How to Connect Apple AirPods to LG TV
finally, the apple is coming out of its shell. A company notorious for its strict adoption of a closed, apple-to-apple family of products is taking a look at the outside world. apple homekit and airplay 2 are significant steps towards interconnectivity. still, with bluetooth 5.0 as standard for most new smart tvs, will apple airpods work with lg?
In most cases, you should be able to connect the devices. However, you may not be able to use certain features on your airpods, such as volume control. And if your LG TV can’t pair with your AirPods, there are other options available.
connect airpods to lg tv via apple tv
by apple tv, we mean the physical apple tv device, such as the apple tv 4k. Downloading the Apple TV app on your LG Smart TV does not give you the connection benefits of the hardware version.
pairing your airpods with apple tv is the best way to get the most out of your audio experience:
- start by putting your airpods into pairing mode.
- on apple tv, go to settings > remote controls and devices > bluetooth.
- When your airpods appear, select them with connect device.
that’s it. Now you’ll have full control over your airpods without worrying that your competition’s settings will get in the way.
as a side note, apple homepod, and any other smart speaker that plugs into your tv, will not work with airpods or any other truly wireless headphone options. so while you can connect your airpods to smart speakers, it won’t work when the speaker is connected to your TV for audio.
connecting airpods to lg tv through roku
Sure, it’s an added expense, but if your lg smart tv isn’t working well with your apple airpods, consider a roku streaming device. this is a neat little solution that roku calls “private listening”.
- once your roku is inserted into an hdmi port, download the app to your iphone.
- once your airpods are connected to your phone, launch the roku app and select headphones . that’s all.
when you’re ready to turn off the audio, simply put your airpods back in the case or select headphonesagain in the roku app.
Please note that this is a streaming solution only. whatever you stream through the roku streaming device will transfer the audio to your airpods. until they develop an hd antenna built right into the roku stick, or the same with cable, live tv is not an option.
connecting airpods to lg tv through fire tv
of course amazon has its own streaming device/hub because it’s amazon. luckily for you, that’s another option for connecting your airpods. Unfortunately, just like the Roku streaming stick, you won’t be able to listen to live TV. Also, amazon doesn’t give you the option to use your airpods to adjust the volume. you’ll have to do it with the fire tv remote and a bunch of tricks.
To pair your airpods with fire tv, make sure you’re in pairing mode. then:
- on fire tv, select settings > bluetooth drivers and devices > other bluetooth devices.
- Once you see your airpods in the dropdown, select them to pair.
The downside of using the amazon fire tv hub or stick is that airpods don’t have physical volume buttons, which don’t compute with fire tv. then, you’ll have to meddle a little more or throw up your hands and get a roku stick.
you may also need to download an app called precise volume and then download it. You will have to go through several obstacles to achieve it, but if you are dedicated to listening with your airpods, it is the only way forward using fire tv.
final thoughts
Most of your modern smart TVs ship with the latest version of bluetooth. this bodes well for apple enthusiasts. on the other hand, not all bluetooth headsets are created equal. Apple has always had sleek, high-end, glamorous technology, and they’re obsessed with eschewing physical buttons in favor of touch controls. sometimes that creates a problem, like with the fire TV.
ironically, apple’s main smartphone competitor, samsung, is totally on board with apple’s latest streaming and tethering moves. Like Samsung, LG is also joining the party, including major updates to older Smart TV models to accommodate Apple.
That said, you can also occasionally have a problem with LG Smart TVs, depending on the model and year. However, LG TVs are generally compatible with Apple AirPods, and connecting your AirPods with LG TVs is a simple process.
Check out our other articles to learn how you can connect your airpods to a smart vizio or sony tv!
