The most common reason AirPods won't connect is that Bluetooth is turned off on your iPhone, or the AirPods are paired with a different device

AirPods connect through Bluetooth, a wireless technology that has to be switched on at both ends. If your iPhone's Bluetooth is off, or if your AirPods last connected to your Mac, iPad, or another phone, they will try to reconnect there instead of to your iPhone. The fix usually takes less than a minute — but which fix depends on which of these situations you are in.

Before you try anything else, put your AirPods in their charging case for 15 seconds, then take them out again. This resets their connection state and clears most temporary glitches. If that does not work, the steps below will walk you through the actual causes.

Key Takeaways

  • Check that Bluetooth is turned on in your iPhone's Settings app under Bluetooth — this is the single most common reason for connection failure.
  • If your AirPods connected to another device recently, they may be trying to reconnect there instead; you may need to unpair them from that device first.
  • Forgetting the AirPods in your iPhone's Bluetooth settings and then re-pairing them fixes most connection problems that survive a reset.
  • If your AirPods are more than a few years old, the battery inside them may be too weak to hold a charge or maintain a connection.

Check that Bluetooth is on in your iPhone settings

Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap Bluetooth. If the toggle at the top is gray and says "Off", tap it to turn Bluetooth on. The toggle will turn green and say "On".

Wait a few seconds. Your AirPods should appear in the list below the toggle. If they do, tap them to connect. If they do not appear, move to the next section.

If Bluetooth is already on, try turning it off and back on again. This refreshes the connection and often fixes temporary problems. Wait 10 seconds after turning it off, then turn it back on.

Disconnect your AirPods from other devices

AirPods remember every device they have ever connected to. When you turn them on, they try to reconnect to the device they were last used with. If that was your Mac, your iPad, or someone else's phone, your AirPods will ignore your iPhone until you tell them to connect to it instead.

The fastest way to fix this is to go to the other device, open its Bluetooth settings, and tap the information icon (a small circle with an "i") next to your AirPods. Then tap Forget This Device. Do this for every device your AirPods have connected to recently.

After you forget them from the other devices, put your AirPods back in their case for 15 seconds. Take them out, and they should now try to connect to your iPhone instead.

Forget and re-pair your AirPods on your iPhone

If your AirPods still will not connect after you have checked Bluetooth and disconnected them from other devices, the pairing itself may be corrupted. Forgetting them and pairing them again usually fixes this.

Open Settings on your iPhone and go to Bluetooth. Find your AirPods in the list. Tap the information icon (the small circle with an "i") next to them. Tap Forget This Device, then tap it again to confirm.

Now put your AirPods in their charging case and close the lid. Wait 15 seconds. Open the case (do not take the AirPods out yet). On your iPhone, go back to Settings > Bluetooth and look for a new device called AirPods or [Your Name]'s AirPods with a setup icon next to it. Tap it. Your iPhone will walk you through pairing. When it is done, take your AirPods out of the case and they should connect.

Check the battery level in your AirPods

AirPods with a low battery may not connect reliably. Put both AirPods in their charging case and close the lid. Leave them there for at least 30 minutes. Then open the case and try connecting again.

To see your AirPods' battery level, open the case near your iPhone (with Bluetooth on). A battery status card should appear on your screen showing the charge in each AirPod and in the case. If both AirPods show 0% or very low percentages, they need to charge longer.

If your AirPods are several years old and the battery drains very quickly — for example, they hold a charge for only 15 minutes instead of the usual 5 to 6 hours — the battery inside them may be worn out. Apple can replace the battery, but it is usually cheaper to buy new AirPods.

Restart your iPhone

If none of the steps above work, restart your iPhone. This clears temporary software problems that can interfere with Bluetooth.

The restart method depends on your iPhone model. If you have an iPhone with a home button (iPhone 8 or earlier), press and hold the power button until "Slide to Power Off" appears, then slide to turn it off. Wait 10 seconds, then press the power button again to turn it back on.

If you have an iPhone without a home button (iPhone X or later), press and hold the volume up button and the power button together until "Slide to Power Off" appears. Slide to turn it off, wait 10 seconds, then press the power button to turn it back on.

Update your iPhone if a software update is available

Bluetooth problems are sometimes caused by bugs in your iPhone's software. Check whether an update is available by opening Settings, tapping General, and then Software Update. If an update is shown, tap read and Install. Your iPhone will restart during the process.

After the update finishes, try connecting your AirPods again. If you have already forgotten them from your iPhone, you will need to pair them again following the steps in the "Forget and re-pair" section above.

Contact Apple if your AirPods still won't connect

If you have worked through all the steps above and your AirPods still will not connect, the problem is likely a hardware fault in either the AirPods or your iPhone. Apple can diagnose this for you.

Visit apple.com/support or call Apple Support at 1-800-MY-APPLE. Have your AirPods and iPhone with you. Apple will ask you to try a few more things over the phone, and if none of them work, they can arrange a repair or replacement. If your AirPods are still under the one-year limited warranty, the repair is free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my AirPods keep disconnecting from my iPhone?

Frequent disconnections usually mean your iPhone and AirPods are too far apart (Bluetooth has a range of about 30 feet), or there is interference from other wireless devices like microwaves or Wi-Fi routers. Try moving closer to your iPhone. If disconnections happen in the same location, try moving away from other wireless devices. If the problem follows you everywhere, forget and re-pair your AirPods.

Can I connect my AirPods to my iPhone if I don't have the charging case?

Yes. If your AirPods are already paired with your iPhone, they will connect automatically when you turn them on, even without the case nearby. If they have never been paired with your iPhone, you will need the case to put them in pairing mode — the case is required for initial setup, but not for everyday use after that.

Why does my iPhone show my AirPods as connected but I can't hear anything?

Check that your iPhone's volume is turned up (use the volume buttons on the side of the phone). Then check that audio is actually being sent to your AirPods and not to your iPhone's speaker. Open Control Center (swipe down from the top right on newer iPhones, or up from the bottom on older ones), tap the audio card, and make sure your AirPods are selected as the output device.

What if my AirPods were paired with someone else's iPhone?

AirPods can only be paired with one Apple ID at a time. If they were set up on someone else's account, you will need to unpair them from that account first. Ask the other person to go to their iPhone's Settings > Bluetooth, find your AirPods, tap the information icon, and select Forget This Device. After that, you can pair them with your own iPhone.