If you’re an iPhone owner, there’s a pretty decent chance you haveAirPods, since a lot of people treat them as the “default” headphones for Apple products. They can work with non-Apple devices as well, however, including Roku-based TVs and many of Roku’s separate add-on streamers. In the right circumstances, they can be an ideal way of watching movies and shows without disrupting family or roommates.
We’ll explain two different options for pairing with Roku in this guide. One of them will probably be preferable, depending on whether you’re willing to dedicate a pair of AirPods to your TV or want to continue using them with Apple gear.
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How to connect AirPods to a Roku TV
We’ll start with the most straightforward approach: pairing directly to your TV via Bluetooth. You’ll like this if you have a spare set of AirPods or you’re willing to buy fresh ones, but it may be less than ideal if you want to reuse the same AirPods you have linked to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and/or Apple Watch. Why? Current AirPods don’t support multi-point Bluetooth – not even the AirPods Max – so they can only be connected to a single device at any given time. And since only Apple products support AirPods' automatic switching capabilities, you’ll need to manually manage Bluetooth connections. You may quickly get annoyed at the process of disconnecting from your TV and reconnecting to your iPhone.
Pairing directly via Bluetooth
Follow these steps:
Pairing should then be complete, but remember that you’ll need to disconnect your AirPods from your TV to reconnect to something else. You can do that by going toSettings → Remotes & devices → Wireless headphones → Your Headphones → Disconnect, or using thestar buttonon your remote if you’re actively listening to audio.
Using the Roku mobile app
If your AirPods are normally connected to your iPhone and you’d rather avoid any pairing hassles, the Roku mobile app has you covered. Yes, you will need your phone with you while you watch, but chances are that’s not a problem.
Just be aware that while most modern Roku devices support headphone mode, their implementations can vary. Specifically, if you have a Roku Streambar or Smart Soundbar, you won’t get audio from most externally connected TV peripherals, such as game consoles or cable set-tops. No matter which Roku you have, audio is unavailable from analog broadcast TV.
Q: How do I fix choppy audio on my AirPods?
There are a variety of potential causes here. One of them is Bluetooth signal interference, so if there are any unnecessary Bluetooth accessories in the room, you might try temporarily shutting them off. If you’re using Headphone/Private Listening mode, it could be that your Wi-Fi network has interference or is simply oversaturated. Either way, you may need to temporarily disable other Wi-Fi devices.
attempt to rule out issues with the content you’re actually streaming, however – it could be that the streaming service and/or your internet provider are experiencing difficulties like high traffic.
