Is It Possible to Connect AirPods to the Xbox One?
Although not the easiest thing to do, you can connect an AirPod to the Xbox One console. While Microsoft lacks support in Bluetooth technology, there are still built-in methods where the Apple AirPod device can establish a workable link. Xbox has an app that is made available by the iPhone and most Android devices where wireless communication can be established. This comes in handy when you are part of a group that is gaming together and wishes to converse with each other, whether merely as friends or in a cooperative campaign to get the best over your opponents.
How It’s Done
Xbox has an official app that is made available for the iPhone and most Android devices also include the iPad, iPod touch, and tablets. This enables you, the player, to rack Xbox Achievements, purchase Xbox One games, and send Direct Messages to your Xbox Network of Friends. When gaming on the console, this is the recommended method to have your AirPod connect with Xbox:
- Pair your AirPods with your iPhone or Android device.
Activate Bluetooth on your smartphone device by opening Control Center and tapping on the Bluetooth icon to enable it. - Hold the AirPods case with the AirPods in them an inch or two away from the smartphone device.
- Open the AirPods case and hold down the blue Connect bottom featuring the arched waves on the case.
- Follow the onscreen instructions. This will consist mostly of tapping the Connect button.
- Your AirPods are configured automatically to work with every device that has access to your iCloud account that is used on the same device on which you’ve set them up.
- Download the appropriate app onto your smartphone or tablet.
iOS - Android
- Open the Xbox app, then tap on the Sign-in button and log into the gaming account you use for your Xbox One console. (Xbox and Microsoft accounts are the same, but different devices sometimes list them as different names.)
- If you’ve added your Microsoft account to your device previously, this automatically may show up as an option. If the account information displayed is the same as your gaming account, then simply tap on it. If not, tap Add New Account and enter the information it requires before you continue.
- Tap on the Let’s Play button.
- Tap the Parties icon. It is recommended to connect to a solid Wi-Fi signal so you don’t use up your cellular data.
- A party through your Xbox will be created immediately.
- Tap on the Invite To Party button.
- Tap on the names of each person whom you wish to add to your Xbox party.
- Tap the Send Invitation button. All those whom you have invited should receive a notification of that invite on their Xbox One consoles, or on their Xbox app.
- Put your AirPods on and begin chatting with your friends. (The one drawback from this is your audio connection is to your friends only. You will not hear any audio coming from your video game. However, all sound should still come through from your console through your television and speakers.)
Other App Considerations
Should you wish to connect AirPods and the Xbox One console through applications other than iOS and Android, there are additional options you can work with. Many gamers prefer communicating through Discord as they’re gaming. They also happen to have an app designed to do the same as the one offered by Xbox. There are also other connection possibilities such as Facebook Messenger, Line, Skype, Telegram, and WhatsApp that can also establish the same AirPods to Xbox One this form of communication between friends while they are gaming together. In order to use those apps, you utilize the voice chat commands like you normally would otherwise. The one downside to using any of these alternative methods is the possibility you may have a friend that doesn’t share the same app of choice you’re choosing to use instead of the one provided by Xbox directly.
Video Presentations
There are a few video presentations made by quality content creators that show how to connect the AirPods to the Xbox One console. LoFi Alpaca features decent coverage on how to make the connection.
Bluetooth Adapters
There is also another alternative you can use should you wish to connect AirPods to your gaming console. Bluetooth Adapters are gaining ground with gamers as their desire to communicate with each other while gaming on their consoles prefers to do so without involving the inconvenience of wires. Furthermore, not every gamer has an ideal internet connection where the connection of AirPods and consoles can lead up to the thirty-second delay in your gaming experience. When playing something a fast-paced and intense game where every second counts, if you happen to be involved in a multiplayer game, this can pose a real problem for you. Bluetooth adapters are easy enough to come by, including quality brands that offer optimal connection. The best in the market for Bluetooth adapters typically run for $30.00 USD.
Through the Bluetooth adapter option, here’s what you do, step for step:
- When you press the fully charged transmitter’s multifunction button at the back for 3 seconds, the blue light should begin to flash on.
- Plug the Bluetooth adapter into the headphone port of the controller using the right auxiliary input prong.
Open up the lid to your AirPods case and hold the button located at the back of the case so it can enter into pairing mode. When you see a flashing white light between the two AirPods then you know it’s gone into pairing mode. Press and hold the multifunction button on the Bluetooth transmitter for five seconds to start searching for your AirPods by Bluetooth connection. Lights will begin to alternate between red and blue, which shows you the pairing mode has been activated. Hold the AirPods case close to the Bluetooth transmitter device so that they can communicate with each other to establish a solid connection. The case light will switch from white to green once the AirPods has successfully connected with your Bluetooth transmitter device. Through this method, you can only perform voice chat, but at least you will still be able to hear the sound of your game through your console. What you cannot do, however, is use the mic function as this is not supported by the Bluetooth transmitter device. For users of the Nintendo Switch, this method also works. The Bluetooth transmitter also works well with other headsets that rely on Bluetooth technology.
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