How To Connect Headphones To Xbox One

As a gamer you’ve wondered can I use any set of headphones for my Xbox One? Well, I’ve decided to try to answer this question myself and find out which headphones you can and cannot use for your Xbox One.

The first generation Xbox One controller does not have a headphone jack, you need to purchase a stereo headset adapter that plugs into your controller. Xbox One does not have Bluetooth functionality so you cannot connect headphones via Bluetooth.

So if you purchase a stereo set adapter you are all set and with a newer controller all, you need to plug in and play. However what about wireless headphones and Apple EarPods that so many people use but have trouble connecting to the Xbox One? Find out the solution.

How To Connect Your Headphones To Your Xbox One Guide

Connect your headset directly with a 3.5mm audio jack

How To Know Which 3.5mm Audio Cable You Can Use

Now your headphone cable must be 3.5 mm otherwise it will not work. There are two standards to 3.5mm audio jacks one is cellar telecommunications Industry Association (CITA) the other is Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP)

Only the CITA will work well with your Xbox One you cannot use OMTP audio jacks as you will likely experience audio or chat issues. However, do not worry as you can purchase converters from most electronic stores to convert your audio jack to CITA, here is one from Amazon, so you can easily get started.

However! Check this Youtube video out on how to easily tell the difference between CITA & OMTP audio jacks so you don’t buy anything unnecessarily(I’ve made the mistake in the past!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWTOXD9lVr4

How To Connect Your X Newer Xbox One Controller With A 3.5mm Cable

1.Makes sure you have a CITA compatible headphone jack or purchase a converter

2. Simply connect the wire into a small circular part at the bottom of the controller!

Check out the video below for a visual demonstration on how to do it

Connect your Headset To the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter

Whatever Xbox controller you have connecting to an Xbox Stereo Headset Adapter is done in exactly the same way. You can purchase one here directly from Amazon. However all adapters even third party ones will all be installed the same way so don’t worry if you have a third party one.

Plugin your Stereo Headset Adapter into rectangular at the bottom of your controller
Connect a compatible 3.5mm audio jack straight into the stereo headset adapter!

Check the video below if you’re having trouble

Important Things To Note With Your 3.5 mm Headphones

Your TV must have RCA audio output or a 3.5mm headphone output. If you use the 3.5mm output you must buy a mini 3.5mm-to RCA adapter cable which you can purchase from Amazon here
For the Xbox One Stereo Headset and other gaming, headsets use a single 3.5 mm audio cable for both chat and gaming which connect straight into the stereo headset adapter
Other gaming headsets will use two 3.5mm audio cables usually one will be green which is used for game audio and the other will be pink which is used for chat audio. They can come with an adapter that will combine both functionalities to one cable however not all of these cables used the CITA headset for Xbox One. Be careful and make sure your headset is CITA compatible otherwise your performance and quality will suffer.

How To Connect Your Apple Headphones To Your Xbox One Controller

I’m sure you’ve wondered it must be easy connecting my Apple EarPods to your controller assuming you’ve got the new Xbox controllers or have a stereo headset adapter right! However, if you tried you would have been sadly met with a horrible buzzing sound telling you the controller just doesn’t like your Apple headphones.

Although there is quite a simple fix! This is how you work around the issue

How To Connect Your Apple Headphones Guide

.Plug your ear spods in your controller whether into the stereo headset adapter or directly into the built-in headphone jack
.Double-tap the Xbox button directly at the center of your controller
Go To Settings
Disable the ‘headset Mic’ option
Turn the ‘Mic Monitoring’ setting all the way down

That’s it! Your apple Headphones should now work with your Xbox One controller. Why didn’t it work initially? Well instead of most 3.5 mm headsets that use the tip, first ring, second ring and sleeve of the jack for the left ear, right ear and electric grounding Apple switched it up.

Apple headsets switch the grounding and microphone causing the awful static sound that you hopefully used to hear but now following the fix you now don’t. Check out the video below to see a video tutorial instead.

Why is this necessary? It’s actually the result of a strange move on Apple’s part: While most 3.5 mm headsets use the tip, first ring, second ring and sleeve of the jack for the left ear, right ear, microphone and electrical grounding, respectively, Apple’s headsets actually swap the grounding and microphone, resulting in that awful static sound you hear when mic monitoring is enabled.

Why Doesn’t The Xbox One Support Bluetooth?

Simply put Xbox has never been designed or built with Bluetooth functionality in mind. Bluetooth is not designed for gaming in mind ideally you want very specific frequencies to avoid interference from other bands.

If you’re playing Xbox One online with a Bluetooth headset then you’re far more likely to get an inference with your signal as to likely you are surrounded by several other people also using Bluetooth with variety of different devices. Having a wired connection solves this problem.

Having a 100ms(1/10th of a second) in a Bluetooth phone call is completely fine and will not disturb your phone call experience, although sometimes it can be even worse than that with weaker connections.

However in a fast pace multiplayer FPS that 100ms time delay caused be blue tooth communication could make all the difference ESPECIALLY in competitive play as it would simply be too costly of latency if there’s a delay telling someone where you have been shot.

Another reason is Microsoft implemented a more detailed security layer with their entire architecture which you can read more about in the official windows support post here. This is because you are quite vulnerable to cyber attacks via Bluetooth as mentioned earlier it has issues with connection, so it makes sense why Microsoft wouldn’t allow it’s a controller to have Bluetooth functionality.

Lastly, it would sharply increase Microsoft’s production costs and since technology companies work on reasonably fine margins as it is it would make no sense having Bluetooth functionality across all controllers.

As mentioned previously a wired connection is just superior in every way so there is no reason for Mircosoft to implement Bluetooth functionality as it would cost too much in production with little to gain.

How Long Does An Xbox One Controller Last?

Your Xbox One controller should last up to 30 hours of use you can charge it via connecting your Xbox One controller directly into your console via a micro USB cable or via using a rechargeable battery pack. Depending on the method used it should take around 4 hours to recharge.

How To Charge An Xbox One Controller

With the Xbox One Play & Charge Kit, you will get around 30 hours of usage and you do not need to stop playing to charge your controller. All you need is to connect the Xbox One console with the cable and the charging will start. Get one from Power A directly from Amazon here

You do not need an Xbox One Play & Charge Kit to charge your device as any USB cord will connect to your controller however according to Microsoft charging times will vary using this method so bare that in mind,

However like the PS4 you do not need to connect the controller straight into the console. Check out the official Xbox One Charge kit from Amazon here where you can charge 2 controllers at once, just play with one controller and leave the other one overnight to charge!

All you need is to connect a micro USB cord to a USB power source such as a wall outlet/plug assuming you have the appropriate power adapter. Also like the Xbox 360 aa batteries can power the controller for hours. However, make sure your batteries are designation LR6 to get the maximum output from your controller

Lastly, if your Xbox One controller battery pack is damaged or not working properly you can easily swap out the pack for another non-Xbox cheaper rechargeable unit. You can purchase one such unit from Amazon here

Click the video below on how to charge your Xbox One controller if your having issues!