Tutorial
Updated
Seamlessly Use BT Headsets on both Switch BT Adaptors and Phones Without Constant Unpairing
If you've got a Bluetooth audio adaptor for the Nintendo Switch (like the Genki or Gulikit), you've probably had the dilemma of deciding whether to take your favourite wireless headphones and having to constantly unpair and re-pair them between your Switch and your phone, or buying a new set to be locked to the Switch and then carrying two sets when travelling around. With neither option being practical or convenient, there's actually a third solution that solves the problem by letting you pair the same Bluetooth headphones to two devices and seamlessly switch between the two without the need for constantly unpairing from one just to re-pair with the other.
Some background info (not really relevant to the Switch, but still good reading):
How to set up:
1. Take your headphones and pair them to your phone (or whatever other intended non-Switch device you use). If it is already currently paired, then skip this step.
2. If your headphones aren't turned on, turn them on and wait for them to connect to your device. On the paired device, open the Bluetooth menu and select your Bluetooth headphones from the list. Then, select "Disconnect". Make sure you select "Disconnect" and NOT "Unpair". Your headphones should now disconnect from your device but stay active. Your device will also not lose its pairing with your headphones.
3. Connect the Bluetooth audio adaptor to the Switch console and place it in pairing mode. Also put your headphones in pairing mode and bring it close to the Switch. The two should pair with each other.
4. You're good to go. Both the Switch adaptor and your phone now have pairing set up with the same headphones. If you want to change back to your phone, power on the headphones, open the Bluetooth menu, and then select your headphones to connect. The headphones should switch to your phone without losing pairing with the Switch adaptor. If you want to connect back to the Switch, plug in the adaptor and power it on before turning on your headphones.
FAQ:
1. How can I tell which device my headphones will auto-connect to when I power them on?
- Your headphones should automatically connect to whichever device it was last connected to when you last turned it off, provided it is powered on and in Bluetooth range.
2. My headphones keep connecting to the Switch adaptor instead of my phone, what do I do to change back to my phone?
- If you manually reconnected back to the headphones on your phone, it should remember this pairing and automatically connect to your phone the next time you power it on. If not, make sure the Switch Bluetooth adaptor is not connected or powered on when turning on your headphones, then open the Bluetooth settings menu on your phone and select your headphones. Select "Connect" to reconnect.
3. My headphones keep connecting to my phone instead of the Switch adaptor, how do I change it back?
- With the headphones still connected to your phone, open the Bluetooth settings menu, select your headphones, then tap "Disconnect". Turn off the headphones and power on your Switch adaptor. Once the adaptor has fully initialised, turn on your headphones. The two should automatically reconnect.
4. Help! My headphones won't connect to either my phone or my Switch adaptor. What do I do?
- From your phone's Bluetooth settings menu, select your Bluetooth headphones and then select "Unpair". With the Switch adaptor disconnected/powered off, turn on your headphones and place them in pairing mode, then try to reconnect them to your phone. If this works, continue from step 2 above.
5. Will this work with every headphone/Switch adaptor?
- There's no guarantee it will since different device manufacturers implement different feature sets into their products. Below is a list of devices myself and other members of our community have tested.
Tested Switch Bluetooth Adaptors:
Tested Bluetooth Headsets:
Some background info (not really relevant to the Switch, but still good reading):
The method we will be using here is based on multipoint Bluetooth, a feature introduced to the Bluetooth standard as early as 2008. Originally it was intended to allow a user to pair a Bluetooth headset to both a phone and a media device so they can listen to music but still take calls. Over time, mobile phones and media consumption devices have all but merged together so most Bluetooth device manufacturers don't advertise multipoint as feature on their products. However, most recent Bluetooth audio devices should support this feature. As a matter of fact, the ability for Apple AirPods to switch between iOS, iPadOS, TVOS, WatchOS, and MacOS devices without re-pairing appears to be a variant of this Bluetooth standard.
This feature isn't specific to Nintendo Switch Bluetooth adaptors and can be applied to any group of recently released Bluetooth audio transmitting devices and any recently released Bluetooth headset. (by "recent", I mean from the 2010s and beyond)
Here's more info on the feature.
This feature isn't specific to Nintendo Switch Bluetooth adaptors and can be applied to any group of recently released Bluetooth audio transmitting devices and any recently released Bluetooth headset. (by "recent", I mean from the 2010s and beyond)
Here's more info on the feature.
How to set up:
1. Take your headphones and pair them to your phone (or whatever other intended non-Switch device you use). If it is already currently paired, then skip this step.
2. If your headphones aren't turned on, turn them on and wait for them to connect to your device. On the paired device, open the Bluetooth menu and select your Bluetooth headphones from the list. Then, select "Disconnect". Make sure you select "Disconnect" and NOT "Unpair". Your headphones should now disconnect from your device but stay active. Your device will also not lose its pairing with your headphones.
3. Connect the Bluetooth audio adaptor to the Switch console and place it in pairing mode. Also put your headphones in pairing mode and bring it close to the Switch. The two should pair with each other.
4. You're good to go. Both the Switch adaptor and your phone now have pairing set up with the same headphones. If you want to change back to your phone, power on the headphones, open the Bluetooth menu, and then select your headphones to connect. The headphones should switch to your phone without losing pairing with the Switch adaptor. If you want to connect back to the Switch, plug in the adaptor and power it on before turning on your headphones.
FAQ:
1. How can I tell which device my headphones will auto-connect to when I power them on?
- Your headphones should automatically connect to whichever device it was last connected to when you last turned it off, provided it is powered on and in Bluetooth range.
2. My headphones keep connecting to the Switch adaptor instead of my phone, what do I do to change back to my phone?
- If you manually reconnected back to the headphones on your phone, it should remember this pairing and automatically connect to your phone the next time you power it on. If not, make sure the Switch Bluetooth adaptor is not connected or powered on when turning on your headphones, then open the Bluetooth settings menu on your phone and select your headphones. Select "Connect" to reconnect.
3. My headphones keep connecting to my phone instead of the Switch adaptor, how do I change it back?
- With the headphones still connected to your phone, open the Bluetooth settings menu, select your headphones, then tap "Disconnect". Turn off the headphones and power on your Switch adaptor. Once the adaptor has fully initialised, turn on your headphones. The two should automatically reconnect.
4. Help! My headphones won't connect to either my phone or my Switch adaptor. What do I do?
- From your phone's Bluetooth settings menu, select your Bluetooth headphones and then select "Unpair". With the Switch adaptor disconnected/powered off, turn on your headphones and place them in pairing mode, then try to reconnect them to your phone. If this works, continue from step 2 above.
5. Will this work with every headphone/Switch adaptor?
- There's no guarantee it will since different device manufacturers implement different feature sets into their products. Below is a list of devices myself and other members of our community have tested.
Tested Switch Bluetooth Adaptors:
Gulikit Route Air - Working
Tested Bluetooth Headsets:
Apple AirPods (1st generation) - Working
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) - Working
Apple AirPods Pro - Working, also supports Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode
Samsung Galaxy Buds - Working, does not support Ambient Sound Mode, see note 1 below
Skullcandy Hesh 3 - Working
Notes:
1. Ambient Sound on the Samsung Galaxy Buds relies on a companion app that runs on Android devices. This will not work when Galaxy Buds are connected a Switch BT adaptor, but will resume working when you switch back to a compatible Android phone.
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) - Working
Apple AirPods Pro - Working, also supports Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode
Samsung Galaxy Buds - Working, does not support Ambient Sound Mode, see note 1 below
Skullcandy Hesh 3 - Working
Notes:
1. Ambient Sound on the Samsung Galaxy Buds relies on a companion app that runs on Android devices. This will not work when Galaxy Buds are connected a Switch BT adaptor, but will resume working when you switch back to a compatible Android phone.
Last edited by NekoMichi,
