It’s always so frustrating when your technology isn’t working properly. That’s exactly what I experienced recently when my AirPods wouldn’t connect to my iPhone and I couldn’t figure out why. After doing some research and trial and error, I’m here to share the causes and fixes I discovered to help others in the same situation. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing the technical issues that can cause AirPods to not connect to iPhones and the solutions that I found to get them working properly again.
Likely reasons why your AirPods will not connect to your iPhone are that they have not been paired with your iPhone properly, they are out of power, they are connecting to different devices, the Bluetooth is turned off on your iPhone or that you need to reset your AirPods.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Not pairing correctly | Pair AirPods with iPhone by placing them in the case, opening the lid, and pressing the button. |
| AirPods need resetting | Forget AirPods from devices, place them in the case, open the lid, hold the button for 15 seconds, and reconnect. |
| Bluetooth turned off on iPhone | Turn on Bluetooth by opening the settings app and clicking on Bluetooth. |
| AirPods have no power | Charge AirPods in the case and check the charging status by opening the lid next to an iPhone or iPad. |
| iPhone needs to be restarted | Forget AirPods, then turn the iPhone off and on again. |
| Automatic pairing is turned off | Manually connect AirPods, click the “i” icon, select “Connect to this iPhone,” and choose “automatically.” |
| AirPods connecting to different devices | Forget AirPods from other devices, place them in the case, and try connecting to your iPhone. |
Why won’t my AirPods connect to my iPhone
You need to forget the AirPods from your iPhone
Not pairing them correctly
It could be the case that you have not paired your AirPods with your iPhone correctly.
You are meant to pair the AirPods with the iPhone first by putting them in the case, opening the lid, then pressing the button. Your AirPods should then appear on your device’s Bluetooth list of available devices.
If you then click on your AirPods, your device should then be able to pair with them. After that, the AirPods should automatically connect to the iPhone.
You need to reset your AirPods
It could be the case that you need to reset your AirPods.
To reset your AirPods do the following:
- Forget your AirPods from your devices
- Put your AirPods in the case
- Open the lid
- Hold the button for 15 seconds until the light flashes orange then white
- Reconnect your AirPods to your devices
The Bluetooth is turned off on your iPhone
It might also be the case that the Bluetooth is turned off on your iPhone and it would help to make sure that the Bluetooth is turned on. You can do this by opening the settings app and then clicking Bluetooth.
AirPods have no power
It could also be the case that the AirPods themselves have no power. If you put the AirPods in the case and open the lid, you should see an orange or green light. The orange light means the AirPods are charging and the green light means they are fully charged. You can also see how much charge the AirPods have by looking at them on the Bluetooth settings on your Mac or by putting them in the case and opening the lid next to an iPad or iPhone where a popup should appear showing how much charge they have.
Turn the phone off and on
It would help to make sure that you have forgotten your AirPods then try turning your device off and on again.
Automatic pairing is turned off
If the issue is that you have to manually connect to your AirPods from your iPhone, the issue could be that you have turned off automatic pairing. To check this, do the following:
Manually connect your AirPods to your iPhone by taking your AirPods out of the case then clicking on them on the Bluetooth settings in the settings app on your iPhone.
Then click the “i” icon next to your AirPods.
Then click “Connect to this iPhone” and make sure “automatically” is selected
Your AirPods are connecting to different devices
It could also be the case that your AirPods have been connecting to other devices. It would help to try forgetting your AirPods from your other devices. Then put your Airpods in the case and see if your AirPods will connect to your iPhone then.
How to connect my AirPods to my iPhone
To get your AirPods to connect to your iPhone try the following:
Make sure that your AirPods are charged
Make sure that you have been pairing them correctly
Reset the AirPods
Turn the phone off and on again