Shokz is regarded as the pioneer of commercial bone conduction headphone technology, and the company aims to pack every set of headphones full of features to improve our lives and listening experience. But since most people don’t use headphones with only their smartphones, people often ask me if it is possible to connect Shokz headphones to multiple devices.
While traditionally, Shokz bone conduction headphones can connect to multiple devices simultaneously using a technology known as “Multipoint Pairing.” This allows you to pair them with two devices at the same time. Even though your headphones will only play audio from one device at a time, you can easily switch between them. However, Shokz's first air conduction headphone, OpenFit, initially does not support connecting to multiple devices out of the box, but this feature can be enabled through a firmware update to version V_20 or later using the Shokz App.
Shokz always tries to stay ahead of the trends when it comes to introducing new technologies, and the ability to connect your headphones to multiple devices is one example of this. Let’s look at how you can connect your Shokz headphones to multiple devices and switch between them.
How Shokz Headphones Connect To Multiple Devices
Traditionally, Bluetooth devices could only connect to one paired device at a time. So, even though you could pair the devices with multiple other devices, you could only actively be connected to one. That has since changed. As Bluetooth technology advanced, the available bandwidth allowed for devices to connect to more than one other device simultaneously.
Shokz headphones are equipped with that technology, which is known as Bluetooth Multipoint. It enables your Shokz headphones to connect to multiple devices simultaneously.
Capabilities And Limitations
The type of Bluetooth Multipoint that Shokz headphones support is called “Advanced Multipoint.” It allows for one Bluetooth multipoint device (such as Shokz headphones) to connect to two devices simultaneously and automatic switching between the two devices rather than manual switching.
This means that you are able to connect your Shokz to two devices (like your smartphone and laptop), and you won’t have to manually switch between the two unless you want to.
How To Pair Your Shokz With Two Devices
The pairing process is painless and easy. Just follow these steps:
- Ensure that your Shokz headphones are powered off.
- Now press and hold the Volume+ button on your headphones. Hold it for between three and five seconds until you see the LED flashing red and blue, then release it. Your Shokz headphones are now in pairing mode.
- Now press and hold the multifunction button along with the Volume+ button. Hold them both in for approximately three seconds.
- You will hear the voice assistant, Audrey, say, “Multipoint enabled.”
- Open the Bluetooth settings on your first device (for example, your smartphone).
- Select your Shokz headphones from the list.
- Audrey should say, “Connected.” This confirms that your headphones are paired with the first device.
- Now power off your Shokz headphones again by pressing and holding the Volume+ button.
- Once the headphones are off, press and hold the Volume+ button again until the LED flashes red and blue, and Audrey says, “Pairing.”
- There’s no need to repeat step 3 again. Go to your second device’s Bluetooth settings and select your Shokz headphones from the list.
- Audrey will say, “Connected,” confirming that your headphones are paired with your second device.
- Now you can turn your Shokz off again.
- When you turn your Shokz back on, you will be connected to both devices simultaneously. You can confirm this by looking in each device’s Bluetooth settings to see if they are connected.
How To Use Your Shokz When Connected To Multiple Devices
Because of the advanced features of Bluetooth Multipoint, you should be able to transition between devices almost seamlessly since most of the switching will be done automatically.
This should be obvious, but if only one of the devices is within Bluetooth range of your Shokz (for example, when you’re out jogging and only have one device, like a smartphone, with you), that is the device that your Shokz will default to, and everything you hear will be from that one device.
When both devices are in range, the Shokz headphones will default to the device you used most recently. For example, if you paired the headphones with a smartphone and a laptop and last used the smartphone to listen to music, that will be the default connected device.
If you want to switch between devices, you can pause the media that’s playing on one device and start playing media on the other device. Your Shokz headphones will automatically detect that you switched and transition to the new active device.
When you receive a phone call on a device that’s not currently active, your Shokz will detect it and switch over automatically, pausing the media that was playing on the other device.
You can also manually switch devices through notifications. For example, suppose you see an incoming call on a device that’s not currently connected. When you select that notification, your Shokz should pause playback on the previous device and switch over.
However, as convenient as this is, there is a downside. There could be a delay of between five and ten seconds while your Shokz headphones switch over to the second device. That’s not a significant problem when you’re listening to music or some other form of entertainment, but it could cause an uncomfortable silence when answering a phone call.
Can I Connect Shokz To More Than Two Devices?
Bluetooth Multipoint supports a standard called Triple Connectivity, but it is not currently supported by any Shokz models. That could change in the future, but we are limited to only two devices for now.
Do All Shokz Models Support Multipoint Connections?
Multipoint pairing has been a standard feature of all Shokz Bluetooth headphones since the original Aftershox Titanium, so if you have any model of Shokz headphones that support Bluetooth, you will be able to connect it to more than one device.
Are There Any Downsides To Multipoint Pairing?
Bluetooth Multipoint is a fantastic technology and the fact that Shokz supports it can make our lives much easier. However, there are two downsides:
- The technology isn’t perfect. There can be occasional problems like dropped connections and unsuccessful switching, though these are uncommon.
- Not all devices support Bluetooth Multipoint. Though most newer Bluetooth devices will be able to pair with your Shokz headphones in Multipoint mode, you might find a few (especially older smartphones, for example) that won’t.
Conclusion
Shokz headphones can connect to up to two devices through Bluetooth Multipoint pairing. They allow you to switch between the two devices quickly and seamlessly by simply using the other device. Though there is a delay when your headphones switch over, it’s still convenient to not have to re-pair your headphones whenever you want to use them with another device.
