I like using my Bluetooth headset with my Samsung TV so that the sound doesn’t disturb others in the house.
However lately I’ve been having an issue connecting my Sony Bluetooth Headset with the TV. This means I can’t use my headset.
Not a good situation as it puts an end to my late-night TV watching.
Fortunately, with some research I was able to solve the problem.
Basic Troubleshooting
- If this is the first time you are attempting to pair a bluetooth headset to your TV follow the instructions here.
- Check the headset battery level to see if it is charged adequately. Many headsets will warn of low battery levels. However if the battery dies, it cannot inform the user of this.
- Make sure you’re not sitting too far away from the TV. Bluetooth will work at a maximum range of 10 m or 30 feet. However the range is greatly reduced when there are interfering wireless devices around. Wi-Fi access points, cell phones and microwave ovens can all interfere with Bluetooth operation. Make sure this is not the case by removing such devices from the area.
- Try another set of wireless headphones like your phone wireless earbuds for instance – does it pair and work?
- Try using the headset that doesn’t work with another device such as your phone. Does it work with the phone?
- In the Sony app make sure the “connect to 2 devices” option is disabled
If you’ve been through all these steps and concluded that there’s no issue with your Bluetooth headset, go to the next step.
Should you Reset your TV?
Some users recommend resetting your TV to factory settings. While that is possible, it will not downgrade the internal firmware or software. And if it was a software update that caused the problem, then resetting the TV will not solve anything.
A simple fix using Multi-Output Audio
If you’re still having issues with your setup try the following steps:
- On the TV, go to Setting > General > Accessibility > Multi Audio output
- Click on Multi-output Audio
- Select the Bluetooth headset and then click Connect
- The Audio should now play through the Bluetooth device
- As a final step mute the TV audio
Note that Multi-output Audio allows you to turn the volume up or down on your Bluetooth audio device and TV speakers separately. This approach is a bit of a hack but it seems to work for many. So until a time that Samsung sorts this out through a firmware update, this is a reliable workaround.
Summary
In this post we have provided solutions to when your Bluetooth headset does not pair with your TV. While we have focused on Sony headset, the solution can be applied to any headset.
As a quick summary of the solutions we have prescribed:
- Basic troubleshooting tips
- Resetting the TV
- A simple workaround using multi-output audio