How to Connect Jabra Elite 85t to Laptop, iPhone and MacBook

The Jabra Elite 85t is one of the new wireless earphones from the house of Jabra. And this time, Jabra has done things a little differently. Apart from Ambient Sound features, these truly wireless earphones also bundle ANC or Active Noise Cancellation. You can easily pair them with your Windows laptop and MacBook.

The good thing about these buds is their passive noise isolation. So even if you do not switch on ANC, you can peacefully carry on your work without any distractions while listening to your favorite songs. And the same applies to calls and online meetings.

So, if you have been looking at ways to connect your Jabra Elite 85t to your Windows laptop, Apple iPhone, or your MacBook, here’s how to do it.

1. How to Connect Jabra Elite 85t to Windows Laptop

Connecting the Elite 85t is no rocket-science, as long as you have a working Bluetooth card on your PC or laptop.

Step 1: Open Settings on your laptop by pressing the Windows + I key together. Select Devices > Add Bluetooth or other devices and select Bluetooth from the menu.

Step 2: Meanwhile, open the charging case of your Elite 85t earphones and press & hold the buttons on the buds until you see them blink.

Once done, close the lid of the charging case for a few seconds to complete the reset process.

Step 3: After resetting the buds, you will see them pop up in the Bluetooth menu of your Windows laptop. Select it, and that’s about it.

Your buds are now connected to your laptop.

Controls and ANC for Windows

The best part about connecting to your Windows laptop or PC is that you can enable both ANC and the HearThrough (ambient sound) feature through the buttons. Plus, you will be able to play and pause songs, even if you do not have a dedicated Windows app.

All you need to do is press the left bud for ANC and HearThrough. And a tap on the right bud to play/pause music. Simple, right?

The Windows pairing is not perfect though. One of the limitations is that you won’t be able to customize and tweak the button actions. Neither will you get to experience the dedicated sound modes on your PC as you can do on your Android phone.

2. How to Connect Jabra Elite 85t to iPhone

Okay, let me put it out there. Connecting the Elite 85t to your iPhone is as easy as pie since the Jabra Sound+ app walks you through most of the process.

Download Jabra Sound+

Step 1: Before you pair them with your iPhone, make sure that the buds are reset. If not, do so by just holding and pressing the earbuds’ buttons until the LED indicators blink blue.

Step 2: Open the Sound+ app on your iPhone and select Elite 85t from the menu to start the scan. If the buds are in proximity, you’ll see the name pop up in the menu.

Tap on the name and that’s about it. The Elite 85t buds are now connected to your iPhone.

Controls and ANC for iPhone

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, the Jabra Elite 85t’s companion app works well on the iPhone. So not only will you get all the controls, but you can also customize the controls. You will be able to cycle through Moments or tweak the EQ as per your preference.

To customize the button actions of the earbuds, tap on the Settings cog at the top-right corner and select Personalize your headset > MyControls > MyControls for Media.

Once in, select the action which you want to tweak, and pick the necessary action. You can do so for both the buds.

3. How to Connect Jabra Elite 85t to MacBook

Again, you will need to reset the buds when you begin the pairing process.

Step 1: Once the buds have been reset, open the Action Center on your Mac (upper right corner).

And while you do this, the buds need to stay close to your Mac. Next select Bluetooth > Bluetooth Preferences.

If the earphones are in pairing mode, they will show up under Devices.

Click on the Connect button, and that’s about it. Simple, right?

Controls and ANC for Mac

Here too, you will be able to use the default button actions. For example, the Elite 85t lets you cycle through the HearThrough mode and ANC with just a single tap.

Or, you can switch the sound Modes off. However, you won’t be able to tweak the actions as per your choice.

Bonus Trick: Customizing Moments

The Sound+ app comes with plenty of tweaks and customization options, and one of them is Moments. The Moments feature lets you set the degree of ANC or HearThrough as per your preference. For now, you can set the degree of both ANC and Hearthrough through 0 and 5.

To save a particular moment, select a particular mode (Focus or Commute) and drag the sliders for both ANC and HearThrough as per your liking.

For example, if you want ANC on full blast in the Focus mode and HearThrough at zero when you are working, drag the sliders and hit the Save button.

Pair Them Up

The Jabra Elite 85t has a wider soundstage, and these pleasant-sounding earphones work well both inside the house and outside. You can use them during your evening walks or when you are attending your morning scrum calls. And the fit adds up to fit. As long as you wear the proper fit, they will stay hooked and will let you go about your business without any distraction.