How to connect airpods to ps4? Apple AirPods are wildly popular, making them one of the most favored wireless earbuds on the market. Due to the popularity, there will be times when an AirPods owner wants to use their earbuds with a Sony PlayStation 4. After all, wireless headphones are ideal for gaming, and with AirPod’s more portable design, they could be a lighter way to listen while gaming than traditional headphones.

Using AirPods with a PlayStation 4 isn’t as easy as just plugging them in. While Apple’s AirPods offer excellent wireless audio, the PS4 console does not support Bluetooth audio as many other devices do. As Sony’s PS4 does not make it easy to connect a set of third-party headphones to the games console, workarounds are needed. Although some options are easier than others, there are still options for those looking to pair AirPods with a PS4.

One of the easiest ways AirPods can be connected to a PS4 is with a Bluetooth transmitter. There are several Bluetooth transmitters on the market, and they tend to range in price. Many of these devices have dual operations, which means they have a transmitter and receiver mode. Using a Bluetooth transmitter is quite simple, turn on the PS4 and plug the Bluetooth adapter into the front USB port. Next, check the adapter’s manual and put it in pairing mode. Then press and hold the pairing button on the back of the AirPods charging case, and the PS4 should automatically pair. Once pairing is complete, a pop-up message will confirm the connection between the AirPods and the PS4.

What You Need to Connect AirPods to PS4 

Believe it or not, but the PS4 doesn’t support Bluetooth audio out of the box. That means that you can’t connect AirPods—or any other kind of Bluetooth headphones—to it without buying accessories. If you try connecting AirPods to PS4 without an adapter, the PS4 will be able to detect them, and you’ll go through all of the pairing steps only to see the process fail at the very last stage. Annoying!

To get around this, you need to get a PS4 Bluetooth adapter that supports Bluetooth audio that you can plug into the console.

We used the Twelve South AirFly Duo for this article, but any Bluetooth adapter that supports audio and can be plugged into a PS4 (via USB or the headphone jack, for instance) can work.

This article’s instructions apply to all AirPods models: first-generation AirPods, AirPods with wireless charging case, and AirPods Pro.

How to Connect AirPods to PS4

Follow these steps to use a Bluetooth adapter to connect AirPods to PS4:

• Make sure you’ve charged your AirPods. Same if your Bluetooth adapter uses a battery. (The AirFly Duo, for example, plugs into the PS4 controller’s headphone jack, so battery power is needed. Other Bluetooth adapters plug into the USB ports on the PS4 itself and don’t need battery power.)
• Connect the Bluetooth adapter to your PS4.
• Put the Bluetooth adapter into pairing mode. The exact way you do this depends on your device, so check the instructions that came with it.
• With your AirPods in their charging case, open the case and press and hold the syncing button.
• Keep holding the button until the lights on the Bluetooth adapter stop blinking. This means that the AirPods are paired to the adapter.
• Are your AirPods not syncing for some reason? We’ve got ideas for what to do when AirPods don’t connect.
• Confirm that your PS4 is being sent to your AirPods by checking the settings on the PS4. Go to Settings > Devices > Audio Devices.
• There are two important settings to change on the Audio Devices screens:
  • Output Device: Set to Headphones Connected to Controller (or the menu that’s correct for your Bluetooth adapter).
  • Output to Headphones: Set to All Audio.
• You can also control the volume of the audio sent from the PS4 to your AirPods in the Volume Control (Headphones) menu.
• With that done, all audio from the PS4 is coming to your AirPods, and you’re ready to play!

Other Alternatives to AirFly Pro for connecting AirPods to PS4

• PS4 Wireless Bluetooth Dongle: It allows you to listen and talk through your Apple AirPods while you game. We have not tested it, though
• Avantree Leaf Class 1 Long Range USB Bluetooth Audio Transmitter: It claims to have a Talk Mode that allows chatting, though we have not tested it and thus cannot confirm or deny it.

Another method is to use the Remote Play app on your iPhone and Android. You have to first register and activate it with your PS4. It is easy. After that, go to the Bluetooth settings of your smartphone and pair the AirPods.

This method has its share of hits, misses, and jerks. But, since PlayStation allows only officially licensed wireless headphones to connect seamlessly, there are some sacrifices to accept if you wish to use AirPods with PS4.

Finally, you may also try connecting the AirPods with your smart TV. If it supports, then the incoming audio from PlayStation will be routed to AirPods via the smart TV.

Are AirPods compatible with PS4 gaming chat?

While this article explains how to connect AirPods to PS4, there’s one limitation of this approach: You can’t chat with other gamers you’re playing with, even though AirPods have a microphone (as anyone who has used them for phone calls knows).

That’s because most Bluetooth adapters only transfer audio from the Play Station 4 to your headphones, but not the other method around. For that, you’ll need headphones specifically made for the PS4 (or other gaming consoles). Still, if all you want is to hear audio without bothering anyone else, a Bluetooth adapter is a great option.