Peloton’s Bike, Bike+, Tread, and Tread+ all give you the option to connect wireless headphones, so you can forget about getting tangled up in your headphone wire, and focus on the great tunes and peppy instructors. But how do you connect your AirPods, your Powerbeats Pro, or your Bluetooth workout headphones to Peloton? We found out.
Of course, it’s worth noting that the home-workout giant does give you the option to plug your headphones into your Bike or Tread. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on all of their machines, so if you’ve only got your old iPhone headphones to hand, they’ll still work. That said, it’s far easier to connect via Bluetooth, and you don’t have to worry about the wire as you cycle or run.
Alternatively, if you've forgotten to charge your Apple AirPods, or you’ve left your Powerbeats Pro in the car, you can listen without headphones at all. While this is definitely an option on the Peloton Bike or Peloton Bike Plus, we found the noise of the Peloton Tread does mean you need to have the sound turned up pretty high to hear the music well, so do bear this in mind if you’re working out while other members of your household are sleeping.
How to connect your AirPods, Powerbeats, or Bluetooth headphones to Peloton
If you have a pair of Apple headphones, be that the standard Airpods, AirPods Pro, or the Apple AirPods 3, or some wireless Beats headphones, like the Powerbeats or the Powerbeats Pro, connecting them to the Peloton Bike or Tread is a simple process.
I’ll caveat this by saying that neither AirPods nor Beats headphones are fully sweat-resistant (as I recently found out), so be sure to wipe down your headphones before returning them to their case after a session.
- Tap on the settings cog in the top right-hand corner of the Peloton screen
- Select the Bluetooth Audio option
- Press and hold the button on the back of the AirPods or AirPod Pro unit until it flashes white. For AirPods Max, you’ll need to press and hold the noise control button. If you’re connecting Powerbeats Pro, press and hold the button in the charging case until it flashes white. Finally, if you’re connecting Powerbeats, you’ll need to hold the power button down until it flashes.
- Once in pairing mode, your headphones should appear on the Bluetooth list on the Peloton screen. Select your headphones and click ‘connect’.
- Once you have connected your headphones once, the Peloton Bike or Tread should recognize them as soon as you open the case.
How to connect other Bluetooth headphones, and devices, to Peloton
But what if you don’t have AirPods or Beats headphones? To connect any other Bluetooth headphones, or indeed, a Bluetooth heart rate monitor to the Peloton, follow these simple steps:
- Tap on Settings in the top right-hand corner of the Peloton screen
- Tap on Bluetooth Audio
- Put your headphones into pairing mode
- Select your headphones in the list of recognized Bluetooth products and press ‘Connect’.
And you’re all connected! Another handy feature once your headphones are plugged in is changing the sound levels when you’re taking a class. If you click on the sound icon on the right-hand side of the screen while in a workout, or press the volume up or down buttons on the side, you can change the volume, but also have the options to hear more instructor, lowering the volume of the background music, or to turn the music up and hear the instructor less.
Looking for more Peloton tips and tricks? Here's how to do an FTP test on a Peloton, and how to use your Apple Watch as a heart rate monitor on a Peloton.
