Fix Guide: Tahoe AirPods "Auto-Switch" Not Working

Symptom: You are listening to music on your iPhone, and when you start a video on your Mac running Tahoe, your AirPods refuse to switch audio automatically. You have to manually select them in the Bluetooth menu.

Why this happens

The Tahoe 26.2 update changed the priority of the "Handoff Audio" service. If your Mac is connected to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network or if the bluetoothd cache is stale, the proximity handshake fails.

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Before proceeding with manual fixes, we recommend using OnyX. The preferred tool for deep system maintenance and resetting the macOS Bluetooth stack.

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Fix 1: Check the "Connect to this Mac" Setting

1. Connect your AirPods to your Mac.
2. Go to System Settings > Bluetooth.
3. Click the 'i' next to your AirPods.
4. Ensure Connect to this Mac is set to Automatically.

Fix 2: Reset the Handoff Engine

1. Open Terminal.
2. Run: sudo pkill sharingd && sudo pkill bluetoothd
3. This restarts both the Handoff and Bluetooth stacks, forcing a fresh proximity check.

Recommended Tool: CleanMyMac

Audio switching relies on clean system discovery. Use CleanMyMac to "Flush DNS Cache" and perform general system maintenance to ensure your Mac can "see" your AirPods instantly when they switch devices.