Can You Use Beats Flex On Xbox? [Answered!]

If you’re an Xbox fan, you probably have one (or two or three) tangled-up messes of corded headsets.

If you’re looking to upgrade to a wireless, Bluetooth headset to use with your Xbox, you may be wondering if Beats Flex are a good option.

Can Beats Flex Connect to Xbox?

You can connect Beats Flex to your Xbox, but it will require purchasing either a Bluetooth transmitter or Bluetooth transmitter and receiver. These adapters are not made specifically for Xbox, they are made to work with any device with a 3.5mm audio jack. Microsoft’s Xbox gaming consoles do not have Bluetooth functionality built-in. 

Xbox controllers pair through radio frequency to the Xbox for lower latency controls and wireless connections are made through wireless signals affectionately named Xbox Wireless. 

Xbox Wireless is a proprietary protocol that enables all of the Xbox’s wireless connectivity.

It may seem like a poor choice for Microsoft to exclude Bluetooth connectivity from their console as the Bluetooth peripheral market is massive, but the fact of the matter is that the higher frequency of Xbox Wireless allows for a significantly more stable connection that can pass higher quality audio with far less latency, or lag.

Using a Bluetooth transmitter isn’t the best option for high-fidelity audio, but on Xbox, it is your only option to use Bluetooth headphones or earbuds like the Beats Flex. 

The good news is that these adapters aren’t too expensive and are becoming more widely available at retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart.

These adapters are made to plug into a 3.5mm audio jack. 

That means you’ll be plugging in whichever adapter you choose to use into your Xbox One controller jack. 

If you own an older Xbox One controller with no 3.5mm audio jack, you’ll also need to purchase an Xbox Stereo Headset Adapter. 

I would recommend looking for one that has been refurbished or pre-owned as a new adapter can cost $65 which is more than some Xbox One headsets.

How To Pair Your Beats Flex With Your Xbox

Newer Xbox One controllers have a 3.5mm audio jack on the bottom. 

This port is used for wired headsets like the one the console ships with.

Luckily, this audio jack is a standard port that accepts any wired headset or headphones with a 3.5mm connector.

If you have studio headphones, you can use these as well by purchasing an audio jack adapter. 

Older Xbox One controllers require an additional purchase to add a 3.5mm jack, the Xbox Stereo Headset Adapter.

This piece can be costly if purchased new. 

It retails at $65 which warrants thought into just purchasing an Xbox compatible headset for around $40-60 or purchasing a newer Xbox One controller for near the same price. 

You will then take either your Bluetooth transmitter or Bluetooth transmitter/receiver and plug it into the 3.5mm jack on the controller. 

Follow the instructions on your transmitter to pair your Beats Flex to the device. 

You should now have wireless audio.

There are some downsides to using this method. 

Bluetooth transmitters and transmitter/receivers are not small items to be attached to your controller. 

You will end up with a small box dangling from the controller you connect it to. 

As a side note, if you want to be able to use your Beats Flex microphone for a party or in-game chat, you will have to purchase a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver which is usually around $40. 

The reason is that a Bluetooth transmitter only sends audio to the headset. 

You’ll notice that transmitters only have two lines around the audio jack.

These are the left and right audio connections. 

A Bluetooth transmitter/receiver has three lines on the audio jack.

 This is because it has both the left and right audio connections as well as a microphone connection. 

The receiver part of the adapter allows your audio to travel from the microphone to the adapter and then to the Xbox. 

This solution will get your Beats Flex connected, but I cannot guarantee excellent quality as this is a work-around, not a supported feature.

Can I Use My Beats on Xbox One?

Some good news is that this method isn’t exclusive to your Beats Flex. 

Using a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver will work for any Bluetooth audio device, even stand-alone Bluetooth speakers. 

However, if you happen to have a wired Beats headset, you can skip extra adapters and just plug the audio jack into your Xbox One controller. 

It’s that easy.

In fact, wired headset connections are fully supported. 

You will get a better audio quality, a stable connection, and low latency.

The only downside to wired connections is the cable can be quite annoying if you tend to get animated while gaming. 

To recap, you can connect any pair of Beats headphones or earbuds to your Xbox whether they are wired or wireless. Wireless connections require that you purchase a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver in order to pair them to your controller and thus your Xbox. Wired Beats headphones will only need to be plugged into the 3.5mm audio jack on your Xbox One controller to operate.

Beats has changed its product offerings to exclusively be wireless. 

That means if you are going to purchase a new pair of Beats that you want to connect to your Xbox, you will need to use the wireless connection work-around. 

However, you can still find wired Beats headphones through wholesalers and resellers on sites like Amazon or eBay.

Can I Use Wireless Beats on Xbox One?

As stated in the previous section about connecting Beats in general to your Xbox One, wireless Beats can be connected to your Xbox One as well through the use of a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver. 

I would only recommend this if you already own a pair of wireless Beats that you want to connect to your Xbox One.

If you are looking to get a new pair of Beats headphones or earbuds, they will be wireless which means your only option to use them with your Xbox One is a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver. 

Unless you look around online for a cheaper quality transmitter and receiver, the adapter can cost upwards of $50. 

There are options online that are cheaper, but I have not personally tested them and cannot testify to their quality.

However, I have decided to put together a list of cheap Bluetooth transmitters/receivers that are available for purchase through Amazon:

• 1Mii Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter Receiver – $30
• Hsoipn 2-in-1 Wireless Audio Adapter, Bluetooth 5.0 – $27.99
• TROND Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter Receiver – $37.99

If you are more willing to test a product that I have personally tried, it’s the Aluratek Bluetooth Wireless Audio Transmitter and Receiver. 

It is primarily found at Best Buy and retails for $39.99.

In my experience, this adapter is a solid piece of technology. 

If you are looking to pick one up in-store, make sure to look for both the words Transmitter and Receiver.

There is also an Aluratek transmitter that will not allow you to use your microphone.

The difference between a transmitter and a transmitter/receiver is that a transmitter can only send audio to your Bluetooth device. 

A transmitter and receiver will be able to both send audio to your Bluetooth device and receive audio from your microphone to send across in-game or party chat.

Verdict

While it is possible to use your Bluetooth Beats with your Xbox, I would never recommend it.

Keeping a box attached to your Xbox controller can be rather inconvenient. 

You may also experience terrible audio quality or breaks in the wireless connection.

It’s not because transmitters/receivers are bad technology. 

It’s just that these devices are meant for TVs, cars, and stereos.

If you have the ability, I would invest some money into a decent Xbox One gaming headset.