Automatic switching to and from Macs
We all know how less than reliable the auto-switching feature works even after recent updates to Big Sur. Switching to an iPhone/iPad almost always works without having to toggle any settings. But MacOS requires you to answer the "AirPods nearby -Connect?" prompt or manually go to Bluetooth or audio settings and select your AirPods before the switch actually happens.
My issue with this is that Macs do in fact automatically establish the Bluetooth connection automatically to your AirPods most of the time, but for some reason this doesn't make your Mac switch the audio output of the Mac to the connected AirPods without having to move the cursor over to the "Connect" button and click it. In other words, the AirPods are essentially always connected to your Mac, the Mac's audio output just doesn't get moved to them without you answering the "Connect" notification or manually going into your audio output settings.
Not automatic but a little faster
The following setup enables you to force your Mac's audio output to instantly switch to your AirPods by just pressing a single key command of choice on your Mac's keyboard, meaning you won't have to wait for your Mac to prompt you with the "AirPods detected -Connect?" notification.
*I've only tested this with a Mac mini 2020 and AirPods Pro and I don't know how it works with other Macs or older AirPods.
Tutorial
*You cannot force your AirPods to switch from your iPhone/iPad to your Mac if audio IS PLAYING on the iPhone/iPad you're switching from but audio IS NOT PLAYING on the Mac. However, you can force switching if audio IS PLAYING on the iPhone/iPad and IS ALSO PLAYING on the Mac at the same time. The latter will make it so that audio auto-pauses on your iPhone/iPad and switches audio output to the Mac once you press your Ears key command.
** This setup doesn't change how your AirPods switch back to your iPhone/iPad -The AirPods will still automatically switch back to your iPhone/iPad as soon as you press play on any media with audio on your iPhone/iPad, and most times just when you pick it up, as intended by Apple.
*** I did not create the Ears app and I'm not affiliated with it. It's free to download and use but you can pay the devs a tip on the website if you want to.
**** The Logic MX Keys keyboard allows you to map a key command to a single key through the settings within the Logi Options app on your Mac. This makes the switching even more convenient.
***** I'm sorry about this super wordy tutorial -English isn't my first language and I wanted to make sure this is as foolproof as possible. Let me know if you run into any issues.
We all know how less than reliable the auto-switching feature works even after recent updates to Big Sur. Switching to an iPhone/iPad almost always works without having to toggle any settings. But MacOS requires you to answer the "AirPods nearby -Connect?" prompt or manually go to Bluetooth or audio settings and select your AirPods before the switch actually happens.
My issue with this is that Macs do in fact automatically establish the Bluetooth connection automatically to your AirPods most of the time, but for some reason this doesn't make your Mac switch the audio output of the Mac to the connected AirPods without having to move the cursor over to the "Connect" button and click it. In other words, the AirPods are essentially always connected to your Mac, the Mac's audio output just doesn't get moved to them without you answering the "Connect" notification or manually going into your audio output settings.
Not automatic but a little faster
The following setup enables you to force your Mac's audio output to instantly switch to your AirPods by just pressing a single key command of choice on your Mac's keyboard, meaning you won't have to wait for your Mac to prompt you with the "AirPods detected -Connect?" notification.
*I've only tested this with a Mac mini 2020 and AirPods Pro and I don't know how it works with other Macs or older AirPods.
Tutorial
- Pair and setup your AirPods to all of your Apple devices and toggle the "Automatically Switch AirPods" setting on for all of them. You have to be logged into the same iCloud account on all devices for this to work.
- Make sure your AirPods are out of the charging case and connected to your Mac. They have to be connected and audio output should be set to them during the entire setup.
- On your Mac, go to https://clickontyler.com/ears/ and download the free Ears app and install it on your Mac and make sure that it's added to the Menu Bar.
- From Ears' menu bar icon, click the top the topmost option "Show Ears..."
- From this window, right-click your AirPods and select the "Bluetooth Favorite" option which will make a star appear to the right of the AirPods as seen in the screenshot below. Do this for both the Output and Input(or just one of them depending on how you use your AirPods on your Mac).
- With your AirPods selected and set to "Bluetooth Favorite" on one or both columns, press the "Select Devices" button at the bottom of the window.
- Once again, go to your menu bar on your Mac and click the Ears menu bar icon and go to "Preferences...".
- Within preferences, record a key command for auto connecting to your AirPods. This could be anything but you probably want to avoid using a command that's already in use, like cmd+c or similar. You can always go back and change the key command so don't worry if it turns out you picked something already in use.
- Toggle on "Change devices immediately" from the dropdown menu plus any of the other settings that you want enabled or disabled.
- You should now be ready to "force" switch your AirPods to your Mac and switch between audio sources a little faster. Good luck!
*You cannot force your AirPods to switch from your iPhone/iPad to your Mac if audio IS PLAYING on the iPhone/iPad you're switching from but audio IS NOT PLAYING on the Mac. However, you can force switching if audio IS PLAYING on the iPhone/iPad and IS ALSO PLAYING on the Mac at the same time. The latter will make it so that audio auto-pauses on your iPhone/iPad and switches audio output to the Mac once you press your Ears key command.
** This setup doesn't change how your AirPods switch back to your iPhone/iPad -The AirPods will still automatically switch back to your iPhone/iPad as soon as you press play on any media with audio on your iPhone/iPad, and most times just when you pick it up, as intended by Apple.
*** I did not create the Ears app and I'm not affiliated with it. It's free to download and use but you can pay the devs a tip on the website if you want to.
**** The Logic MX Keys keyboard allows you to map a key command to a single key through the settings within the Logi Options app on your Mac. This makes the switching even more convenient.
***** I'm sorry about this super wordy tutorial -English isn't my first language and I wanted to make sure this is as foolproof as possible. Let me know if you run into any issues.
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