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How do I disconnect my AirPods from someone else’s phone?

I recently encountered an issue where my AirPods were mistakenly connected to someone else’s phone. As an owner, I was frustrated and so I started doing some research to try and figure out how I could disconnect my AirPods from their device. In this blog post, I’m going to share how I solved the issue, as well as other possible solutions that I discovered during my research.

Key Takeaways
To disconnect AirPods from someone else’s phone, forget the AirPods from that device or reset them.
Lost or stolen AirPods cannot be tracked or locked since they do not have internet connectivity.
Shared AirPods or ones used on iPhones that share your iCloud account may automatically connect to other devices.
Your AirPods can be removed from all devices that share your Apple ID using a Mac, Apple Watch, or another iOS device.
Other people should not be able to connect to your AirPods without physical access to them.

How do I disconnect my AirPods from someone else’s phone?

There are two ways to disconnect your AirPods from someone else’s phone. The first is to forget them from that device. The second is to reset the AirPods.

To forget your AirPods from the device, you would need to get that person to go into the Bluetooth settings on their phone and forget your AirPods.

If you cannot do that, you can simply reset the AirPods.

To reset your AirPods, do the following:

  1. Put your AirPods in the case
  2. Open the lid
  3. Hold the button for 15 seconds until the light flashes orange then white
  4. Your AirPods will now reset and disconnect from all devices

There are various ways that this may happen. One of the most common ways is if your AirPods are lost or stolen and then connected to another person’s phone. Unless you are able to locate them, the unfortunate news is that lost or stolen AirPods can neither be tracked, nor can they be locked.

This is because the AirPods do not actually have any Internet connectivity, such as Wi-Fi, for which to track or lock them using the iCloud Activation Lock feature that other Apple devices use.

In turn, this also means that you cannot prevent someone from pairing these AirPods with their phone, nor can you unpair them unless you are able to get access to their phone.

Read more: Can I use an iPad charger to charge AirPods?

Why are my AirPods connecting to someone else’s phone?

If your AirPods are connecting to someone else’s phone, there are multiple reasons why this may be the case. One option is that another person may have connected your AirPods to their phone without your consent.

This is relatively low in likelihood, as they would have to have access to your AirPods and charging case, and you would have to be in proximity with them to find out that it occurred in the first place.

A more common issue comes in the event that your AirPods are connecting to someone else’s phone is if the AirPods are shared, or if it is an iPhone that shares your iCloud account and have been used on it before. This is common if it is a family member. This may be due to the automatic switching feature that the AirPods have.

This feature causes your AirPods to automatically connect to whatever device it is linked to that is playing music.

When this happens, if you’re using an iPhone, you can tap the back button on the “Moved to [device]” notification to undo it.

If you want to prevent this from occurring altogether, go to your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings, and push the information icon next to your AirPods in the list. From there, push “Connect to This Phone”, and then “When Last Connected to This Phone.”

Read more: Should I get AirPods or an Apple Watch?

Can you disconnect AirPods without the phone?

If you no longer have the phone in question, or if the phone is not in your possession at that moment, there are methods you can employ to unpair the AirPods from it. If you are trying to unpair from an iPhone, one option is to go on your Mac, Apple Watch, or other iOS device to remove it from all devices that share your Apple ID.

Can other people connect to my AirPods?

Without having physical access to your AirPods, another person should not be able to connect with their phone to your AirPods. However, as mentioned above, if someone’s iPhone (for example) is linked to the same iCloud account as you, they may be able to get access to them.

Pros

  • Easy to disconnect your AirPods from another device – either forget them or reset them.
  • Can use your Mac, Apple Watch, or other iOS device to remove AirPods from all devices that share your Apple ID.

Cons

  • Lost or stolen AirPods cannot be tracked or locked.
  • AirPods may automatically connect to someone else’s phone if they are shared, or if it is an iPhone that shares your iCloud account and have been used on it before.
  • Without having physical access to your AirPods, other people can still connect to them.