While the Apple Watch has a speaker, it's only meant for tones, calls, Siri, and other short and simple sounds. If you want to listen to your music, podcasts, or any other audio you've synced with your Apple Watch, you'll need to pair up some Bluetooth headphones to your Apple Watch.
Of course, the pairing process is a little different if you have a pair of AirPods Pro or any headphones with Apple's W-series or H-series chips. However, regular Bluetooth headphones can be paired to your best Apple Watch via Settings. Here's how to pair Bluetooth headphones with your Apple Watch.
How to pair Bluetooth headphones to your Apple Watch
Some of the best workout headphones for Apple Watch are just standard Bluetooth headphones that Apple doesn't produce. These headphones need to be paired via Settings.
Note: Make sure your Bluetooth headphones are in pairing mode before you start.
1. Launch the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap Bluetooth.
3. Tap the name of the device you want to pair.
How to disconnect Bluetooth headphones from your Apple Watch
Once you've connected a pair of headphones to your Apple Watch, you can disconnect them at any time.
1. Launch the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap Bluetooth.
3. Tap the name of the device you want to disconnect.
4. Tap the info button (it's the "i" in the circle) next to the device you want to disconnect.
5. Tap Disconnect Device or Forget Device.
If you choose to disconnect the device, that will sever the Bluetooth connection between your Apple Watch and the device. However, the next time you turn that Bluetooth device in range of your Apple Watch, it should automatically connect again.
If you chose to forget the device this will cut the connection between your headphones and your Apple Watch more permanently. If you want to pair those headphones to your Apple Watch in the future, you'll need to pair them again manually.
AirPods pair a bit differently
As you can see, it's very easy to pair Bluetooth headphones with your Apple Watch. This applies to pretty much any Bluetooth earbuds or headphones out there that aren't AirPods.
Of course, pairing a set of AirPods to your Apple Watch is even easier because as soon as you pair your AirPods with your iPhone, they will automatically pair to your Apple Watch as well. That's the beauty of the Apple-made chips inside each pair of AirPods.
Updated July 2022: Updated for the latest version of watchOS.
