Whitepaper
Using headphones from other brands with your iPhone and Mac
Not everyone with an iPhone wears AirPods. Maybe you’ve had Sony WH-1000XM headphones for years, you got Galaxy Buds with your old Samsung, or you swear by Bose or Sennheiser. They work fine with an iPhone and a Mac, because it’s just Bluetooth. But you do miss a few things Apple keeps for its own earbuds. In this part of the series Mac and the rest of the world I go through what works and what doesn’t, what’s changing in the EU, and how to get the most out of third-party headphones for video calls on your Mac.
Pairing on iPhone and Mac
On the iPhone, put the headphones in pairing mode and select them under Settings > Bluetooth. On the Mac it’s the same: System Settings > Bluetooth, headphones in pairing mode, then click Connect. The big difference with AirPods is that you have to do this on every device separately. You pair AirPods once with your iPhone and iCloud puts them on your Mac, iPad and Apple Watch too. Other brands don’t get that.
What’s changing in the EU
Under the Digital Markets Act, Apple has to open up AirPods features to other brands. Since iOS 26.5 (May 2026), earbuds from other brands in the EU can pair by holding them near your iPhone, with one tap, just like AirPods. Apple has also built a system that lets other headphones switch automatically between iPhone and iPad. That was in testing in spring 2026. Worth knowing:
- The manufacturer has to build support in, through a headphone firmware update and the app. I haven’t found confirmation that Sony, Bose, Samsung or Nothing support it yet. Check your headphone app.
- It only works if your Apple Account is set to an EU country or region.
- According to Apple’s own documentation, automatic switching covers iPhone and iPad. As far as I can tell the Mac isn’t part of it. I couldn’t confirm whether that changed in iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate.
Codecs: why it sounds different on an iPhone
A codec decides how music travels over Bluetooth. Apple devices use AAC, with SBC as a fallback. That’s it. iPhones and Apple silicon Macs don’t support LDAC (Sony) or aptX (Qualcomm). The Samsung Seamless Codec on Galaxy Buds only works with a Samsung phone.
To be honest, the difference you’ll hear is small. AAC sounds good on an iPhone. On a train or in the street you won’t hear a difference with LDAC. So don’t pick headphones based on codec support.
What you miss compared to AirPods
- Automatic switching between iPhone, iPad and Mac. For most people this is the biggest loss.
- Spatial audio with head tracking. Dolby Atmos in Apple Music works on any headphones, but the sound doesn’t follow your head.
- Find My. Your headphones don’t show up in Find My, with a handful of exceptions. Samsung has its own finding feature, but it only works with a Samsung phone.
- Siri. A long press on the button usually starts Siri, but hands-free “Siri” through the headphone mic and Announce Notifications only work with AirPods and Beats.
- Battery status. Many headphones report their battery level to the iPhone, so you see it in the battery widget. Often it’s a single number, not one per earbud plus the case.
- Hearing health. The hearing test, hearing protection and the hearing aid feature are AirPods Pro only.
- Settings in iOS and macOS. With other brands you control noise cancellation and buttons in the maker’s app.
Multipoint: the alternative to automatic switching
Many third-party headphones support multipoint. They stay connected to two devices at once, say your iPhone and your Mac. Play something on the Mac and you hear it. Your phone rings and the headphones take the call. That’s sometimes more predictable than AirPods, which can be a bit too eager to jump.
Sony (WH-1000XM and WF-1000XM series), Bose (QuietComfort series), Sennheiser Momentum, Jabra, Nothing and Pixel Buds Pro support multipoint on most recent models. You often have to turn it on in the app first. Galaxy Buds are trickier: Samsung’s handy Auto Switch only works between Samsung devices, and Samsung itself says it doesn’t work on iPhone and iPad.
The manufacturer apps
The app matters more than you might think, because firmware updates almost always go through the phone. No app means no improvements and no security fixes.
- Sony: the app is now called Sound Connect and it’s in the App Store. Updates take a long time on an iPhone. For the WH-1000XM6 Sony mentions about an hour, and you can’t roll back.
- Bose: the Bose app on iPhone handles settings and updates.
- Samsung: this is where it gets awkward. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Buds app for iOS only works with the old Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live. Every other model, including Buds3 and Buds4, works on an iPhone as plain Bluetooth earbuds. No EQ, no settings and no updates, unless you connect them to an Android phone now and then.
- Google Pixel Buds: there’s no iPhone app. They work as plain Bluetooth earbuds.
- Nothing: the Nothing X app is in the App Store.
- Sennheiser: the Smart Control app is in the App Store.
- Jabra: has an iPhone app, and Jabra Direct for the Mac. Note that Jabra stopped making new consumer earbuds in 2024, so no new models are coming.
Most brands have no Mac app. Settings you choose on the iPhone are usually stored in the headphones, so they still apply on your Mac.
Video calls on the Mac: watch the microphone
This is where a lot of people go wrong. As soon as an app like Teams, Zoom or FaceTime uses the microphone on your Bluetooth headphones, the connection switches to a calling profile (HFP). That profile has very little bandwidth. You sound muffled, and so does everyone else. That’s not your headphones, that’s Bluetooth. AirPods handle it better, but quality drops there too.
The fix: keep the sound going to your headphones and use your Mac’s microphone. Your headphones then stay in music mode with AAC.
How to set it up
- Go to System Settings > Sound. Under Output choose your headphones, under Input choose your MacBook microphone or a separate USB mic.
- Pick the microphone in Teams or Zoom as well. Those apps have their own setting and it overrides macOS.
- During a call, open Control Center and set the mic mode to Voice Isolation. Your Mac then filters out background noise.
- If you’re on calls a lot, headphones with a USB-C dongle or a cable are a good choice. They avoid the whole problem.
Overview
| Feature | AirPods | Other brand on iPhone | Other brand on Mac |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pairing | One tap, then on all your devices | Via Bluetooth. In the EU one tap, if the maker supports it | Pair separately via Bluetooth |
| Switching devices | Automatic | Multipoint. In the EU possibly automatic, depending on the maker | Multipoint |
| Spatial audio | With head tracking | Dolby Atmos without head tracking | Dolby Atmos without head tracking |
| Codec | AAC | AAC, no LDAC, aptX or SSC | AAC, no LDAC, aptX or SSC |
| Find My | Yes | No, with a few exceptions | No |
| Siri | Hands-free, Announce Notifications | Via the button | Via the button, hit and miss |
| Battery status | Per earbud and case | Often one number | Sometimes, in the Bluetooth menu |
| Hearing health | On AirPods Pro | No | No |
| Settings and updates | Built into iOS and macOS | Through the maker’s app (not for newer Galaxy Buds and Pixel Buds) | Usually no app |
| Calls | Good | Good to fair, depends on brand | Better to use the Mac mic |
What should you choose?
- You have Sony, Bose or Sennheiser and you’re happy with them: keep them. Turn on multipoint, install the app on your iPhone for updates, and use the Mac mic for calls on your Mac.
- You have newer Galaxy Buds or Pixel Buds: they work, but on an iPhone you get no settings and no updates. Fine to keep using, not something to buy new if you have an iPhone.
- You switch between iPhone, iPad and Mac all day: right now AirPods are simply more convenient.
Step-by-step plan
- Install your headphone app on your iPhone, if there is one, and pair through that app.
- Update the firmware. Keep the headphones charging and your iPhone close by.
- Turn on multipoint in the app, if your headphones have it.
- Pair the headphones with your Mac under System Settings > Bluetooth.
- Choose your Mac’s microphone under System Settings > Sound > Input.
- Set the same microphone in Teams, Zoom and any other calling app.
- If you live in the EU, check after each app update whether your headphones support the new pairing and switching features.
- Do a test call with a colleague, or use the test feature in Zoom or Teams, so you know how you sound.
And with Apple?
Let’s be honest: with an iPhone and a Mac, AirPods are the easiest choice. Automatic switching, Find My, spatial audio with head tracking and all settings right inside iOS and macOS. macOS Golden Gate and iOS 27 added things like a custom EQ and a new AirPods interface. AirPods 5 now come with noise cancellation as standard, and AirPods Pro 3 add stronger noise cancellation, hearing health features and heart rate sensing. But AirPods aren’t the best sounding headphones you can buy, they don’t fit everyone, and over-ear headphones from Sony or Bose are often more comfortable on a long flight. If you already own good headphones, keep them. With multipoint and the tips above you’ll get a long way.
This whitepaper describes the situation in October 2026, with iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate. Each manufacturer has to add the new EU features itself, model by model. If in doubt, check the app and support page for your own headphones.
This article is part of the Mac and the rest of the world series, where you’ll find every part in one place.