Bluetooth multipoint pairing: What is it, and why do you need it?
Tired of manually switching between your laptop and phone whenever a call comes in? Headphones and earbuds that support Bluetooth multipoint pairing can do it for you.
You’re immersed in a game, movie, or music playlist on your laptop, and suddenly, a call comes in. You sigh and hit pause, take off your headphones, and pick up the phone to answer it. Alternatively, you could switch the Bluetooth connection from laptop to phone and then take the call through your cans.
But if your headphones support Bluetooth multipoint pairing, a simpler and seamless solution is at hand.
Introduced with Bluetooth 4.0 in 2010, Bluetooth multipoint is a feature that’s rapidly becoming more common in today’s ear gear. It allows a single pair of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds to connect to two devices simultaneously, like the aforementioned laptop and phone.
When a call comes in, multipoint cuts out the hassle of manually switching between one device and the other (by unpairing and pairing), giving you hands-free convenience. It prioritises incoming calls and automatically switches to the phone when they come in, muting or pausing the primary audio source, which resumes once the call has ended. Notification alert tones for texts and emails also take priority and are routed to your headphones.
Bluetooth multipoint pairing not only streamlines your casual listening and call-taking, but also makes multitasking a breeze during working hours when receiving numerous calls throughout the course of the day while you’re otherwise engaged in a videoconference or simply listening to music on your laptop. You’ll never miss the important ones from your boss or partner!
Bluetooth multipoint pairing is a feature that doesn’t receive a lot of ballyhoo (although it should) and one you probably never knew you needed until you actually use it. While it’s now more prevalent in consumer ear gear, not all new Bluetooth headphones and true wireless earbuds support it, so when choosing a pair, it pays to check that it’s multipoint-ready in the specs.
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