Which non Apple earbuds switching between Apple devices

[Onnem]

How do you easily switch between Apple devices with non Apple earbuds?

I currently own an iPhone, iPad, and Macbook and I until shortly I used Airpods Pro to switch quickly from device to device (take a call on my iPhone, listen to music on my Macbook, attend to a Zoom meeting on my iPad etc etc). This switching worked quite well overall.

I have recently sent my broken Airpods back (warranty refund), and I do not want to buy Apple Airpods again. The problem with my Airpods is: they don't fit well in my ears, they keep falling out. This is unfortunately the case with all Apple earbuds. They fall out of my ears (even tried third party fixing rubbers) spontaneously, when walking, talking etc. I do not want to buy the Apple big headphones (I already have headphones and I consider the Airpod Max to be too expensive).

I have Bose earbuds and Sony Wh-1000xm3 headphones. Great devices and they fit very well. The thing is, that it's nuisance to quickly switch from device to device. If for example my headphones are connected to my iPad, I cannot connect them instantly to my iPhone, because the device is already actively connected. The workaround I use now, is:

1. Disable bluetooth on my iPad, then my headphones get obviously disconnected
2. Unlock my iphone
3. Go to control panel on my iPhone
4. Press and hold bluetooth button, to get into the connectivity control panel of iPhone
5. Press and hold in this new menu the bluetooth button
6. Scroll to my paired but not connected headphones to connect them

It's not the end of the world, but I switch device multiple times a day and it is a bit of a nuisance to have to go through 6 steps each time instead of 0. I have considered wired use, but this is not an option, as my devices have different ports (mini jack, usb-c, lightning)

Any thoughts?

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

That’s a feature that’s unique to Apple devices since it requires an iCloud account to make it work.

 

[johntw]

Select Apple and Beats products with the W1/H1 chipset make manual switching easier (W1) or provide automatic switching (H1).

There are headphones that offer Bluetooth multipoint so they they can be connected to 2 devices at the same time and you control which one you hear by starting/stopping playback on each device. I have had products from Microsoft, Bose and Jabra offer this. Sony and Skullcandy recently started offering it as well.

 

[Htsi]

Every solution requires new devices and $$

1. Buy AirPods 2, they fit much better than pros for me.
2. Buy AirPods 3
3. Buy Sony XM4 or 5 ( multipoint )
4. Buy Airpod Max
5. Buy Bose multipoint headphone
6. Certain Beats products also have switching

Another way out,
Connect different headphones to all devices permanently. So you change headphones instead of fluffing around with BT settings. Or you keep dongles connected to all devices and swap between them. I’d say if you don’t want AirPods and don’t want new devices, just keep Sonys connected to something permanently, and the Bose to another device.

 

[blw777]

I have similar problems. For me, the PowerBeats Pro have been the best compromise. It has the H1 chip that enables the auto switching magic. I can do basically any workout with them and they just take it and stay on the ear, since they have the hooks around the top of the ears. Unfortunately I dropped my case and now it does not do a great job charging unless I am *super* careful about putting the right one into the case JUST right.

I got a pair of Beats Fit Pros—same H1 chip but no ear hooks—and they are fine for most everyday circumstances but I have not yet managed to get the left side to stay securely in my ear during workouts. Basically anything else is fine, but I keep wondering when I'm going to have a $190 run or bike ride. I'm attempting to use some other tips, which might work, although the foam ones that seem most likely to fit properly also aren't known for their sweat resistance.

I *also* have a pair of JLAB Epic Sports, which do not have the Apple chip but do have both ear hooks and ANC. If I can't get an improved fit with the BFPs, I'll probably end up with the JLABs as dedicated workout phones (tied to one device) and use the BFP for everything else. I really would have preferred that the BFP had hooks like the PowerBeats Pros, which would yield a one-device solution for me.

 

[flur]

Which Bose earbuds do you have? Because most have a button that can switch really quickly from device to device. On the newer models with no buttons (QC and Sport) it’s the button in the case (you may need to upgrade firmware as it’s a post-launch feature, like sound control).

To use it, you press the button once (a quick press), and it will tell you what device you’re connected to, then you press it again and it will tell you the last device you connected to. Keep pressing until you get to the desired device, then stop. The buds will then disconnect from the current device and pair with the selected device (assuming it’s available).

I personally find this 4000x better than on the AirPods as I have a couple of non-Apple devices and connecting to them with the AirPods is always a pain in comparison.