I often catch myself accidentally tapping play for music or videos via my iPhone even when I don’t have my AirPods in my ears and ready to go.
This is typically accidental, as I usually prefer to keep my media consumption to myself with personal headphones of some kind, but there are rare occasions when I’m by myself that I’ll use my iPhone’s built-in speakers to listen to a YouTube video here and there.
Apple's iPhone usually feature an excellent camera, and can take some really good photos and videos. Several users also place the iPhone on a tripod, or lean it against a rock, to take group shots or shoot jitter free videos. Of course, you can set a timer and be done with it. However, there are ways to capture photos and videos totally hands-free.
I use Bluetooth audio devices just as often as the next guy — whether it’s a pair if AirPods or Bluetooth headphones for personal music consumption or taking a phone call, or a simple Bluetooth speaker to keep the party raging.
As much as I love the convenience wireless audio transmission for these purposes, one thing that really annoys me is the pecking and popping of my keyboard on these Bluetooth devices when I’m typing a text message reply or searching the web.
A leaker claims that Apple is working on a future software update that will enable you to stream high-fidelity audio in the lossless formats on your AirPods after all.
Bluetooth audio on Mac has always been finicky, as macOS always uses a standard audio codec for all kinds of headphones. This can make the audio sound bad on Bluetooth headphones. Most headphones come with support for advanced audio codecs such as AAC and aptX. However, they will end up using the SBC codec when connected to a Mac.
Apple’s AirPods Pro sent a shockwave through the earbud industry when they became some of the first wireless earbuds to support active noise cancellation. Fast-forward to today, and even Apple’s newer AirPods Max over-ear headphones support this feature along with transparency.
But Apple isn’t the only brand pumping out earbuds and headphones with active noise cancellation and features similar to that of the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. Sadly, the company limits iOS’ native controls to the first party audio consumption devices — requiring the use of third party apps to control third party accessories (eww).
If you’re using any recent release of iOS or iPadOS, be it 13 or 14, then your handset automatically attempts to protect your hearing by reducing loud sounds when using headphones for extended periods of time.
The option to reduce loud sounds is adjustable in the Settings app, but as many users have pointed out on Apple’s support forums, the adjustment has its limits and may still negatively impact the media consumption experience in certain scenarios even when the user takes steps to mitigate interruptions.
Just last year, we showed you a jailbreak tweak called SmartNetwork by iOS developer Elias Sfeir, which allowed pwned iPhone and iPad owners to enjoy more granular control over their wireless networks — far more than what you’d expect from Apple out of the box on a stock handset.
Now that iOS & iPadOS 14.0-14.3 can be jailbroken on all devices by way of the unc0ver jailbreak, it’s not too surprising to see that many of these tweaks are being re-released with iOS & iPadOS 14 support. SmartNetwork is no different, although the branding has been changed to SmartNetwork 2 and a plethora of new features have been added since we last went hands on with it.
Sometimes, your iPhone or iPad may incorrectly identify the type of connected Bluetooth audio accessory, which can in turn prevent hearing health audio notifications from showing up. We show you how to manually classify your Bluetooth accessory as a specific type of device.
Mac customers have been painfully aware that the Bluetooth protocol is a bag of hurt. Various unreliability issues that have been plaguing owners of the new M1 Mac computers only exacerbate the underlying problem. But Apple may be fixing unreliable Bluetooth connections on Apple silicon Macs with the upcoming release of the macOS Big Sur 11.2 software update.
As iDownloadBlog recently reported, some owners of the new Mac computers powered by Apple silicon are experiencing Bluetooth connectivity issues. Apple is aware of the problem and working on a fix which should soon arrive via a macOS software update.
The ubiquitous Bluetooth wireless technology is awesome until you run into problems, and run into issues you will as the number of Bluetooth accessories you're using at any given time increases. If the traditional troubleshooting steps for fixing common Bluetooth connection issues won't help, try reseting your Mac's Bluetooth module to factory settings.
Fix Mac Bluetooth problemsThe Bluetooth protocol is adopted by billions of various accessories and devices. But with so many Bluetooth options available on the market from many different vendors, connection problems are inevitable. Whether you're trying to connect Bluetooth headphones with the Apple TV (or other devices like your iPhone), pair a Bluetooth keyboard with your iPad, remove a paired Bluetooth accessory from iOS, pair your Bluetooth speakers with an Apple Watch, and what not, you may experience various Bluetooth problems at some point.
A typical troubleshooter for fixing common Bluetooth issues on the Mac might suggest various steps, including changing a Bluetooth device's battery, reconnecting it, restarting your computer, performing an SMC reset and similar tricks. But, there are still times when none of those tips prove helpful. Should you find yourself in a similar situation, your only solution may be to reset the Mac's Bluetooth module to factory settings, and we show you how it's done.
How to reset Bluetooth on MacTo fix connection and pairing issues that you may be experiencing with your wireless Bluetooth devices such as keyboards, mice, trackpads, speakers and other peripherals, click the Bluetooth menu in macOS using a pair of modifier keys to reveal hidden options.
Click the Apple menu, then choose the “System Preferences” option. Choose “Bluetooth” in the System Preferences icon. Tick the box next to “Show Bluetooth in menu bar”. Click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar while holding the Shift (⇧) and Option (⌥) keys. Choose the hidden option labeled with the text “Reset the Bluetooth module”. Click “OK” to confirm the operation. Restart your Mac by choosing “Restart” from the Apple menu.And this is how that menu looks like.
After your Mac reboots, its Bluetooth module will reset and factory settings will be loaded.
If your Mac is using a wireless keyboard or a wireless mouse, or both, reseting the computer's Bluetooth will cause them to temporarily lose connection. It's a wise idea to double-check that you have a wired keyboard or mouse handy so you can continue using your Mac.
Other helpful optionsIf that doesn't cure all Bluetooth ills, the Shift + Option trick reveals other options that might be helpful. For example, choosing the option “Factory reset all connected Apple devices” will force your AirPods and all other connected Apple devices to instantly revert to their default settings.
→ How to fix Bluetooth issues on iPhone
Are you selling your Mac? Maybe you wanna move your Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to another one? Either way, choosing the menu option labeled with the text“Remove all devices” will unpair all the connected Bluetooth peripherals from your computer in one fell swoop.
What to do after resetting Bluetooth in macOSYou'll need to reconnect each of your wireless peripherals after resetting the Mac's Bluetooth by visiting System Preferences → Bluetooth. If your Bluetooth devices are powered on, discoverable and in range of the computer, you'll see them listed there. Simply click the one you with to pair with the computer and follow the onscreen instructions.
Have you renamed a particular Bluetooth peripheral? If so, Apple's support document advises that pairing the accessory with a different Mac may cause it to reset to its default name.
