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AirPods don't “just work”

philip.design

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Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#671

Post by TrainedMonkey »

Nextgrid wrote: post #141
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #47

I generally enjoy my AirPods. They are occasionally quirky, but most of the time they really do “just work” for me. The annoyances are annoying when they happen, though. The strangest part is that the annoyances aren’t getting any better over time. At first I assumed that they were growing pains of an early product launch. Yet now we’re years into the AirPods experience and they continue to be just as quirky as when…

In my experience, the annoyances actually get worse over time. I got my AirPods back when the original ones were released and the experience probably was as good as physically possible (short of including multiple radios so they can maintain connections to multiple devices in parallel and simply mix the audio client-side). They then (2 years ago?) released this new feature where AirPods could automatically switch bet…

Whoa I thought that was just me. It used to be pretty easy to switch the device AirPods are connected to. Now, AirPods connect to the right device in 50% of the cases, 30% of cases they do not, but I can click connect on the new device and it works, remaining 20% the only way to get things working is either manually disconnecting on the device they attach to or putting them in the case and trying to get happy scenario again.

To summarize, things are generally better but way less consistent.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#672

Post by hellomyguys »

bredren wrote: post #588
hellomyguys wrote: post #573

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, using my AirPods Max is one of the most frustrating experiences. In the past week I've had to force reset them so many times and it almost seems arbitrary when it actually connects. I can't imagine a non-savvy tech person being able to easily debug it.

With Mac / iOS devices? It should not behave like this. Consider swapping them out.

Yes with iPads and iPhones. It's not an uncommon experience if you google it. I imagine its a software issue not a hardware issue too.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#674

Post by michaelmrose »

jdminhbg wrote: post #599
ho_schi wrote: post #564

3.5 mm jack Nasty. Yes ;) I'm sorry but it solves these problems and I think most of us have more prominent issues. Bluetooth - and even overpriced Apple products - are usually working well with one connection only. And the headset profile needs to sacrifice quality for voice input. This is to large degrees a question about priority of the user. If you need good or even excellent quality - opt for a good headset and…

None of the AirPod annoyances are as bad as having your headphones yanked violently out of your ears when the 3.5mm cable catches on a door handle.

1. A detachable cable will pull out easier than pulling your headphones off.

2. Run the cable of appropriate length inside your shirt or jacket with enough slack to move without restriction but without a bunch of extra slack.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#675

Post by gnicholas »

Spivak wrote: post #665
gnicholas wrote: post #631

Automatic device switching is hell. These two anecdotes happened since I read this article 10 minutes ago: I was listening to a podcast using AirPods and my iPhone. Someone reacted to a message I’d sent, which paused the podcast. When I tried to resume a second later, my AirPods had magically connected to my computer instead of my phone. WTF! Still listening to the podcast and setting up a FaceTime call for my kid on…

This is a bad end-user experience but I can kinda see the flow. You're listening on your iPhone but using your computer. Device switching then says "okay since they're using their computer if any sound comes from the computer they should hear it" and then iMessage made a sound. Had the thing you did been playing a YouTube video or Spotify then it would be weird if your AirPods didn't switch. I think it makes sense fo…

This would make sense if I had been using my computer. But I was in the kitchen and hadn’t played any media on my computer all day.

Also, the distance from the devices should have been a giveaway: 3 feet from the phone and 25 feet from the computer.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#676

Post by withinboredom »

symlinkk wrote: post #660
COGlory wrote: post #635

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can I ask why you purchased them in the first place? They seemed very obviously to not be a $600 product from their announcement.

Are there any other over the ear headphones that provide great sound quality, noise cancellation, pair with computers and smartphones, and have a solid mic? I’ve looked at the Sony XM1000’s and from what I understand there is some issue with Windows where if you enable the mic, it goes into some different Bluetooth mode that degrades the audio quality coming out of the headphones. Many wireless headphones are adverti…

Wait is there a device that can do stereo AND mic? I’m not aware of any and I’ve searched long and hard. AFAIK, there is no way it is possible with the current BT spec. Are you saying your Apple headphones can do that?

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#677

Post by deergomoo »

bradgessler wrote: post #633

Apple could get away with introducing their own wireless audio I/O standard the eliminated the need for Bluetooth for sound. This new wireless protocol would ideally: 1. Allow AirPods to be connected to multiple audio devices at the same time and eliminate the need to have to switch between exclusive audio sources. 2. Eliminate the problem where a Zoom call (or any call) downgrades audio quality. 3. Allow the playbac…

Expect this soon. There was an interview with an Apple manager in What HiFi recently and some of the stuff he was saying strongly suggested that they’re considering doing their own thing.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#678

Post by ahepp »

gnicholas wrote: post #572

Apple doesn’t allow you to use ANC on AirPods when you have only one ear inserted. But there’s actually a setting — buried deep inside the Accessibility preferences — that enables this feature. Why wouldn’t they make this the default? Who would want ANC to work only some of the time? And what does this setting have to do with accessibility/disability?

unless you were deaf in the other ear, why would you want to use ANC in one ear only?

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#679

Post by vanviegen »

Spivak wrote: post #665
gnicholas wrote: post #631

Automatic device switching is hell. These two anecdotes happened since I read this article 10 minutes ago: I was listening to a podcast using AirPods and my iPhone. Someone reacted to a message I’d sent, which paused the podcast. When I tried to resume a second later, my AirPods had magically connected to my computer instead of my phone. WTF! Still listening to the podcast and setting up a FaceTime call for my kid on…

This is a bad end-user experience but I can kinda see the flow. You're listening on your iPhone but using your computer. Device switching then says "okay since they're using their computer if any sound comes from the computer they should hear it" and then iMessage made a sound. Had the thing you did been playing a YouTube video or Spotify then it would be weird if your AirPods didn't switch. I think it makes sense fo…

I strongly disagree. These kinds of annoyances are not acceptable, as the no-nonsense alternative (switching manually) is just great in comparison.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#680

Post by surfsvammel »

Wow. I do agree with some of the annoyances, now that I read them. But, to me, my feeling about my AirPods where the exact opposite. I only got them recently, because I didn't quiet see the point of yet another pair of earphones. But man, They Just Work, has been my feeling about them so far and I have not regretted getting them.

Maybe I have not had them long enough to actually start having them annoy me...

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