Seeking advice on Bluetooth headsets…

By Ray, 10 June, 2015

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

Hello.

Hope all’s well.

I’m hopeing someone can give me some advice on Bluetooth headsets please? Here’s some context….

I have an iPhone and an iPad, and use Voiceover on both devices. I currently use the Plantronics M55 bluetooth headset with my iPhone, and a standard wired headphones with the iPad.

I’m looking for a Bluetooth headset with A2DP, that can pair with both devices, and switch between them, without going into the Ipad/iPhone settings and switching the Bluetooth off when I don’t want to use one or the other.

The Plantronics M55 can pair with both devices, but can’t switch between them. I’ve downloaded the manual for it, and the theory behind this headset, is that it can pair with 2 phones at the same time, and if one or the other rings, the user can answer either phone using the headset. But there’s no way of switching between phones and using Voiceover with it one at a time.

Any advice or recommendations will be most appreciated.

Many thanks..

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Comments

By Deborah Armstrong on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 - 16:22

Just tried my M55 with my iPOD Touch and the iPHONE and I confirmed what you say is true for me as well. To use VO with both you have to switch Bluetooth off and pair again.

However, using a SIP client on both, I was able to answer calls on either device.

I also tried a Bluetooth speaker that is able to pair with more than one device. It can switch devices, but only if Bluetooth is off on one of them. Tried both the speaker and the M55 with my computer and idevices; same problem.

I'm thinking it simply might not be possible to switch between multiple devices with a2dp audio if both are in range. But this might be a good question to ask over at iLounge, since sighted people would surely appreciate the same feature.

By Paul on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 - 16:22

I use a Bose AE2W bluetooth headset, and it is truly capable of auto switching between 2 devices. In the Bose case, the intended usage pattern is that you use your iPad for media and your iPhone for answering calls. In practice, the auto switch is triggered either by an incoming call notification sent to the bluetooth headset (iOS handoff confuses it :P) or when one device is silent while the other makes sound. My experience is that the second auto switch case works best when one device is locked before unlocking the other.

It may also be worth noting that control center is a faster way to switch off bluetooth, which I've used with the AE2W just so I can direct a voice command to the right device if it's out of my reach, I just switch it off and back on to reconnect with both devices.

Part of the functionality of AE2W is that it will actually send a pause command to a device playing if a call comes in on the other, and it will automatically resume playback when you hang up. This functionality is what ends up confused when the iPad and iPhone both ring.

By Chuck on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 - 16:22

I use this headset to flip between my Apple watch and my iPhone6.
It will also work with my iPad Mini, as I tested all of my headsets before I got my watch.
It works particularly well, and has a large battery, which is needed when flipping between devices.

The headset announces which ever device you are working on , and flips to the other device with very little delay.

A couple of cautions... this is not your typical headset, the majority of its bulk rests behind the ear, much like a '60s hearing aid, and the microphone is not the best. This is moot for me because when using the Apple watvh dictation, the watches microphone is the default... which works great.

Only $24.99 at Amazon and eligible for Prime delivery.
Here is a link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MUHKT5M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s0

By Ray on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 - 16:22

Thanks everyone for all your input.

Chuck - thanks for the link to the FreeGo. I found it on Amazon.co,uk and it's £16 here in the UK. Going to give it a go. Thanks again.

Hi Chuck:
Thanks for letting me know about this headset. I got it, and like it very much.
The only thing is that I can't figurevery out how to switch between my phone and my Apple Watch. I have paired with both, but when I try connecting the second device, the first one disconnects. So, if my phone is connected, my watch just speaks through it's speaker.
Am I missing something, or was I expecting too much?
Cheers,
Louise_

By Louise on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 - 16:22

I got the Freego headset to pair with both my watch and phone. For all intents and purposes, it's brilliant. The handoff is quite seemless.
Thanks again Chuck for the suggestion.