How to pair Apple's AirPods with iPhone and Mac

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited December 2019
With AirPods now arriving in the hands of -- a few lucky -- customers, AppleInsider takes you through the initial pairing process, demonstrating the ease at which Apple's W1 chip facilitates connections with both iOS and Mac devices.









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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    slprescottslprescott Posts: 765member
    Generally I appreciate these video tutorials, but in this case you can answer in 3 words:
      > "Lift the lid."

    Soli
  • Reply 2 of 12
    jaywordjayword Posts: 14member
    Just don't try to pair them with a modern 2016 Samsung TV. Bose and others work fine. W1 chip based devices do not work at all. Conspiracy?

  • Reply 3 of 12
    2old4fun2old4fun Posts: 239member
    jayword said:
    Just don't try to pair them with a modern 2016 Samsung TV. Bose and others work fine. W1 chip based devices do not work at all. Conspiracy?

    Why would you have a Samsung TV to try it on?
    john.bstanthemandjkfisher
  • Reply 4 of 12
    lordjohnwhorfinlordjohnwhorfin Posts: 868member
    I'm really pleased with the performance of mine. They work better than I thought they possibly could. The sound quality is excellent, the range spectacular and the battery life matches or bests Apple's 5 hour claims. I also love that you can use them as a mono earpiece or as stereo headphones. The synchronization problems that everybody was freaking out about are a complete non-issue. Pairing to a non-Apple device is super easy (you use the pairing button on the case) and works great.
    There's just one problem: they keep falling out of my ears. I guess I should get surgery to have my ear canals match what Apple believes is the appropriate shape.
    Other than that... they're really crazy good.
  • Reply 5 of 12
    kevin keekevin kee Posts: 1,289member
    Yeah, about that, are you sure it's not 'I feel like it's going to fall out' instead of 'it really did fell out of the ear'? Because I occasionally have that feeling, but in actual it stuck inside my ear and won't fall out easily even with me banging my head up and down like a crazy rocker.
    slprescott
  • Reply 6 of 12
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    jayword said:
    Just don't try to pair them with a modern 2016 Samsung TV. Bose and others work fine. W1 chip based devices do not work at all. Conspiracy?

    Can't pair Bluetooth devices = Conspiracy? No, it's just Bluetooth.
    john.bStrangeDays
  • Reply 7 of 12
    alexmacalexmac Posts: 49member
    QUESTION What about the sync with an iPad without an iPhone. Do you need to sync as other Bluetooth or the w1 also works? (I mean without owning an iPhone at all)
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 8 of 12
    fracfrac Posts: 480member
    jayword said:
    Just don't try to pair them with a modern 2016 Samsung TV. Bose and others work fine. W1 chip based devices do not work at all. Conspiracy?

    Eh? Considering I've so far paired my AirPods with 2 iPhones, an Android and Windows phones, my Marantz media centre, my Audi, my wife's Mini, 3 computers - one a Linux machine and the Bluetooth enabled voice recognition security system I use for my workplace...I'm having a bit of trouble with your assertion. Pairing procedures range from dead easy to total meh...but so far no failures. 
  • Reply 9 of 12
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    I'm really pleased with the performance of mine. They work better than I thought they possibly could. The sound quality is excellent, the range spectacular and the battery life matches or bests Apple's 5 hour claims. I also love that you can use them as a mono earpiece or as stereo headphones. The synchronization problems that everybody was freaking out about are a complete non-issue. Pairing to a non-Apple device is super easy (you use the pairing button on the case) and works great.
    There's just one problem: they keep falling out of my ears. I guess I should get surgery to have my ear canals match what Apple believes is the appropriate shape.
    Other than that... they're really crazy good.
    Just in case you missed this not-really-so-obvious step: do you twist the Pod in your ear so the stems point a bit forward toward your mouth, at the angle shown in the Apple pictures? I find they kind of lock in at that point. 

    If this doesn't work, then I think Apple needs you for a model so they can make an oversize version. These things are so good that they should try to cover everybody.

    They are part of the wearable computing future.
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 10 of 12
    lordjohnwhorfinlordjohnwhorfin Posts: 868member
    kevin kee said:
    Yeah, about that, are you sure it's not 'I feel like it's going to fall out' instead of 'it really did fell out of the ear'? Because I occasionally have that feeling, but in actual it stuck inside my ear and won't fall out easily even with me banging my head up and down like a crazy rocker.
    Yes, believe it or not it's not my first pair of earbuds... I tried everything. They stay in for a while, but eventually fall out. I've tried jamming, twisting... Within 10 to 20 minutes they end up getting loose and eventually fall out, which makes wearing them unpleasant as I constantly worry about losing them.
    I ended up buying AirRings which take care of the problem, and I also had a good experience with silicone cases (the material has more friction and "give" so the AirPod stays jammed in.
    I doubt very much I'm the only person to have this problem, and while I think the AirPods are nothing short of revolutionary and great, I'm really irritated at Apple's "we're going to tell you what you like and what works for you" attitude. Tim Cook said "they won't fall out of your ears" and I'm sorry to report he's completely wrong about it. All the more maddening considering how incredibly good the product is -- it's useless if it falls out of your ears.
  • Reply 11 of 12
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,103member
    I doubt very much I'm the only person to have this problem, and while I think the AirPods are nothing short of revolutionary and great, I'm really irritated at Apple's "we're going to tell you what you like and what works for you" attitude.
    You're irritated that Apple didn't make a thing that works with every ear shape possible, despite the physical impossibility of such a thing with internal pods? I'm really struggling to understand how this is Apple's fault that your ears are shaped differently. Because it's not that Apple thinks that's how all ears should be shaped, rather it is building something that works for as many people as possible. There will always be exceptions and that's because we live in the real world.
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 12 of 12
    davidtlewesdavidtlewes Posts: 8member
    After seamless pairing with a couple of iPhones and a Mac Pro I just could not get them to connect for any period with my MBP whatever I tried. They would show as connected for a moment then disconnect. After a bit of googling I got some advice to turn all my other devices off then attempt pairing to my MBP again. This fixed the problem immediately and from then all my devices are available again. Just thought this might be useful to someone.
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