I love using wireless headphones with my Apple iPad. It lets me listen to music, watch my favorite movies or even exercise without worrying about my headphones getting in the way. Connecting one set of Bluetooth headphones to my iPad is easy enough, but Can I Connect iPad to 2 Bluetooth Headphones to share audio with my friends to enjoy our favorite show on iPad?
The iPad has a feature called Share Audio that allows me to pair two different Bluetooth headphones to my tablet directly. It enables both headphones to hear the same audio from music, movies, shows, or anything else. It is a native feature of my iPad.
Connecting two Bluetooth headphones to my iPad isn’t that hard, but getting lost is easy. In this guide, I’ll tell you through the process so you can easily pair both headphones simultaneously.
Note: You won’t need any unique apps, but you will need to know where the audio-sharing tool is.
How to Connect IPad to 2 Bluetooth Headphones?
When pairing two Bluetooth headphones with my iPad, I keep a few things in mind.
- Make sure the iOS version has been updated, and Apple added this feature after iOS 13.2.
- You may not have the correct version if you have just purchased an iPad or haven’t upgraded it in a long time.
- If not, then take some time and upgrade your iPad.
- If the iOS version is 13.2 or later, you should have no problem following the next steps.
Connecting with Other Devices
I might wonder if I can also do this with my iPhone since it’s similar to an iPad. The truth is that I can. Not only that, but the steps are the same. If I do this with my iPhone, I ensure it has iOS 13.2 or higher. All of the steps are precisely the same.
Key Steps to Connect 2 Bluetooth Headphones to one iPad
Specific Headphones
Something else is that this doesn’t work with every pair of Bluetooth headphones. Apple is known for having sophisticated technology, but sometimes they only allow certain accessories to have the best features.
I can only pair two Bluetooth headphones if they are both using Apple‘s H1 or W1 chip. A select number of headphones, such as the official Apple Airpods, specific Beats headphones, and several other brands.
Pairing Headphones
Whenever I turn on my iPad, I go to Bluetooth Settings, and the first thing I do is pair the headphones I intend to use. Some people only pair one and expect to hear audio from the other, which is how I start my listening session. It will show all the nearby Bluetooth devices that I can connect.
Tip: Make sure that you connect both headphones to your tablet.
Make sure that one works when I play some audio, and then make the other headphones active and play the audio with them if I am uncertain whether this worked. It will prove that both are working. Once satisfied, I start playing the audio that I want to share.
Sharing Audio
Open the Control Center by swiping down from the right-hand side to share audio. Then, select the Music menu. It will show the headphones that are currently connected to my iPad.You will see an option for Share Audio. After that, select this and confirm the headphones with which I wish to share the audio.
If you have three or more headphones paired to your iPad, you must select the specific pair you want to share. You can manually change the volume for both headphones independently. It allows an account of device differences along with each person’s preferences.
Troubleshooting Steps
While this is reasonably easy, a few things can go wrong. I will give you some troubleshooting steps that can help solve any problems that might come up.
Headphones Charged and Connected
As I said above, I want to ensure that both Bluetooth headphones are connected before sharing the audio. I suggest testing them independently to make sure they are working. I can do this by making one set active, playing audio, and then repeating this with the second pair of headphones.
I must also make sure that the headphones are charged. If the battery is low, the audio might die abruptly without warning. I give the headphones time to charge and try again.
Proper Headphones
The most common reason for this failure is not using proper headphones. I make sure the headphones use Apple’s H1 or W1 chip. Either chip is delicate, but this will fail if the chip isn’t present. The easiest way to do this is to use Apple Airpods.
If I don’t have an Apple product, I have to check online to see if my headphones have either of these chips. I keep in mind that both headphones must have one of these chips.
Restart Everything
If I did everything right and it’s still not working, it’s time to restart everything, turn off both pairs of headphones, and turn them back on. Then I do the same with my iPad by pressing and holding the power button. It tends to clear up many random problems, which should also help.
How does Bluetooth work?
Bluetooth is a method for connecting devices wirelessly when they are close by. Unlike WiFi, another popular wireless connection option, Bluetooth is typically a one-to-one connection and is used for short-range data transfer, not internet access (like WiFi).
The classic example for pilots might be connecting an iPad to an external GPS, like a Bad Elf or Dual. Once I pair my iPad to the GPS, I’ll get GPS position data in my favorite apps without wires but don’t expect to surf the internet.
What Does Bluetooth Multipoint Pairing Mean?
I may have seen the term Bluetooth multipoint pairing advertised on some products and wondered if this technology is the solution to my headphone problems. Unfortunately, this means something a bit different.
I consent to receive emails and personalized ads. While it is the case that multipoint pairing means I can have more than one device connected to a single source at a time, when it comes to audio, I will only be able to use one Bluetooth device at a time.
Multipoint pairing means that I can have multiple Bluetooth devices connected, not that I can use multiple audio devices like headphones simultaneously. Bluetooth multipoint pairing usually means I can do the following things:
- Have two devices hooked up and paired to a single device, like headphones.
- Transfer audio signal from one device to another, but not simultaneously.
- Use two sources for audio interchangeably without needing to constantly re-pair.
- What it doesn’t mean, unfortunately, is that I can have multiple pairs of headphones hooked up to a single audio source.
- Bluetooth multipoint pairing allows you to access multiple audio sources without needing to re-pair the headphones.
For example, if I am watching a movie on my tablet and my laptop starts alerting me of a Skype call, I can take the call on the same headphones I used to binge-watch my favorite shows without the hassle of pairing it again with the devices.
Can 2 people listen to the iPad at the same time?
However, to make things simpler, Apple, with iOS 13.2 update, has added a new feature called Share Audio that allows users to listen to the same audio on two different Bluetooth devices simultaneously.
You can connect multiple Bluetooth speakers simultaneously but select only one device to receive the audio output. Some speaker manufacturers build in the capability to pair or chain several Bluetooth speakers together. Users can send music or other audio streams to all the speakers simultaneously.
How do you use 2 headphones at the same time?
First, buy a headphone splitter. Plug the splitter into your PC and plug the headphones into the splitter. The most common splitter is the Y splitter, which is Y-shaped. The Y splitter splits the headphone jack into two audio outputs so you can use two headphones simultaneously.
How many devices can a Bluetooth device connect to simultaneously?
I can pair with four Bluetooth devices simultaneously in Android and seamlessly switch between them. An incoming call will automatically switch to any Bluetooth speaker or another audio accessory that can handle the call.
How many Bluetooth devices can the iPad connect to?
With audio, it’s almost always limited to one device at a time. For simplicity, it’s best to assume that my iPad can connect to two Bluetooth devices for data and one for audio at a time.
Can I connect two Bluetooth headphones to my tablet?
With Multipoint headphones, I can connect to 2 Bluetooth devices simultaneously and select which audio source to play. This way, if I’m playing media on one device, my headphones can switch to calls on another connected device.
Do I need a transmitter for wireless headphones?
Two components — a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver are required to establish a wireless connection. The transmitter transmits digital audio signals to the receiver, converting them into the sounds I hear in the headphones.
What is the difference between wireless headphones and Bluetooth headphones?
The primary difference lies in how the headphones connect to a media player. While Bluetooth headphones use short-range radio waves to transmit audio signals, wireless headphones can use radio waves, infrared, internal memory, or KleerNet.
Final Thoughts
Technically, you could connect to 5 or more Bluetooth devices simultaneously, which is extremely rare in practice. With audio, it’s almost always limited to one device at a time. For simplicity, it’s best to assume that your iPad can connect to two Bluetooth devices for data and one for audio at a time.
Some device manufacturers, like Apple, have already produced some neat solutions to this issue. Unfortunately, these functions only work if you use their products or are specific to certain models. In Apple’s case, you can use audio sharing reasonably quickly, but you can only use this function to connect either AirPods or Beats branded headphones, both Apple products.
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