AirPods Pro unable to sync

[voytacs]

I have had no luck pairing 2 different sets of AirPods Pro with the Steam Deck. I know this has been an issue for a few years now, and seems specific to the Airpods, perhaps multiple versions too. I just have a hard time believing that any halfway decent hardware/software company cannot at least figure out and let their users know what the issue is exactly, even if there is no fix. Not like they will read this and do anything, but for the sake of information below is what I have tried. Unpairing the AirPods with my apple devices and all others. Cycling bluetooth on the SD, cycling power on the SD, booting into Desktop mode and pairing them there and enabling that at login. No matter what the AirPods will not work. When done outside of desktop mode the wheel just spins and spins. And I understand the Apple haters are gonna blame the AirPods since all other BT devices have worked so far, but this isn't a discussion for you to stand on your high horse either. I travel 200 days a year with 7 apple devices for work, and yet I think the iPhone and iOS is a pretty sad excuse of a phone in 2023. Anywho, maybe one of these years, Steam or Apple might find out and share why this is such an issue. In the mean time, I will continue being my own tech support for everything else.....

[PixieGirrl]

Just my opinion, but pretty sure Apple has purposely made sure they won’t work on other brand devices…

[eighthgrader]

Apple has purposely made sure they won’t work on other brand devices

Fascinating theory. Yet, I've been using my AirPods Pro (1st generation) on Steam Deck for more than a year now, can't say that I ever experienced any problems with initial pairing or otherwise. Well, aside from the usual well-known Bluetooth mini-lag, which one gets with any other Bluetooth headphones on Steam Deck.

[xSOSxHawkens]

Not trying to be an apple hater...

But my day job is supporting a product that among other uses is able to output audio via BT to speakers and headsets.

Hands down the most unreliable, trouble prone, customer contact pushing issue (related to BT audio), is customers with Apple Air-pods that don't play nice. Every other brand and device plays nice, but Apple Bluetooth devices not so much.

The beauty of BT being a *standard* is that it is just that, standardized. It either works as intended or it does not, and if it does work as intended for one device, it should work as intended for any other device using the same standard.

Thus if a BT device is working with all others but not one, the chances are much higher that the one in question is doing *something* that is not part of the standard that is messing things up. Even if the thing it does different does not matter in 9/10 cases (or in any case when used with Branded equipment) the fact that it is not standard is an issue with the device and not the standard or the base product being connected to.

Sadly, Apple users (though perhaps not you OP) tend to not thing about reality or standards. They tend to think along the lines of "apple is the best, all my apple stuff just works, when it doesn't work, its not an apple issue its an "other thing issue". Whatever the other thing is, it should just work with apple too. Period."

Which leads them to call and complain when their airpods wont work despite there being nothing wrong with anything else and it being either user error or airpods being airpods.

@OP - Make sure you have them in the case or what not for the pairing. Otherwise, if all other items work but the airpods dont, its something with them. Take them to apple. Make apple make them work. Thats what apple does right?

[PixieGirrl]

Originally posted by retif:

Apple has purposely made sure they won’t work on other brand devices

Fascinating theory. Yet, I've been using my AirPods Pro (1st generation) on Steam Deck for more than a year now, can't say that I ever experienced any problems with initial pairing or otherwise. Well, aside from the usual well-known Bluetooth mini-lag, which one gets with any other Bluetooth headphones on Steam Deck.

Well, now i'm getting mine out to try again! 😆

UPDATE: HOLY ISH!! it took some doing, but you are 100% right...I'm connected! Thank you

[Mahjik]

Something to try:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1675200/discussions/0/3186865924594182854/#c3370405364919724413

[PixieGirrl]

FYI: I’m pretty sure the issue with why I wasn’t able to pair them before was two-fold: needed everything to be on the same WiFi connection and had to make sure none of my other devices were connected already (automatically). After I fixed those two things ~ voila!