What Is Bluetooth Multipoint and Which Earbuds Support It

By Suraj Giri, reviewed by Suraj Giri on September 26, 2026
Published September 26, 2026. 5 min read.

Bluetooth multipoint lets one pair of earbuds or headphones stay connected to two devices at the same time, such as your phone and your laptop, so you can move between them without pairing again. Google describes it as keeping "connections to 2 devices at the same time". It belongs with other earbud features like noise cancelling, which we cover in how ANC works in headphones.

Multipoint can also look like a connection fault: audio can jump to the other device, and on Sony, Skullcandy and Bose headphones one device drops off when a third one connects. If your earbuds keep cutting out, Why Earbuds Keep Disconnecting has the full set of fixes. Every model named below comes from the maker's own help page or owner's guide, read on September 26, 2026.

Closed laptop, open earbuds case, face-down phone and a coffee cup on a shared desk — One pair of earbuds, two devices on the same desk. Illustration: Gadget247News, generated with Runway

How Does Multipoint Work?

Multipoint keeps both devices connected, but the earbuds play sound from only one of them at a time. As Bose's owner's guide puts it, "You can only play audio from one device at a time." Which device wins depends on the brand:

Sony WH-1000XM6: music plays from the device that played last. Start playback on the second device and you hear the second device. Both phones stay in standby, and a call to either one rings in the headset.
Google Pixel Buds 2a and Pixel Buds Pro: phone and video calls come first, then Google Assistant, then music. You have to pause music on one device before you can play music from the other.
Skullcandy Dime 3: pressing play on one device pauses the other automatically, and a call on the other device pauses the music and takes priority.

On these brands, a third device ends one of the two links. Sony keeps the device that played music last and disconnects the other one. Skullcandy drops the device that was paired first, and Bose's newly connected device "replaces the older of the two connections."

Which Earbuds Support Multipoint?

The table lists only the models each maker names on its own multipoint page or owner's guide, with the setting name that maker uses. If your model isn't listed, its help guide is the place to check.

Brand	Models named on the official page	Setting name	Source
Google Pixel Buds	Pixel Buds 2a, Pixel Buds Pro	Multipoint (off by default)	Google Pixel Buds Help
Sony	WH-1000XM6	Connect to 2 devices simultaneously, in the Sony Sound Connect app	WH-1000XM6 Help Guide
Bose	QuietComfort Earbuds	Multi Point, in the Bose QCE app	QuietComfort Earbuds owner's guide
JBL	Tune Beam 2	Multi-point connection (maximum 2 devices)	Tune Beam 2 Quick Start Guide
Skullcandy	Dime 3, Rail ANC, Method 360 ANC	Multipoint Pairing	Skullcandy product help pages
Samsung Galaxy Buds	Galaxy Buds3, Buds3 Pro, Buds2, Buds2 Pro, Buds Pro, Buds+	Auto switch (a different feature)	Samsung support
AirPods	AirPods 2, 3 and 4; all AirPods Pro; all AirPods Max	Automatic switching (not multipoint)	Apple Support

Google's Multipoint page names only Pixel Buds 2a and Pixel Buds Pro; Pixel Buds Pro 2 appears on that page under audio switch, not Multipoint. Samsung's Auto switch works between Galaxy devices running One UI 3.1 or later that are signed in to the same Samsung account, and Samsung's page doesn't use the word multipoint.

Multipoint vs Automatic Switching on AirPods

Apple calls its version automatic switching, and it works between Apple devices. Apple says the listed AirPods "can switch automatically between your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro." Each device needs the latest software and the same Apple Account with two-factor authentication. The setup and the off switch are in AirPods automatic switching. Google's audio switch is a separate Pixel Buds feature that moves you between devices based on your activity, and it can run alongside Multipoint.

How to Turn Multipoint On or Off

Multipoint is usually a switch in the earbuds' companion app, and on Pixel Buds it's off by default. To turn it off on Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, tap Multi Point on the product control screen of the Bose QCE app; this disconnects the second device. On Skullcandy Method 360 ANC you turn off Multipoint Pairing in the Skullcandy app.

Pixel Buds and Sony

Pixel Buds 2a or Pixel Buds Pro on a Pixel phone with Android 10 or later:

Go to Settings → Connected Devices.
Tap Settings beside the name of your paired Pixel Buds.

Google's Pixel-phone steps end at that settings screen and don't name the switch. On other Android phones, Google gives the full path:

Open the Google Pixel Buds app.
Select More settings → Multipoint → Use Multipoint.

Both devices must already be paired. Wear the earbuds, then connect each device to your Pixel Buds from that device's Bluetooth settings.

Sony WH-1000XM6, with the Sony | Sound Connect app installed on one of the two devices:

Pair the headset with both devices.
Connect the headset from the device that has the app.
Turn on Connect to 2 devices simultaneously in the app.
Connect the headset from the second device.

Sony's help guide names the setting but doesn't say which app screen it sits on.

Four numbered steps to turn on multipoint on Sony WH-1000XM6: pair both devices, connect from the device with the Sony Sound Connect app, turn on Connect to 2 devices simultaneously, then connect the second device. — Sony WH-1000XM6 multipoint setup order, from Sony's help guide. Diagram: Gadget247News

When Multipoint Causes Problems

Multipoint has two side effects to rule out first: audio that moves to the other device, and a codec limit Sony documents for its WH-1000XM4. Other listening settings, like spatial audio on earbuds, have their own guides.

Does Multipoint Make Earbuds Disconnect?

Multipoint can make earbuds look disconnected, because audio moves to the other device or a device drops when a third one connects. Sony says an unwanted switch can sometimes be stopped by turning off notification and operation sounds on your phone or lowering its volume. Turning multipoint off is a test step, not a fix for every dropout. If the drops continue with one device connected, the cause is something else, and the disconnecting guide linked above covers the other causes.

Does Multipoint Affect Sound Quality?

Multipoint can limit the codec on Sony's WH-1000XM4. Its help guide says that with Connect to 2 devices simultaneously turned on, "LDAC cannot be used. The codec is automatically switched to AAC or SBC." Sony's WH-1000XM6 multipoint page, read on September 26, 2026, has no such note, so check your own model's help guide. What each codec does is covered in Bluetooth codecs explained.

Multipoint: Quick Answers

Can you connect two Bluetooth headphones to one phone?

Some Android phones can play to two sets of headphones, but that's audio sharing, not multipoint. Google says you can use "Bluetooth LE Audio headphones and hearing aid devices from the same Android phone with 2 or more people." You need an Android device that supports LE Audio and LE Audio headphones. LE Audio and Auracast on earbuds explains how it works.

Do AirPods support multipoint?

Apple doesn't describe AirPods as multipoint. Its support page documents Automatic Switching for AirPods 2, 3 and 4, all AirPods Pro and all AirPods Max, between Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account. To move AirPods by hand on an iPhone or iPad, tap the AirPlay button on the Now Playing screen, the Lock Screen or in Control Center, then choose the device.