--- title: "Use Sony Headphones with a Mac and an iPhone" description: "Connect Sony WH-1000XM4, XM5, XM6 or XX headphones to your Mac and iPhone at once with multipoint, or switch older models by hand. Steps for each model." url: https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-mac-iphone language: en --- # One pair, Mac and iPhone Most recent Sony 1000X headphones can stay connected to your Mac and your iPhone at the same time. Older ones switch between them. Here's how each model works. Applies to: [MDR-1000X](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/mdr-1000x), [WH-1000XM2](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm2), [WH-1000XM3](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm3), [WH-1000XM4](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm4), [WH-1000XM5](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm5), [WH-1000XM6](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm6), [WH-1000XX](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xx) · Updated 2026-11-03 ## Short answer Whether Sony headphones can stay connected to a Mac and an iPhone at once depends on the model: - **WH-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM5:** yes, after you turn on **Connect to 2 devices simultaneously** in Sony | Sound Connect (or in Open Sound Connect). - **WH-1000XM6:** yes, with the same setting in Sony | Sound Connect. - **WH-1000XX (1000X The Collexion):** yes, with no setting: pair both and connect both. - **MDR-1000X, WH-1000XM2 and WH-1000XM3:** no. Disconnect from one device, then connect to the other. ## Which models support multipoint | Model | Two devices at once | How | | --- | --- | --- | | MDR-1000X, WH-1000XM2, WH-1000XM3 | No | Switch by hand | | WH-1000XM4, WH-1000XM5 | Yes | Turn on **Connect to 2 devices simultaneously** | | WH-1000XM6 | Yes | The same setting, in Sony's Sound Connect app | | WH-1000XX | Yes | No setting needed | Pair the headphones with both devices first: each one has to be paired separately, in pairing mode. The [pairing guide](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/connect-sony-headphones-to-mac) has the button for each model; on the iPhone, pairing is in **Settings → Bluetooth**. Apple's automatic switching between a Mac and an iPhone is a feature of AirPods and some Beats, tied to your Apple Account. Sony headphones don't use it; they use their own multipoint instead. ## Set up the WH-1000XM4 or WH-1000XM5 1. Pair the headphones with your iPhone and with your Mac. 2. Turn on **Connect to 2 devices simultaneously** in Sony | Sound Connect on your phone. On the Mac, Open Sound Connect shows the same setting as **Connect to 2 Devices Simultaneously** on the **Wearing** page (⌘4) under **Connectivity**. 3. The headphones reconnect once to apply the change. Then connect them to the other device too. The [WH-1000XM4](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm4) has one trade-off: while two-device connections are on, it can't use LDAC and falls back to AAC or SBC. That only matters with an Android phone. A Mac and an iPhone use AAC or SBC anyway, so with them you lose nothing. ### WH-1000XM6 Turn on the two-device setting in Sony | Sound Connect, then connect the [WH-1000XM6](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm6) to both. If your headphones report the setting to the Mac, Open Sound Connect shows it under **Wearing → Connectivity** as well. ### WH-1000XX The [WH-1000XX](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xx) needs no setting: pair it with both devices and connect both. Sony | Sound Connect can also set it to keep playing from the previous source when another device starts. ## How playback moves between the two With both connected, the headphones play from one device at a time. In practice: - Pause on the device that's playing, then press play on the other. - On the WH-1000XM6, starting playback on the second device makes it take over. - If playback seems to jump by itself, check what the other device just started playing. On newer headphones that report it, such as the WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6, Open Sound Connect can choose and lock the playing device, on the **Wearing** page under **Connectivity** and in the menu bar: - **Playback device** shows which device is playing and lets you move playback to another connected one. - **Pin to this Mac** keeps playback on the Mac while both stay connected, so the iPhone can't take it over. **Unpin** lets the headphones switch by themselves again. - The device list marks each paired device as **Connected · playing**, **Connected** or **Paired**. Playback can't be moved during a phone call; the app tells you so. The WH-1000XM4 and older models don't offer playback switching, so they use the pause-and-play method. ## Switch by hand (MDR-1000X, WH-1000XM2, WH-1000XM3) These models connect for music to one device at a time. Sony's "multipoint" on them means music from one device and calls from another, not two music sources. To move from the iPhone to the Mac: 1. On the iPhone, open **Settings → Bluetooth**, tap the info button next to the headphones and tap **Disconnect**. 2. On the Mac, open **Control Center → Bluetooth** and click the headphones. To go back, disconnect them on the Mac in **Control Center → Bluetooth** and tap them on the iPhone. The same works on any model with two-device connections turned off. When Open Sound Connect is running and you choose **Connect** (⌘K), the app also asks macOS to connect the headphones, which can pull them over from the iPhone. ## Settings follow the headphones Noise canceling, the equalizer and other settings live in the headphones, so a change made on the Mac is what the iPhone gets too, and the other way round. See [how EQ settings carry over](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-eq-settings-carry-over). If the headphones keep jumping to the wrong device, [Sony headphones keep disconnecting](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-disconnecting-mac) has more checks. ## Common questions ### Can the WH-1000XM3 connect to a Mac and an iPhone at the same time? Not for music. It can take music from one device and calls from another, but to listen on the other device you disconnect from the first. ### Will I hear my iPhone calls while listening on the Mac? With two-device connections on, the iPhone stays connected to the headphones while you listen on the Mac, so they can take its calls. Without it, they connect to one device at a time, though the MDR-1000X, WH-1000XM2 and WH-1000XM3 can take calls from a second device. ### Can Open Sound Connect turn on multipoint for my WH-1000XM4? Yes. Turn on **Connect to 2 Devices Simultaneously** on the **Wearing** page under **Connectivity**. The headphones reconnect once, and the app reconnects by itself. ## Where to next - [Connect Sony headphones to a Mac](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/connect-sony-headphones-to-mac): Pairing mode for each 1000X model, the macOS steps, choosing the sound output, and what to do next. - [Sony headphones keep disconnecting](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-disconnecting-mac): Range and interference, a second device, sleep, automatic power off and settings that reconnect, then the pairing itself. - [Headphones keep pausing](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-pausing-mac): Find out why music pauses by itself: Speak-to-Chat, wearing detection, the touch panel, a second device or macOS. --- Open Sound Connect is independent software. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony. Sony, DSEE, DSEE Extreme and LDAC are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Group Corporation or its affiliates. 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