Connecting AirPods to the PS4 is basically done in no time, but you have to know what to do and what you need for that. Unfortunately, the various PlayStation 4 models do not have native support for bluetooth. How do you manage that then?
To connect the AirPods to the PS4, you need an extra device: a dongle. That is not very strange, since Sony’s own wireless headphones cannot simply be connected to the PlayStation. So you need a good bluetooth adapter that makes the connection between the AirPods (or another set of earplugs) and the PlayStation 4. They are easily available in various online stores. Actively read the reviews of the products to make a good choice, but basically any dongle with the correct Bluetooth version (4.2 or higher) will suffice.
By the way, don’t be tempted by wild stories about users who connect their earplugs without a Bluetooth dongle. That simply doesn’t work with the current firmware, so you really need a bluetooth adapter.
Pairing AirPods to the PS4
When the choice for a bluetooth dongle has been made and it arrives, unpack it and connect it to your PS4. There is probably a sync button on the dongle, with which it is linked to the AirPods earplugs. How exactly the synchronization works also depends on the dongle itself. So read through the manual just to be sure, so that you are well prepared.
Now open the charging case of the AirPods (and if you use a different set of earplugs: put those earplugs in pairing mode) and make sure that both devices find each other. As soon as the AirPods search and the dongle is in pairing mode, the status is usually communicated via LED lights. A blinking LED on the adapter is most likely an indication that earplugs are still being searched, so give the device some time. Once that light has stopped blinking, chances are the pairing was successful.
Once the pairing is successful, go to your PlayStation 4 settings. You will then go to Devices / audio devices / Device output and indicates that from now on all audio should go through the USB headphones. You can even set the AirPods to also act as a microphone option, so you can also use the earplugs as a full headset. You can also find those options under audio devices, but then under the name audio input.
.