And to add to this, i learned to not use the 'bluetooth' icon to manage the AirPods, instead use the 'triangle with broadcast signal'-icon found next to the volume in the control centre or on many other different locations on your ipad, iphone or apple tv.
Just turn off the auto-connect feature and start using that icon, all the mentioned 'annoyances' will go away :)
> triangle with broadcast signal
The AirPlay icon.
https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guideline...
Re:AirPods don't “just work”
by skinnymuch on Thursday January 27, 2022 @06:52AM
(#30099368)
Ah wow! This is so obvious to use AirPlay to manage them. Thank you! Will see how this goes.
Annoyance 2 - since you hear the "connect" tone when the AirPods connect to a device, my guess is the author's AirPods have connected to a device they are not looking at. This is what was happening to me before I realized the auto connection was configurable.
Annoyance 3 - this happens for my other Bluetooth headphones that have a microphone when using Mac OS as well. It's a Mac OS issue. I've noticed with a recent update that it happens less frequently. The fix is to set the audio output to the computer speakers, then back to the AirPods.
Annoyance 5 - yeah, switching takes time. Based on my experience with Bluetooth devices, I'm not sure how much this is AirPods specific. I ended up buying a pair of the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones because they can connect to two Bluetooth devices. This solved the switching delay, with the caveat that the mic on the WH-1000XM4 is not great so I also bought a cheap USB mic for meetings.