Why Won’t Wireless Headphones Work With Netflix? (Helpful Tips)

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Technology should be making our lives easier, but sometimes it does the opposite, like when wireless headphones won’t work with Netflix despite working with everything else. It sounds like an unlikely problem, but it’s surprisingly common. So, what causes the issue, and what can you do to fix it? Is it your device, the headphones, or Netflix itself that isn’t working correctly?

If your wireless headphones won’t work on Netflix, first ensure that they are paired or connected correctly and to the right device. It’s also possible that something went wrong with the pairing, so disconnecting and reconnecting it could help. Netflix might also be set to a different audio device.

The fact that your Netflix headphones are working on other devices shows that it’s not a problem with the headphones, thankfully. The other issues are generally easier to fix, so let’s get into the troubleshooting process.

Are Your Wireless Headphones Paired Correctly For Netflix?

This is the most obvious question, and some may find it slightly insulting that we have to cover it here, but there’s a principle in troubleshooting that says, “check the simple things first.” The simplest thing to check is if you paired or connected your headphones correctly.

The problem with wireless headphones is that we often use them on different devices. For example, maybe you listened to music with your Bluetooth headphones connected to your phone, then played games on your PC using the same pair of headphones. When you try to watch a Netflix show on your TV later, it might not work because your headphones are still paired with the phone or PC.

It’s easy to miss pairing issues like these, but to make matters worse, Bluetooth pairing usually happens automatically, even if we don’t want it to. Bluetooth devices will often automatically connect to the closest paired device.

To solve this problem, check the device you’re trying to watch Netflix on to see which Bluetooth devices are currently paired and connected. If it’s not your headphones, try to pair them. You might also have to manually disconnect your headphones from the device that it’s currently connected to before this will work.

Are The Headphones Paired Correctly?

Here we get to another simple, but often quite technical, problem. Electronics, especially those that run on software, can pick up bugs as you use them. Bugs can cause strange behavior in these devices, like wireless soundstage headphones suddenly not working on Netflix immediately after they worked perfectly with Spotify.

Once you’ve checked that your headphones are connected and paired with the correct device, as mentioned above, you can safely assume that something might have gone wrong with the pairing, leading to the audio not working.

To resolve this issue, you must disconnect the headphones from the device you’re using to watch Netflix, then reconnect them.

To be 100% sure, it’s often best to turn both devices off. After disconnecting the headphones from your PC, TV, or other devices, turn them off, then do the same with the TV. Then turn them both on again.

The other common troubleshooting trick of “try to turn it off and on again” applies to this scenario. More often than not, after restarting your device and headphones, they will connect and work perfectly.

In extreme cases, you may have to unpair the devices entirely and restart from scratch. Go into your device settings, find the list of Bluetooth devices, select your headphones, and choose “Forget.” This will erase all the data about your headphones saved by the device.

Now restart both devices (to be safe), then repeat the pairing process as you did when you first connected them. This ensures a clean, bug-free pairing, which will likely ensure that your headphones work properly with Netflix.

Did You Select The Correct Audio Output For Your Headphones?

Most devices have multiple audio output channels these days. Your phone has built-in speakers, a headphone connector of some sort, and Bluetooth playback functionality. Your PC has many of the same things, including an HDMI port that can also handle sound, and the same applies to your TV.

Most of us have had to deal with the problem of different audio output channels on a Windows laptop. When you click on the speaker icon in the System Tray (next to the date and time in the bottom right corner of your desktop), you will see a list of output devices, and you must select the right one, or the sound will play from a different audio device or not work at all.

Most devices have a similar feature. Some (like smartphones) are great at automatically choosing the correct device, but that might not always be the case. Check the settings for the device you’re using to watch Netflix to see if there’s a way to select the audio output you want to use.

A related point to mention is that you might have more than one Bluetooth device connected to your TV, smartphone, or computer. Since smartphones always give Bluetooth devices or headphones preference when you connect them, they might still get confused if you have your Netflix headphones connected simultaneously as a Bluetooth speaker, for example.

To resolve this, go into your Bluetooth settings and select the wireless headphones from the list. It should automatically play whatever you want to listen to over the headphones.

PCM Sound Settings For Netflix On TVs

Sometimes you find a problem so frustrating that no amount of troubleshooting solves it. If you’ve been through this list and nothing worked, and you’re using a TV, your TV’s digital audio settings may be wrong.

To resolve this, follow these steps (the exact details will depend on your TV’s brand and model):

1. Open Netflix on the TV. You have to do this first before trying the rest of the steps.
2. With Netflix open, take your remote control and press the Settings button.
3. In settings, you should have an Audio option. Select that.
4. You should have something similar to “Digital Audio” in your Audio Settings. Select that.
5. Now choose the “PCM” option, then save and exit your TV’s settings.

PCM is a feature allowing you to hear sound through the TV’s speakers if you’re watching Netflix from another device connected to the TV. Some of the settings could interfere with the proper functioning of your Bluetooth headphones.

If PCM doesn’t solve the issue, try other options because some TV brands have specific audio settings for your situation.

Top Wireless Headphones for Netflix Viewing

We’ve compiled a selection of the best wireless headphones perfect for enhancing your Netflix experience. Our recommendations focus on sound quality, comfort, and connectivity to ensure uninterrupted binge-watching.

Conclusion

Technology is weird, and strange things can happen when trying to do something as simple as watching Netflix over wireless headphones. Thankfully, it’s usually not a crisis, and it’s pretty easy to resolve. Try the simple fixes first, even if it seems counter-intuitive. It’s surprising how often those simple things are the causes of a problem. Enjoy your favorite TV shows with a good set of Netflix headphones.

Sources:

No Sound on Netflix? Here’s The Fix!
Netflix | Help Center -Video with no sound