Preliminary information
Before getting to the heart of the guide, going to explain how to connect AirPods to TV, there is some preliminary information you need to know about this.
First, keep in mind that AirPods are meant to be used primarily with the Apple devices, in particular with iPhone e iPad. In this case, in fact, it is possible to take advantage of all the functions supported by the earphones and their management is integrated directly with the operating system.
In addition, always on the iPhone and iPad, the association takes place in a way automatic, simply by opening the charging case of the earphones, after activating the Bluetooth connectivity, thanks to the H1 chip these devices are equipped with.
Once the pairing procedure is completed, the AirPods become immediately usable on all devices connected to it Apple ID, which is why there is no need to repeat the above steps for each iPhone, iPad, or even Mac or Apple TV.
Su other devices, instead, it is necessary to intervene on settings device to pair the AirPods with, by selecting the earphones in the list of nearby Bluetooth devices and then setting them as audio output. However, it should be borne in mind that, in these cases, there is no integration with the system and that some advanced features of the Apple earphones are not usable.
In the specific case of televisions, if the one in use supports Bluetooth connectivity, just go and act directly on its settings, while in the case of TVs without Bluetooth it is necessary to obtain a external device capable of implementing smart functions or acting as an adapter.
How to connect AirPods to TV
Having made the necessary clarifications above, we can finally take action and find out, in practice, how to connect the AirPods to the TV.
How to connect AirPods to Smart TV
If you're interested connect the AirPods to the Smart TV, all you have to do is use the Bluetooth connection the devices in question are equipped with, carry out the pairing procedure among the devices involved and select Apple's earphones as audio output for the TV.
To give a practical example, if you want connect AirPods to LG TV, then to a Smart TV with an operating system WebOS, do the following: take the remote control, press the key with the ruota d'ingranaggio and, helping you with the directional arrows and highlight the button with i three dots vertically; then press the key OK, move to the item Audioschiaccia il tasto OK, select the item related to Bluetooth e pre ancora il tasto OK.
Now, set the AirPods into pairing mode. To do this, take theirs charging case with the earphones inserted inside, open it and hold the configuration button present on the back, until thestatus indicator light does not start at blinking white. If you use AirPods Maxinstead, press and hold the noise control button until the LED flashes white.
Next, tap on the item Device Selection on the Smart TV, press the button again OK and wait a few moments for the AirPods to be detected. As soon as they appear in the list of devices that can be associated, select them and press the button OK on the remote control to finalize the connection.
The steps to take are practically the same for connect the AirPods to the Philips TV, For connect AirPods to Panasonic TV and to establish the connection with other brands of Smart TV. However, if you do not succeed in your intent by following the procedure I have just explained to you, I suggest you read my guide on how to connect Bluetooth headphones to the TV, it could come in handy.
How to connect AirPods to Apple TV
Another great way to connect AirPods to TV is to use the Apple TV, the TV Box of the same company as the “bitten apple” with a dedicated App Store, which allows you to access hundreds of apps and games and also acts as an AirPlay receiver, to receive content from iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Apple TV is available in version HD with support for Full HD content and in version 4K with support for 4K content, with 32GB and 64GB memory cuts. Obviously, it allows you to fully use the AirPods and all the various functions offered by the earphones.
See offer on Amazonconnect the AirPods to the Apple TV, first of all establish the connection between the TV and the Apple TV Box (which, of course, you must have previously connected to the TV and configured).
Later, if you have already connected the AirPods to your iPhone (or iPad) and if on your Apple TV you are logged in with the same Apple ID you use on the iPhone / iPad, the earphones will automatically be ready for use TV Box .
To use it, therefore, all you have to do is access the section Settings di tvOS, selecting with the Siri Remote the relative icon (Quella with the ruota d'ingranaggio) present in Home Screen, choose the item Remote controls and devices in the displayed screen and then that Bluetooth. Then choose the AirPods from the list of available Bluetooth devices and that's it.
Alternatively and always if you had previously paired the AirPods with other Apple devices, you can quickly enable the use of the earphones on Apple TV, by pressing and continuing to hold down for a few moments on the button with the icon of the screen of Siri Remote and then selecting the AirPods from panel dedicated to audio outputs that appears on Apple TV.
If, on the other hand, you had not already paired the AirPods with any Apple device, you have to make thepairing with Apple TV. To do this, go to the section again Settings> Remotes and Devices> Bluetooth and put the AirPods in pairing mode, proceeding as I have already explained to you in the previous step on Smart TVs. Later, you can select headphones from the list of available Bluetooth devices and use them with your Apple TV.
Other solutions to connect AirPods to TV
To establish the connection between the earphones of the "bitten apple" company and the TV, if you do not have a Smart TV with support for the connectivity in question and if you do not have the Apple TV at your disposal, you can also consider the idea to avail yourself of other solutions.
More precisely, you can opt for the use of any set-top box e dongle to connect to the TV, such as theAmazon Fire TV Stick, which is available in both Full HD and 4K versions. The same goes for the Fire TV Cube, a small box that combines the functions of the Fire TV Stick 4K with those of the Amazon Echo smart speakers. For more information, I suggest you read my guide on how the Fire TV Stick works.
Considering that the AirPods use Bluetooth, if the method just described does not convince you in a particular way but you still want connect the AirPods to the Samsung TV or you want connect the AirPods to the Sony TV or to any other brand of television, you can use a adapter used for this purpose.
These are small devices that allow you to transmit the audio coming from the TV on the Bluetooth frequencies, which can be received by the AirPods and reproduced inside them. They can be connected to the TV via the jack from 3.5 mm (the "classic" one for earphones) or through the RCA inputs, depending on the type of inputs available. They usually have a maximum price of 30 euros and can be found in electronic and online stores, on Amazon or other stores.
To use the 3.5 mm jack adapters, simply connect the device to theheadphone output of the TV, set the AirPods to pairing mode as I explained to you in the step on Smart TVs and press thespecial button placed on the adapter to finalize the connection.
Adapters suitable for TVs that only have RCA sockets, on the other hand, must be connected to the TV set using i Cavi supplied, by connecting the colored ends to the appropriate entry holes of both systems.
After completing the connection and pairing the AirPods to the receiver, access the audio settings of the TV to indicate theanalog / RCA audio like output device. For more information on connecting the various types of wireless headphones to the TV, I invite you to consult my tutorial on how to connect wireless headphones to the TV.
How to connect AirPods to TV
