Issue with Soundcore Liberty Air connected to MacBook

#1

Hi everyone,

I’ve had my Soundcore Liberty Air for a month now and so far I’m pleased with the sound quality and battery life. When I use it with my iPhone, everything works.

The issue comes when I use it with my MacBook (2018). I am experiencing small frequent disconnects of my left airbud. The left airbud will suddenly disconnect (music goes off) for half a second, and then it comes back to normal. It wouldn’t bother me if I wasn’t experiencing it several times per hour.

This said, I’m not sure what could be causing this. I also have a mouse connected by bluetooth, but it also happens when it’s not connected and only the headphones are.

Have any of you experienced similar issues? This is my second pair, as I had to exchange the first ones due to microphone’s issues with echoes in calls. I’m starting to think the airbuds are not worth the $80 they cost.

Zolo Liberty (Upgraded) Issues with MacBook Pro 2017
#2

It will be worthwhile to disconnect all other bluetooth devices (mouse, keyboard etc) and try to replicate the issue. If it goes away then you may be experiencing some peripheral interference.
Other than that you can try hard resetting Liberty Air as per Anker’s instructions in the video below and see if the problem goes away.
Keep us posted in this issue. I have Liberty Air and I also use it with my Macbook Air 2011 (with Mojave) and have zero issues.
I did face some installation issues while connecting these to a windows 7 pc since these connect via a serial port connection mode (SPP) which is not as user friendly as macos connection.

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#3

I had already tried resetting them, several times, and it still happens. I think you might be right and this could be caused by peripheral interferences. My major complaint is that this did not happen with the AirPods, but I guess Apple tries to make it easier if the product is from their brand.

#4

@rtena I have this paired with my older 2013 MacBook pro and I have only experienced a disconnect once. But then my MacBook updated and I haven’t had any issues since. I also have a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard hooked up so I don’t think that could be causing your interference.

#5

@elmo41683 Are your bluetooth keyboard and mouse the Apple ones? Just curious.

#6

No there made by Logitech

#7

Interesting. My bluetooth mouse is also Logitech (MX Anywhere 2S) and I had disconnects… Perhaps I should try resetting that as well.

#8

I use the MX Master with BT, I tried the unifying receiver but it was a pain when switching between computers so I solely use Bluetooth smart connect with it.
Maybe see if there is an updated driver you can use that prevents interference

#9

I’m experiencing the same issue. I have no other devices connected to my MacBook via Bluetooth, so I don’t think it’s an interference issue for me. I haven’t noticed the issue when connected to my iPhone. I’ve tried resetting the headphones and pairing again with the MacBook, but the left earphone begins cutting out again for a second or two at least every few minutes. I want to like these earphones, but not being able to stay consistently connected while working is just too distracting.

Maybe I’ll try updating to Mojave and see if that resolves the issue. I’ll try to fix over the next few days and post an update if I find something that resolves the issue for me.

#10

Just FYI, I was having these issues when I was already on Mojave. And, same as you, it works well on my iPhone. I have noticed that for me, if the headphones are the only thing connected through bluetooth, they work fine.

#11

Same here: 2018 macbook pro running Mojave. Left ear continually cuts in and out. Even worse is both earbuds periodically cut out making the music choppy. If I disconnect bluetooth mouse, it’s all good. Everything works fine on my android phone. Unfortunately, the macbook is my workstation and I need to have bluetooth mouse & keyboard, so these just aren’t going to work for me, so I shall return them and figure out which other bluetooth ear buds to purchase. It’s a shame 'cause these have good sound and are comfortable. But they’re just not compatible with other bluetooth devices on a macbook!

#12

Same here. If you disconnect your mouse from MacBook Pro (latest i9), it’s working fine without any issue. If you connect both devices, the left earbuds disconnect every few minutes. It’s working with Android without problems.

#13

Just bought them yesterday. It keeps happening to me, and I’ve charged them but on my samsung phone it said that they had only 10% battery life, and then I just got the sound of, I guess, them turning off :confused:

First I tried them with the phone, but only the left earbud worked. Then I thought I need to charge them, but on my mac they kept on disconnecting in the middle of the song :confused:

#14

Hello
I’m having the same issue.
Have had mine for ±1mth when I first paired them to my Macbook, no problemo, worked like a charm.
Now though, the left earpiece doesn’t connect at all and if the right one pairs, the sound is distorted, bassless and tinny.
Have unpaired everything and repaired just the Ankers: No bueno, still the same issue.

Does someone from Anker have any response to any of this? A work-around? Possible fix?
It’s a really great product, works fine with my phone, great sound, great design…but this connection to macbook issue sounds like a big problem.

#15

Try doing a PRAM and SMC reset on your macbook. After that do a reset of your Liberty Air and pair it again. See if this solves the issues.

Below are instructions for Macbook Air
SMC RESET

Shut down the computer.
Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
Press the power button to turn on the computer.

PRAM RESET

Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

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#16

Hi all just bought my pair today and was experiencing the same issues until I found this article on Forbes this alleviated all disconnect drops while still allowing me to use my Magic Mouse 2

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#17

Same issue but for me it turns out that my Mac external bluetooth touchpad is the issue. As long as that’s on, both ears cut out for a split second about every 10-20 seconds. It’s super annoying. Disabling the trackpad, they work flawlessly. If I unpair the trackpad and then pair it again, the problem seems to go away but then it starts acting up within a few minutes. I’m fine with not using my trackpad while listening to my headphones but it is rather annoying.

#18

I had the same issue with my macbook pro. Every half second the audio would dip out.

After looking through different forums on bluetooth headphones in general being used with a macbook I can across this link https://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/02/01/experiencing-bluetooth-problems-on-your-mac-try-this/

I tried all of the steps, and seems to work good now!

Hope it works for others.

#19

Thank you for this comment! I just bought these headphones and nearly took them back within hours of dealing with the constant disconnect with my Macbook. This simple change fixed my problem. Thanks so much!!

#20

So my issue is that after pairing - and listening to stereo sound - then a call or webinar starts, and the left bud drops off. All of a sudden I’ll hear the phrase: “battery power high” which is what is said when I pull them out of the case. I can’t find any other people having this problem.