow Cheetah headphones and they tend to reconnect to whatever they last connected to if it's available, then to other if not. So I usually power them on for a run after I've walked out of the house or away from the locker room and they pick up the watch.

Worst case, bring up the watch control panel and select them from the audio device panel (whatever it's called).
 
  • Like
Reactions: bigjnyc
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.