How do you initiate pairing?

There are no instructions in the module's box and I did not see anything in the 976 manual.

Select the BT on remote. Once unit is set to Bluetooth it will be in pairing mode. When you select another source it turns the BT receiver off. Super easy.

Does it remember the pairing or does it go through the process each time?

My phone remembered . . . no issue.

Hi everyone, I'm a long time lurker (2005) first time poster. Regarding the 976 bluetooth module I have learned how to enable the aptX codec for MacOS devices which may be useful for the FAQ.

MacOS devices stream using SBC by default, but can be enabled to use aptX using this terminal command:
(from https://www.areilly.com/2017/07/29/enabling-aac-and-aptx-over-bluetooth-on-macos/)

sudo defaults write bluetoothaudiod "Enable AptX codec" -bool true

You can confirm which codec is being used by holding down the option key and clicking on the bluetooth menu bar icon then mousing over the device.
iOS devices stream using the SBC codec, I have not found a way to force AAC even with AAC content being played. Apple has not announced aptX support on iOS.