Pairing guides

Plain-English buying guides, explainers and how-tos for wireless earbuds, headphones, neckbands and smartwatches.

How-toMac
How to Connect Earbuds to a Windows Laptop or Mac

Step-by-step pairing for Windows 11, Windows 10 and macOS, plus how to pick the right sound output and why call audio can sound worse than music.
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How-toiPhone
How to Pair Wireless Earbuds with an iPhone

How to pair AirPods and other Bluetooth earbuds with an iPhone, the iPhone settings worth knowing, and what to try if your earbuds won't connect.
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AndroidHow-to
How to Pair Wireless Earbuds with an Android Phone

Pair your earbuds with an Android phone in under a minute using Google Fast Pair or Bluetooth settings, with quick fixes for earbuds that won't show up.
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