{"id":94065,"date":"2023-03-02T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.online-tech-tips.com\/?p=94065"},"modified":"2024-05-31T00:09:42","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T04:09:42","slug":"how-to-connect-airpods-to-your-nintendo-switch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.online-tech-tips.com\/how-to-connect-airpods-to-your-nintendo-switch\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Connect AirPods to Your Nintendo Switch"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"How<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

After what seems like an entire age, Nintendo has finally added Bluetooth audio to its Nintendo Switch video games consoles. This applies to all models, including the launch Switch, the \u201cMariko\u201d hardware revision, the OLED Switch<\/a>, and the Switch Lite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you own Apple AirPods, you can easily use them with your Switch to get the full effect of your game\u2019s soundtrack and effects. Let\u2019s look at how to connect your shiny AirPods to your Switch.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, Update Your Switch\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since Nintendo added Bluetooth audio device support as a feature years after the Switch console was released, you won\u2019t be able to use the feature at all unless you update your firmware. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original update with this feature was released in September of 2021, but any update after that will have it. It\u2019s best to make sure you have the latest firmware update one way or another since the Bluetooth audio feature was a little buggy at first. Nintendo has also tweaked the connection process in later firmware versions to make wireless audio perform better.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two ways to update your Switch firmware. The easiest is to do it over the internet. With your Switch connected to the internet, from the HOME Menu<\/span>, go to System Settings<\/span> (the gear icon) > System<\/span> > System Update<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"First,<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Your Switch will check for a new update, and if one is available, give you the option to update.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other way to update your Switch firmware is to insert a game that was released long enough after the Bluetooth audio update to include the feature. However, there\u2019s no guarantee that any of your recent games have the appropriate update, so it\u2019s best to go with the internet update method if possible.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limitations of Switch Bluetooth Audio<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Limitations<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

While it\u2019s awesome to finally have Bluetooth audio support on Switch, it\u2019s not a free upgrade. While you\u2019re using the feature, you have to sacrifice a few things. First, and perhaps most obvious, you can only connect one set of headphones at a time. Second, you are limited to just two wireless controllers while using Bluetooth audio.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means two Pro controllers, or a single pair of Joy-Cons, since these count as two controllers for wireless purposes.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Microsoft\u2019s Xbox and the Sony PlayStation, there\u2019s still no native support for headset microphones on Switch, which extends to Bluetooth microphones. If you want voice chat in multiplayer games, you\u2019ll have to use Nintendo\u2019s smartphone app<\/a>, and you have to be a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local communication, which the Switch uses to find and connect to other local Switches for multiplayer, is also disabled while Bluetooth Audio is active. So if you want to play with friends in the same room with you, you\u2019ll need to find another solution.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Put (Any) Airpods into Pairing Mode\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are three different models of AirPod:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n