why can't I use AirPods Max with my work account?

[ignatius345]

tl;dr: I can't use my AirPods Max when logged into the secondary work user account on either of my Macs.

My main user accounts on each machine are signed in with the same Apple ID I use with my iPhone and my AirPods Max. Those work as expected.

On each Mac, I also have secondary account I use for work, signed in to a different Apple ID. When I log into the secondary work account, they unpair immediately and don't show up in Bluetooth or anywhere else. It's incredibly frustrating. The only way I've found to get them to work at all under my work account is to actually reset them and re-add them to the computer -- at which point they get renamed "[work account]'s AirPods Max" and are no longer discoverable by my iPhone or my main Mac account. Both are M1 Macs (iMac and MacBook Air) running current versions of Monterey.

I can't be the only person out there with this problem.

 

[EDH667]

You should be able to do it by manually connecting your AirPods Max like a standard Bluetooth device. On you work Apple ID when on your Mac, you should be able to manually link your AirPods Max to the Mac by holding down the noise control button until the status light flashes white and then select your AirPods Max in the Devices list under your Bluetooth settings, then click connect. You may have to go into your bluetooth settings when switching back and forth to connect to the AirPods Max.

 

[ignatius345]

You should be able to do it by manually connecting your AirPods Max like a standard Bluetooth device. On you work Apple ID when on your Mac, you should be able to manually link your AirPods Max to the Mac by holding down the noise control button until the status light flashes white and then select your AirPods Max in the Devices list under your Bluetooth settings, then click connect. You may have to go into your bluetooth settings when switching back and forth to connect to the AirPods Max.

Holy crap, that worked. Thanks!