Headphones that stay on
Sony headphones turn themselves off to save battery: after a while without a connection, or when you've taken them off. If that happens while you're still at your Mac, change when they do it.
Short answer
Sony headphones turn off by themselves for two reasons:
- No connection for a while. The WH-1000XM5, for example, turns off by default after about 15 minutes without a Bluetooth connection.
- Not being worn. The WH-1000XM4, XM5, XM6 and WH-1000XX turn off after 15 minutes off your head.
To change it on your Mac, open Wearing (⌘4) in Open Sound Connect and choose an option under Automatic Power Off, such as Don't turn off. The app shows the options your headphones report; the WH-1000XM2 doesn't have the setting.
Change Automatic Power Off on your Mac
- Open Open Sound Connect with your headphones connected.
- Go to Wearing (⌘4), section Wearing & Power.
- Under Automatic Power Off, pick an option.
The choice is saved in the headphones, so it stays the same when you use them with your phone. Sony's phone app, Sony | Sound Connect, has the same setting.
The options
The app shows the list your headphones report, so you may see only some of these:
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| After 5, 15 or 30 minutes, 1 hour or 3 hours | The headphones turn off after that long. On the WH-1000XM5, Sony describes this as time without a Bluetooth connection. |
| When taken off | They turn off once they've been off your head for a while: 15 minutes, per Sony. Only on models with wearing detection. |
| Don't turn off | They stay on until you turn them off or the battery runs out. |
The WH-1000XM4, for example, offers When taken off and Don't turn off. Choosing Don't turn off uses more battery if you forget them on the desk; check the level in the menu bar with battery on your Mac.
What each model does
| Model | Automatic Power Off in the app | Wearing detection |
|---|---|---|
| MDR-1000X | Only if the headphones report it | No |
| WH-1000XM2 | Not available | No |
| WH-1000XM3 | Yes | No |
| WH-1000XM4 | Yes | Yes |
| WH-1000XM5 | Yes (about 15 minutes without a connection by default) | Yes |
| WH-1000XM6 | Yes | Yes |
| WH-1000XX | Yes | Yes |
Sony's app doesn't offer the setting for the WH-1000XM2, so Open Sound Connect doesn't show it either. The MDR-1000X turns off when pairing mode times out after about 5 minutes, and when you pull out the cable while noise canceling is on.
Wearing detection
The WH-1000XM4, XM5, XM6 and WH-1000XX have a sensor in the left ear cup. Besides turning them off after 15 minutes of not being worn, it pauses your music when you take them off. That's a separate setting: Pause When Taken Off, in the same Wearing & Power section. If music stops when you lift an ear cup, see Sony headphones keep pausing. Wearing detection doesn't work while the cable is connected.
Other reasons they switch off or drop out
- Charging from the Mac. The WH-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM5 can't be used while they're connected to a charger or a computer, so plugging them into your MacBook to top up stops them. The WH-1000XM6 and WH-1000XX keep working while they charge.
- The Mac goes to sleep. If the Bluetooth connection drops while the Mac sleeps, the headphones count that as time without a connection. See Sony headphones keep disconnecting.
- The battery is low. Check the level in the menu bar.
Turn them off from your Mac
You can also switch the headphones off on purpose: on My Device (⌘1), under About These Headphones, choose Turn Off Headphones and confirm. They disconnect from every device, not just the Mac. To turn them back on, hold the power button for about 2 seconds.
Common
questions
Why do my Sony headphones turn off while I'm wearing them?
Often because they lost the connection: after a while without one, they switch off to save battery. Set Automatic Power Off to Don't turn off on the Wearing page, and check that the Mac isn't sleeping.
Can I stop the WH-1000XM4 turning off when I take it off?
Yes. Choose Don't turn off under Automatic Power Off instead of When taken off. To stop the music pausing too, turn off Pause When Taken Off.
Does turning them off from the Mac disconnect my phone too?
Yes. Turn Off Headphones powers the headphones off, so they disconnect from every device. If you only want to stop the app's control connection, use Disconnect Controls (⇧⌘K) instead; audio stays connected.
Where to next
- Sony headphones keep disconnectingRange and interference, a second device, sleep, automatic power off and settings that reconnect, then the pairing itself.
- Battery level on your MacYour headphones' battery percentage in the menu bar and the app, with warnings you choose.
- Headphones keep pausingFind out why music pauses by itself: Speak-to-Chat, wearing detection, the touch panel, a second device or macOS.
Put your headphones
in the menu bar
macOS 15 or later · Apple silicon and Intel