Do you experience delay in the sound on your iPhone when you use wireless headphones? Especially when watching videos, this can be very annoying if audio is delayed. In this tip we explain what you can do about this.
Sound on your wireless headphones is delayed
To get straight to the point: it is a known problem that sound transmitted via Bluetooth is often a little delayed. Depending on the headphones you use, it cannot always be solved completely. If you use headphones that contain an Apple W1 chip or H1 chip, you will hardly be bothered by this. This applies, for example, to the AirPods and some Beats earphones.
- # 1 Get stable connection
- # 2 Disconnect and reconnect
- # 3 Prevent jamming and interference
- # 4 Outdated Bluetooth version
- # 5 Using cable
- Other solutions
# 1 Get stable connection
With other wireless headphones, however, it often happens that there is a delay in the audio, something that is especially annoying when watching videos. The big question is of course: what can you do about it? Above all, you must ensure that the connection between your phone and your headphones is stable. Make sure they are not too far apart. If you experience a delay, it can help to switch your headphones on and off. Your connection will then ‘reset’, as it were and hopefully any delay will disappear.
# 2 Disconnect and reconnect
If you really experience delays very often, it can sometimes help to completely disconnect your wireless headphones and reconnect them to your iPhone.
This works as follows:
- Go to the Settings app and click Bluetooth. Next to the name of your headphones, tap it i-tje and choose Forget this device.
- Make your headphones forget their existing connections and put them in discoverable mode. You can find out how to do this in the manual of your headphones. This differs per brand.
- On your iPhone you will now find your headphones in the list of found devices (in the Bluetooth settings). Now you can reconnect.
- You may have to enter a code. You can look this up in the manual of your headphones. If not, you can try 0000 or 1234 as these codes are often extremely simple.
# 3 Prevent jamming and interference
There may be environmental factors that cause problems. Bluetooth works on the overcrowded 2.4 GHz frequency, which a lot of wireless traffic passes over. This disturbs each other, which can cause interference. It may therefore be that you will notice less delay in another room. Also check which devices in your area could be causing interference, such as a microwave oven that is in use to heat something up.
# 4 Outdated Bluetooth version or codec
In addition to interference or distance, the Bluetooth version or the Bluetooth codec type of the wireless headphones can also cause the problem. Do you use headphones with a Bluetooth version lower than 5.0? Then there is a greater chance of delay, because the older technology processes audio data slightly slower. If there is a difference in the Bluetooth codec of the audio source and the receiver, it can also cause problems. A codec is an algorithm that packages and extracts audio data. There are different types of these that do not always communicate well with each other.
On an iOS device, you will get the best experience if your wireless headphones support the AAC codec.
# 5 Using cable
If you have headphones that can also be used with cable, give that a try. You can then listen to music wirelessly, where the delay is not so noticeable. Use the cable to watch videos. Then you are guaranteed no delay.
Other solutions if your headphones are delayed
If this does not remove the delay, you can still try to reset your iPhone.
There is unfortunately not much more you can do to solve a delay in the sound via your wireless headphones. If you don’t like your current headphones or if they have more flaws, it may be time for a new one.
Read further:
- Wireless headphones for your iPhone and iPad
- The best noise canceling headphones for quiet work, without distraction
- Pair Bluetooth earbuds and headphones with iPhone or iPad
- AirPods Max: everything about Apple’s luxury headphones
- Beats: everything about the headphones and earphones of this hip brand
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