Are you looking to connect your favorite Bluetooth headphone to your PS4? Then you might want to stick around because today I am going how you can connect any Bluetooth headphone to the PS4.
At the end of the article, you will have a firm command on the following:
- How to connect Sony certified Bluetooth headphones
- How to connect unsupported Bluetooth headphones on the PS4
- Why does PS4 Bluetooth not natively support all Bluetooth headphones
Bluetooth headphones are the most convenient medium for consuming audio-related stuff especially on a console like PS4.
Nothing hits more of a home run than having the ability to move around freely when gaming or watching media on your PS4. Not having to worry about those pesky cables dangling around the neck is liberating, to say the least.
While Bluetooth headphones are definitely the future for all audio consumption including gaming, it is a shame that there are no proper guidelines on how to connect your Bluetooth headphone to the PS4.
Why worry though when I have done all the research for you so that you can put on that Bluetooth headphone and dive straight into the game.
We have a lot to cover so let’s get straight to the topic at hand, shall we?
Types of Bluetooth Headphones for PS4
Connecting Bluetooth headphones on PS4 is not as easy as connecting the same headphones to your mobile or computer.
You see, the PS4 Bluetooth connection works differently than your typical mobile Bluetooth connection therefore the Bluetooth headphones that are to be connected on the PS4 fall into either of the two categories.
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PS4 Certified Bluetooth Headphones
These are the Bluetooth headphones that are made for the PS4 and carry official Sony certification as being compatible on the console as well.
Usually, these are either headphones made by Sony themself like the PlayStation Gold headset and the Platinum headset.
Officially compatibility however is not only limited to Sony headsets, 3rd party headsets from the likes of Turtle Beach, SteelSeries, HyperX, and Corsair are also supported on the console.
All officially supported PS4 headsets gain the advantage of being able to connect on PS4 without much of an issue.
It is not as simple as plugging them in but nevertheless, the process is rather simple and takes a minute or two to get done with.
Unsupported Bluetooth Headphones
The headphones in this category are the ones that are not from the ground up made for PS4 hence lack any native compatibility with the platform.
These headphones will include the likes of your typically used Apple Airpods, to the fancy noise cancellation headphones like Sony WH-1000XM4.
Basically, any headphone that carries a Bluetooth connection can be included in this list. So don’t worry you will be able to use the Bluetooth pair you have lying around with you.
While not natively supported there are a couple of workarounds that allow us to connect unsupported Bluetooth headphones to the PS4.
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How to Connect Bluetooth Headphones to the PS4
Now that we are aware of the two types of Bluetooth headphones for PS4 it is time to connect our Bluetooth headphones to the console.
Connecting an Supported Bluetooth Headphones
Connecting the officially supported Bluetooth headphones is easy. Here is how you can breeze through this convenient process.
- Turn on your PS4
- Make sure your Bluetooth headphones are charged and put them into pairing mode. Usually, this is done by pressing the dedicated pairing button but for validation refer to the user manual of your headphones
- Now on your PS4, head over the Settings option, and then select Devices
- Click on Bluetooth Devices
- Once you do this, the PS4 will start searching for Bluetooth headphones
- When the name of your Bluetooth headphones becomes visible, click on it.
- Be patient and let the PS4 run through the process. If you are asked to register the Bluetooth headphone then do so.
- After this process is done your Bluetooth headphones will be successfully connected to the console.
As you can see from the process connecting Bluetooth headphones that are natively compatible on the PS4 is simple.
If you don’t own any of the supported headphones however don’t fret because the next section is all about connecting unsupported Bluetooth headphones.
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Connecting an Unsupported Bluetooth Headphones
Most gamers do not support the idea of buying an extra pair of Bluetooth headphones for just PS4 use.
Wouldn’t it be so much better if there was a method by which you were able to use your existing unsupported Bluetooth headphones on PS4? Well, there is not one but three methods that allow you to fulfill the above task. Here is how you can implement them.
1) Through Your TV
This method will only work if you have a TV with built-in Bluetooth connectivity and to my understanding, most modern Led TVs do come with Bluetooth enabled so it should not be a problem.
- To check if your TV has Bluetooth connectivity head over to its settings and see if you can find Bluetooth settings. Usually, this will be located in the Audio section.
If your TV does come with Bluetooth, then you are good to go otherwise an external Bluetooth transmitter shall be required.
The one that I would recommend for this purpose is the 1Mii B06Tx Bluetooth transmitter. It is a relatively inexpensive high-quality device that supports all the popular audio output options.
Now that we have the basics in check let’s dive straight into the method.
- Turn on your PS4 and head over to the settings
- Click on Devices options and then select Audio devices.
- Here change the Input Device to headphones and Output Device to TV or AV Amplifier
- Now we have to connect Bluetooth headphones to the Tv so head back to your Tv settings and open the Bluetooth menu. Alternatively, if you are using an external Bluetooth transmitter then simply press the Bluetooth pairing button and wait for the light to flash.
- Head over the Bluetooth headphone and put it in pairing mode. Make sure that the headphone is charged, and the pairing light is flashing.
- For TVs with built-in Bluetooth, you will be able to see the headphone name on your Tv screen, click on it to pair. In the case of an external Bluetooth transmitter, the headphone should have automatically connected by now to the transmitter. A successful connection is indicated by the non-flashing of the Led light.
This was the process for connecting your Bluetooth headphones to the PS4 via the Tv. You have to keep one thing in mind that for certain headphones the microphone won’t function with this method.
Therefore, with this method, although you will be able to hear the game sound as well as your friend’s voice chat, you won’t be able to reply back to him.
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2) Using a Bluetooth Adapter
For this method to work, you will require a Bluetooth adapter and a mic for the PS4 but if you do invest in one then you will be able to enjoy a seamless connection between your Bluetooth headphone and the console.
It is important to not skimp out on this adapter and get the best one possible because it will handle all the Bluetooth connectivity hence any fault can be catastrophic for the sound quality.
The best Bluetooth adapter you can get for PS4 without breaking the bank is most definitely the RALAN Bluetooth Dongle Adapter.
Once you have the adapter in check, the following is the rest of the process to connect your Bluetooth headphone to the PS4.
- Insert the USB adapter into the PS4 and power on your console.
- Insert the Dongle microphone into your controller.
- Press the pairing button located on the USB adapter until you see a white led light flashing
- Now head over to your headphones and put them into pairing mode
- Wait for a few seconds and allow the headphones to connect. Upon establishing a connection, you will hear a verification sound from the headphones and the led light will stop flashing. This indicates that the Bluetooth headphones are successfully connected to the PS4.
- The last thing that you need to do is head over to the settings and open devices.
- Select Audio Devices and here adjust the volume of the headphone according to your liking and then switch the chat audio to all audio for the sound output.
By using this method, you can connect any Bluetooth headphone to the PS4. Now you see, how a $20 device can make all the difference in the world.
One thing I would however say is that be mindful of the microphone that is inserted into the headphone jack on your controller. It is quite flimsy and can break therefore remove it with caution when you need to.
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3) Through the PS4 Remote Play App
Any non-supported Bluetooth headphone that does not show up in the search of Bluetooth Devices can be connected to the PS4 through the PS4 remote play app.
The PS4 remote play app is an application designed for mobile phones that allows the user to connect his console to the mobile phone via a Wi-Fi connection. With this enabled users can play PS4 games on their mobile phones and can also talk to their friends in party chat by using the phone’s microphone.
In our case, we will be using the PS4 remote play app not to play games on our mobile but rather use the Bluetooth headphone for our PS4. The following is the method for this process to work
- Download and install the PS4 remote play app from the App Store or the Play store depending on your platform.
- Once the download is complete, open the remote play application on your mobile
- Now head over to your PS4, turn it on, and navigate to the settings
- In the settings menu click on the Remote Play Connection Settings Option
- Check the Enable Remote Play option. You should be able to see a tick mark beside it
- Then click on Add Device option
- Enter the code that is displayed on your PS4 screen in the PS4 remote play app on your mobile.
- Now simply connect your favorite pair of Bluetooth headphones to your mobile to enjoy hassle-free gaming.
Although this process works it is nothing more than a workaround. With your PS4 connected wirelessly to your mobile, you may experience audio lag.
If you want a more foolproof method, then the aforementioned two are better but may require external equipment to connect your Bluetooth headphones to the PS4.
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Why Does the PS4 Not Natively Accept all Bluetooth Headphones?
This is the question that leaves many gaming enthusiasts and Sony diehards scratching their heads. Although it may seem like an unnecessary measure, I assure you there is proper reasoning behind why PS4 does not support all Bluetooth headphones.
Without getting into too much technical jargon, let’s start from the basics.
Like your sound profiles, there are multiple Bluetooth profiles as well, and each profile uses a somewhat different encoding structure.
The PS4 only supports the HSP profile out of all the Bluetooth profiles. This is because with HSP you get faster sound encoding, hence minimizing lag. Sony considers minimizing Audio lag the utmost priority hence the decision to only include this Bluetooth format.
Unfortunately, HSP does not support stereo audio and therefore is not the default format for many mainstream Bluetooth headphones. Most mainstream products utilize the A2DP profile which as you can make out is not supported by Sony.
Hence the reason why all the additional work is required to get unsupported Bluetooth headphones to connect to the PS4.
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Conclusion
Now that you know how to connect Bluetooth headphones to the PS4 and also know the reason why PS4 does not support all mainstream Bluetooth headphones it is time to wrap up the article.
Before I go, however, I want to iterate that for getting the most optimal experience you will eventually need to buy a supported headphone for the PS4. All the methods I mentioned will allow you to connect any Bluetooth headphone to the PS4 but expect a somewhat 10% decrease in audio quality.
That said something is still better than nothing. If you do up the trying any of our methods let us know in the comments down below which one you followed and the results you got out of it.
