I just discovered a secret about my Apple TV 4K that all AirPods users should know

• How to pair any Bluetooth headphones with an Apple TV 4K
• How to quickly pair your AirPods or Beats headphones with an Apple TV 4K

One of the smaller, unsung conveniences of the Apple TV 4K is that it makes it relatively easy to pair headphones. Now of course, most people don’t use headphones to watch TV on a regular basis, but they can potentially be a lifesaver if you’re trying to avoid waking up a partner, a child, or the neighbors. I’m sure some people do legitimately prefer the experience, given how immersive high-end noise-canceling headphones can be. It’s just a shame that Apple limits which headphones can take advantage of Dolby Atmos.

It’s important to know that there are two different ways of pairing headphones with Apple’s media streamer. If you own AirPods or Beats headphones, you’ve probably already stumbled upon the second method, but it’s worth knowing exactly how it works. If you simply own an Apple TV 4K, this might actually nudge you in the direction of getting a set of Apple cans. There are some unique options and conveniences that Apple grants itself.

How to pair any Bluetooth headphones with an Apple TV 4K

Mostly easy, but with some drawbacks

If you want to pair any set of third-party Bluetooth headphones with an Apple TV 4K, the process is relatively straightforward, but there are some catches I’ll talk about after the main instructions. These aren’t necessarily obvious, and they could impact your headphone shopping.

To get started:

1. Turn on your Apple TV, and make sure you’re at the tvOS homescreen, not in an app.
2. Put your headphones into pairing mode. Typically, this involves holding down a specific button or button combo. Check your headphones’ manual or web guide for the details.
3. On the Apple TV, navigate to Settings -> Remotes and Devices -> Bluetooth.
4. Under Other Devices, select your headphones. You may be asked to enter a four-digit code.
5. Once they’re successfully paired, your headphones should appear under My Devices.

The biggest drawback to using third-party headphones, in my opinion, is the inherent pairing limitations of Bluetooth. Some can only pair with a single device at a time, in which case you’ll need to unpair them with your Apple TV if you want to use them with another device. You can do that by selecting them under My Devices and clicking Forget This Device. Likewise, you’ll need to unpair them with a secondary device if you want to reconnect to tvOS.

The biggest drawback to using third-party headphones, in my opinion, is the inherent pairing limitations of Bluetooth.

The good news on this front is that many headphones support multipoint pairing, meaning they can be connected to two or (more rarely) three devices simultaneously. You might, for example, be able to use the same set of headphones for both your TV and your Steam Deck. Just remember that you’ll have to stop playing audio on one device to hear audio from the other — don’t expect to play Balatro while you’re watching the extended cut of The Fellowship of the Ring.

For some of you, the bigger issue will be support for Dolby Atmos. While Apple supports the format on all TVs, receivers, and soundbars, it’s simply unavailable on any headphones that aren’t from Apple. This is presumably linked to codec limitations, since many other devices do support Atmos over Bluetooth. Indeed Apple uses custom processing for effects unique to its hardware, as I’ll explain in a minute.

How to quickly pair your AirPods or Beats headphones with an Apple TV 4K

An unfair advantage?

While you can pair AirPods or Beats products directly with an Apple TV if you like, using the process described in the last section, you’re really meant to connect them to another Apple device first, usually an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Doing so links your headphones to your Apple Account, which in turn switches on the company’s automatic switching technology. In fact if tvOS is signed in to the same account as your headphones when you put them on, you’ll be prompted to link by hitting theTV buttonon your Siri Remote. If you find this annoying — say because it’s triggering when you’re just trying to use your iPhone — you can disable the prompt by going toSettings -> Remotes and Devices -> Bluetoothand toggling offSuggest Nearby AirPods. Yes, this affects Beats products as well.

If tvOS is signed in to the same account as your headphones when you put them on, you’ll be prompted to link by hitting the TV buttonon your Siri Remote.

Thankfully, you don’t need auto-detection to connect previously paired accessories. Just press and hold the TV button on the Siri Remote to open Control Center. Next, select the AirPlay icon, which looks like concentric rings with a triangle (see the screenshot above). You can pick any AirPods or Beats product you own that’s on and nearby, even if you’re already using it with another Apple device. But as with multipoint Bluetooth headphones, don’t expect to listen to two audio sources simultaneously — audio on the other device will pause.

Once you’ve got headphones connected, you can select them in Control Center to adjust options unique to Apple devices. Note that some features are only available on some models, which I’ll note as I go along:

• Noise Control: On headphones with active noise cancellation (ANC), you can choose between Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes, or turn the tech off. The AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4 with ANC also support an Adaptive option, which splits the difference, only selectively canceling some ambient noises.
• Conversation Awareness: Confusingly enough, this option lets you choose either its namesake — which lowers media volume, and enhances any real people talking in front of you — or turn on Loud Sound Reduction. Conversation Awareness works with the same AirPods models as Adaptive audio.
• Spatial Audio: This is how you listen to music, movies, and TV shows mixed for Dolby Atmos, which is supported on most recent Apple and Beats products. You’ll see at least three options, namely Head Tracked, Fixed, and Off — the first positions audio objects in virtual space, while the second keeps things stationary relative to your head. If you’ve set up Personalized Spatial Audio via an iPhone, you’ll also see a Spatialize Stereo option, but note that the quality of remixed stereo can be hit or miss.
• Share Audio: Another feature available on most Apple headphones, this pumps audio to two listeners simultaneously. Follow onscreen instructions to connect the second person. Apple notes that Personalized Spatial Audio won’t work when sharing, presumably because it might sound strange for the person who doesn’t have it configured.

Personally, I recommend using full ANC when possible, unless you know someone else in your home might need your attention. If so, you’ll probably want to turn on Conversation Awareness too. As for Spatial Audio, I feel like watching an Apple TV 4K is the one situation in which head tracking makes sense. It’s extremely distracting when you’re at the gym, having tried that myself — but in your living room, it’s natural to expect sounds to come from specific places, just as if you were using a multi-channel surround system.