Third party earphones and headphones interference with MacBook Pro 14 M4

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Third party earphones and headphones interference with MacBook Pro 14 M4

Hi team!

I just got my MacBook pro M4, 14 inches, everything works smoothly except for the fact that third party audio devices are getting a lot of audio problems, like interference and sometimes no audio or one way audio.

I have a Steelseries Artics Nova 5 and a Samsung Earbuds 3, both of them are being affected, both connected using bluetooth.

I'm not getting any issues with my Airpods 3 nor Airpods 2.

Anyone has an idea what could be causing it and how I can fix it?

MacBook Pro 14″

Posted on Sep 23, 2025 11:31 PM

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Answer 1

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Tesserax

Level 10

157,878 points

Sep 24, 2025 12:27 PM in response to mibakemi

Since your AirPods are working fine but the Steelseries headset and Samsung earbuds are having trouble, this looks more like a Bluetooth compatibility issue rather than a problem with the Mac itself. Third-party devices sometimes use different audio standards, and that can cause the kind of interference or one-way audio you’re describing.

Here are a few things you can try:

Remove and re-pair the devices – In Bluetooth settings, forget both your Steelseries and Samsung earbuds, restart your Mac, then pair them again.
Check for firmware updates – Steelseries and Samsung often release updates through their apps (Steelseries GG and Galaxy Wearable). Make sure both devices are fully updated.
Restart Bluetooth on your Mac – Open the Terminal app and type: sudo pkill bluetoothd Then press Enter. This will restart the Mac’s Bluetooth system.
Limit mic use if possible – In System Settings > Sound, if the headset shows as both input and output, try disabling it as an input. That prevents macOS from switching into “call” mode, which often lowers quality or causes one-way audio.
Check your Wi-Fi band – If you’re on a crowded 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection, try switching your Mac to 5 GHz just to see if the interference clears up.

If none of these solve the issue, I’d recommend reporting the problem to Apple's Feedback site. Also checking if Steelseries or Samsung have updates planned for Apple Silicon Macs.

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