Zwift/AirPod issues

Bugs and Support
#1

Whenever I start Zwift while using AirPods, device pairing is incredibly inconsistent and the AirPods disconnect/reconnect to my zwift computer over and over again.

My setup for zwifting is a macbook, wahoo kickr, wahoo tickr, PT pedals, and wahoo Ant+ usb dongle. The AirPods will be connected to my phone when I launch zwift and I’ve seen the following:

  • unable to pair with various Bluetooth and ant sensors
  • no power reading for the ant or BT channels of PT pedals (version 2), though device shows as connected
  • AirPods begin connecting/disconnecting repeatedly with the computer, though they were previously connected to a phone.

None of this odd behavior happens when I start zwift while airpods are in the case.

When the inconsistent pairing occurs (not always) I sometimes have to restart the zwift app, other times have to restart the entire computer. I have not tried but think maybe restarting the Bluetooth daemon would work in place of a full system restart.

TBC, I generally do not want the AirPods to connect to the zwift computer. I like to listen to music or podcasts from my phone while riding and do not care for the in game sound.

#2

Have this same issue myself. Keeps trying to connect my Airpods to my computer instead of phone/ipad like I want it to. Haven’t figured out a solution. Seems once I get riding and once everything is humming along, it stays connected to my ipad (I usually watch Twilight Zone on my iPad while riding).

If you find a solution, let me know!

#3

I’ve got the exact same problem, but doesn’t matter whether I’ve started Zwift or opened the airpods case first. Super frustrating. Help please, Zwift?

#4

I ended up disabling bluetooth on the the zwift computer completely, all my devices connect through the ant+ dongle so I don’t actually need to use BT. It is strange that they haven’t even acknowledged this issue.

#5

Sounds like bluetooth signal interference from the airpods, same thing can happen from multiple different devices, it’s not really Zwifts fault that everything uses 2.4 ghz signals now adays.

#6

I don’t think that is right. The BT standards are able to handle many devices in the same location, and there are no ANT+/BT interference problems when BT is disabled on the laptop. Further, other apps like trainer road and Sufferfest have no problems with the exact same setup. I believe the problem is related to how the zwift app interacts with the computer’s BT system.

Erik