AirPods choppy/unreliable when connected to Mac, but not iPhone

Solution 1:

I solved this choppy audio issue with just one simple trick. (This might not work for everyone, but I solved it this way)

Short answer

If your hardware uses Bluetooth 4.0 instead of 4.2 or above, this solution is highly likely to work for you.

Open System Preferences > Sound > Input

Change sound input from Airpods to Internal Microphone

Long answer (+ Possible explanation)

(This is just my hypothesis based on my observation)

First of all, to clarify my symptoms, I am using a MacBook Pro 15 inch (Late 2013) which has Bluetooth 4.0 hardware. The choppy audio issue only happened in my MacBook Pro, and it did not happen in my other Apple devices such as my iPhone 7 Plus (which btw, has Bluetooth 4.2), nor my iPad Pro (also Bluetooth 4.2).

Based on these observations, my hypothesis is that Bluetooth 4.0 devices have too low bandwidth to handle both input/output (microphone & speaker) at a high quality. However, if I just change the audio input to the internal microphone, the Bluetooth connection only delivers sound output, so I think it can handle higher quality audio. On the other hand, if I use both microphone & speaker on a Bluetooth 4.0 device, I think the connection degrades and sacrifices audio output bandwidth in order to make room for delivering audio input.

Indeed, according to some sources, Bluetooth 4.2 is 250% faster and has 10x more capacity

Reference:

1. https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-main-differences-between-Bluetooth-4-0-4-1-and-4-2-in-the-Layers-Baseband-LMP-L2CAP-app-Layer
2. https://www.semiconductorstore.com/blog/2015/BLE-4-2-vs-BLE-4-1/1548/

Solution 2:

This appears to be a new audio driver bug introduced in macOS Sierra 10.12.4. As per AppleInsider:

Monday's macOS 10.12.4 update is resulting in stuttering audio for some users of USB headsets, according to multiple complaint threads on Apple's support forums and reports from social media.

The glitch doesn't appear to be linked to a single Mac model or headset brand, and many troubleshooting methods —like resetting hardware or changing USB ports —don't seem to work. People reporting the problem have noted that the issue isn't solved by a clean reinstall of macOS 10.12.4, and only seems to vanish after restoring to 10.12.3 or an earlier OS.

You may have to revert to 10.12.3, or wait for Apple to deploy a fix.

Solution 3:

If all else fails you can reset both the macOS Bluetooth Device List and Bluetooth Controller. However, this will reset all connected Bluetooth devices, including a keyboard and mouse.

In other words, this will remove all existing pairing information for Bluetooth devices, so each will need to be reconnected.

Before commencing, you will need to have the Bluetooth icon showing in the menu bar. If it is not there, open System Preferences > Bluetooth and enable the option Show Bluetooth in Menu Bar.

Resetting the macOS Bluetooth Device List and Bluetooth Controller

Follow these steps:

1. Hold down both the Shift and Option keys and at the same time click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar. Once the menu is showing, release the keys.
2. From the Bluetooth menu, choose Debug > Remove All Devices
3. Hold down both the Shift and Option keys again and at the same time click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar.
4. From the Bluetooth menu, choose Debug > Reset the Bluetooth Module
5. Restart your Mac
6. Setup your bluetooth devices again

Let us know whether this helps.

Solution 4:

I was having the same issue. And for me was the apple wireless keyboard and my Logitech MX master mouse. Basically anything Bluetooth. As soon as I connected the mouse using the dongle and the keyboard with the charging cable the Apple AirPods 2 start working just fine. This is very annoying as I can not connect anything to my laptop without getting this annoying sound breaking.