Best Swimming Headphones (2025): Shockz, Jabees, and more

Most, if not all, swim headphones play music by streaming audio files from a built-in music player. Some also offer a Bluetooth streaming option, which is mainly there to make the headphones more useful when you’re back on dry land. You have to store files on the headphones themselves, because Bluetooth and water don’t really mix. Water absorbs the frequency that Bluetooth operates on, which in turn affects the signal strength. If you’ve ever tried to stream music using swimming headphones, that’s probably why the connection drops on a regular basis.

You’ll usually be able to send music to your headphones using the same cable you use to charge them. You’ll have to connect it to your computer to send files to the headphones, unless the headphones offer the ability to sync files from a companion smartphone app.

You will then need to drag and drop the audio files into the folders; Audio file format support can vary by headset. Make sure to check which formats your headphones support before hitting the buy button! To use swimming headphones, you must already own the audio or be able to download it legally. This can apply to some podcasts and audiobooks.

Can swim headphones let you play music from streaming services like Spotify? Well, not really, because most of the audio on streaming services is protected by DRM (Digital Rights Management). Some headphones offer some solutions, with some solutions working better than others.