Bluetooth speakers and headphones are wildly popular these days, thanks to improved sound quality, wireless connectivity and falling prices.
These products are great for Bluetooth-ready music-playing devices – such as the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, and other Android smartphones and tablets – but what about the humble iPod classic or original iPod touch.
Apple hasn’t updated its iPod classic for about five years. It still features the old 30-pin connector that was long-ago replaced on all of Apple’s other mobile devices. And crucially it doesn’t natively support Bluetooth.
Without additional hardware the iPod classic simply can’t pair with a wireless Bluetooth speaker or set of Bluetooth wireless headphones. See also: Best speakers for iPhone and Best earbuds and headphones for iPhone, iPad
How to get an old iPod to work with Bluetooth speakers or headphones
You need to buy a Bluetooth transmitter that fits the older iPods.
You can buy Bluetooth transmitters that work with the older iPods from online stores such as Amazon and eBay, plus online electronics retailers. These use either the headphone jack or the 30-pin connector slot to link to the iPod.
We tested a Kokkia i10s Bluetooth iPod transmitter, which uses the 30-pin connector and cost £39.99 from Amazon. This worked well, and was easy to pair with our test Creative Hitz WP380 Bluetooth wireless headphones.
Other Bluetooth transmitters that work with the iPod classic come from Sony, Belkin and Gear4 – from around £20 to £60.
These do not require batteries but will drain your iPod battery faster than you’re used to.
Read next: How to change a Mac’s Bluetooth name
Author: Simon Jary, Contributing writer
Simon was Editor of Macworld from the dark days of 1995 to the triumphant return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iPhone. His desk is a test bench for tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, Powerline adaptors and Fitbits.