AirPods get stuck in low-quality 16 kHz audio mode when starting a VM

Similarly there’s a bug when starting the iOS simulator with certain permissions that does this to ALL Bluetooth headsets.

Did weird stuff like this happen with wired headphones?

Nope. The weird Bluetooth audio standards that cause these issues (the entire headset switches modes sometimes just because the microphone is switched) don't apply to wired inputs in my experience.

Unfortunately, this problem isn't _exclusive_ to AirPods though... it has happened with a few other Bluetooth headsets I've used too. I don't seem to have ever had this issue on my iPad or iPhone, though I can't run VMs on them either :)

I figured I’d ask this here: my AirPods have never been what I’d call “perfect”, and I’m trying to figure out whether these are fundamental issues with AirPods or if I have a bad pair. Is it normal for AirPods to ignore double taps on them 50% of the time (it’s worse if I try to use Siri, which almost never works, and better if I try to play/pause but still not great)? My AirPods also take up to thirty seconds to switch between devices. Is this normal? Everyone I have met raves about their AirPods but for me they have simply been “passable”, at the level I’d expect from any other Bluetooth headphones.

Happens to my Bose QC35s quite often. Part of the issue is that the mic cannot be enabled when full quality audio is active. I guess this is a bandwidth limitation.

My issue stems from pulse audio saying that high quality mode is not available though. Common problem though. Not exclusive to AirPods.