As good as the Apple AirPods and AirPods Pro can be, no tech product is completely immune from hiccups, and both AirPods models are no exception. Fortunately, a lot can be fixed by simply resetting your AirPods yourself, instead of taking them for repairs or dismissing them as broken.
The process only has a few steps, takes about a minute and works for both the standard AirPods and the AirPods Pro. What’s more, it can remedy a range of problems, from the earbuds refusing to charge to an unreliable Bluetooth connection with your phone. Here’s how to reset AirPods and AirPods Pro and get your buds back to normal.
- AirPods Pro vs. AirPods 2: Which should you buy?
- Everything you need to know about the AirPods 3
- Our picks of the best wireless earbuds overall
How to reset AirPods and AirPods Pro
1. Put your AirPods in the charging case and close the lid. As with when you’d store the earbuds in the case normally, make sure they’re dry and fully docked to the charging connectors.
2. Wait 30 seconds.
3. Disconnect your AirPods from your mobile device. On an iOS device like an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, select Bluetooth, then select your AirPods or AirPods Pro. Finally, tap “Forget This Device” once, then again to confirm.
On Android, go to Settings, then Connected Devices, then tap the cog symbol next to your AirPods or AirPods Pro. Finally, tap “Forget” then “Forget device” to confirm.
4. Open the charging case lid.
5. Press and hold the button on the back of the charging case for about 15 seconds, or until you see the case’s status LED flashing amber.
6. Reconnect your AirPods. Remember that on an iPhone, you can simply hold the AirPods or AirPods Pro close to the screen — while still in the charging case with the lid open — to begin the re-pairing process.
Once reconnected, that’s it: your AirPods or AirPods Pro have reset and will hopefully work more reliably. Be aware, though, that resetting your AirPods will also reset their settings, so if you’ve set a custom name, turned Automatic Ear Detection off or customized the double-tap (on the AirPods) or press-and-hold (on the AirPods Pro) inputs, you’ll need to configure these again.
You can find these settings in iOS by opening Settings, then Bluetooth, then tapping the Information symbol next to your AirPods in the list of connected devices. These settings are not available to Android users.
More audio tips
- How to use AirPods and AirPods Max — Tips, tricks and general instructions
- How to use AirPods Pro: Getting the most out of Apple’s wireless earbuds
- How to set up multi-room music on Apple HomePod and HomePod mini
- How to set up a soundbar for your PS5