A recent update to the Nintendo Switch has opened up the possibilities of what audio devices that fans pair with the hybrid platform. Due to the fact that it's a recent change, a lot of Nintendo Switch fans are experiencing issues with pairing their audio devices.
Reddit user Rossmark recently posted an image of their Nintendo Switch encountering an error when pairing a new audio device to the console. Rossmark stated that audio devices which had already been paired were suddenly not recognized and had to pair again. The Nintendo Switch owner also noted that on two different occasions, they got a black screen, which forced a reset and closed the open application.
The error code that Rossmark and many other Nintendo Switch owners are encountering is 2168-0002 and it recommends that people go to Nintendo's error support page. Nintendo Switch fans that have gone through the official steps haven't been met with a fix to this audio issue. Rossmark and some other Reddit users noted that the audio issue may be connected to the JBL Tune 500BT and other fans took to the post to do some troubleshooting to fix the problem themselves.
PSA: Save your game progress before connecting an audio device in a new session - Several times what was already paired was not recognized and I had to pair it again. And on two different occasions I got a black screen, which reset my Switch and closed the game app from NintendoSwitch
Because Rossmark encountered a bug that forced a hard console reset, the Reddit user also noted that players should save their game progress before connecting new audio devices. Some titles on the platform are known to offer autosaving, but others will require players to manually save the game themselves. It's currently unclear why these Switch units are resetting when failing to pair with Bluetooth headsets.
Other Reddit users took to Rossmark's recent post to note their own technical difficulties with audio devices on the Nintendo Switch. Several had issues with Airpods, Jabra Biz 2400s, and Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2s, while Nintendo Switch players may discover their headset has issues as well. Even the headsets that successfully pair with the Nintendo Switch get disconnected when the hybrid console enters sleep mode.
Not only have these gamers encountered the same issue with various headsets, but they're also attempting to pair them to different controllers. While some have encountered this issue using a Pro Controller, others have experienced it using JoyCons. This issue seems to persist whether in docked or handheld mode.
It took Nintendo several years to open the Nintendo Switch to new audio devices through Bluetooth and it appears there are some growing pains with the new changes. Considering Nintendo only just recently updated the Nintendo Switch to allow more audio devices, there are likely some bugs to iron out such as the ones fans are experiencing. It's currently unclear if Nintendo is working on a fix for this audio issue, but Rossmark is just among several fans experiencing audio issues.