I have an old iPod touch. 3rd generation, runs iOS 5.1.1. The operating system cannot be updated — I’ve tried.
I would really like wireless headphones for this device, but I’m stumped. Every one I’ve seen requires iOS 10 minimum.
Is there one out there or is this iPod just obsolete?
Yeeeaaahhh…no. Unfortunately, iOS 5 is just too old to use wireless headphones on. If you want the Airpods specifically, you’ll need to fork over some cash to get not only the Airpods themselves, but also a new iPod that runs iOS 10 or later.
Is it not enough to simply support Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR? There’s tons of basic Bluetooth headphones on Amazon. I’m having a hard time understanding why the iOS version should matter unless you’re looking at AirPods.
I don’t know either. But, for example, a Beats Flex set I saw on sale at Costco says “Compatible with iOS 14 or later”.
Bluetooth is in theory backward compatible, so newer Bluetooth headphones will plausibly work on an older device, but early versions of Bluetooth are also famously not very reliable and plagued by compatibility problems, so I don’t think you’re going to know for sure without testing it.