Pairing Rejected By Airpods? – Here’s How to Fix

When pairing rejected by Airpods happens, it can be very frustrating. Luckily, we know what to do! 

Apple’s Airpods reject pairing due to various reasons. It may be the battery’s low, or your Airpods are connected to many other devices. Interference can also cause the issue.

Make sure your devices are within range of each other. 

Are you having issues pairing your Airpods? Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. 

If you can’t pair your AirPods with your device, there are many things you can do. First, charge them for a few extra minutes.

If the battery is adequate, try pairing your AirPods in the case and next to your phone. If this doesn’t work, unpair other devices connected to your phone. 

Before we discuss the solutions further, let us elaborate on why your AirPods reject the connection. 

Why Are My AirPods Rejecting Connection

If you have bought Airpods recently and are facing issues connecting them to your device, you are not alone.

Many recent buyers asked, “Why are my Airpods rejecting connection?” One of the primary reasons is low battery. 

✅ Low battery – Airpods require sufficient battery charge to work. With low or depleted batteries, they can’t pair or connect with other Bluetooth devices. Once the battery falls below 5 percent, Airpods automatically turn off. 

✅ Too many connections – Pre-existing connections with other devices interfere with your Airpods’ ability to connect to your device. If too many devices are paired and connected with your AirPods, it may reject your phone. 

✅ Interference or out-of-range – The device you’re trying to connect to may be out of range or isn’t in discoverable mode. Interference from other electronic devices may also cause the issue. 

✅ Minor software glitch – If your Aripods connection failed, it is likely due to a software issue. You may be facing bugs, glitches, and potential firmware problems. 

These are the possible reasons your AirPods are rejecting connection to your device.

Now, let’s move on to the troubleshooting steps.

Quick Fixes for Pairing Rejected by AirPods

Before you perform some advanced troubleshooting, restart your device.

This popular method can help resolve software issues like lag and unresponsiveness.

Once your phone is rebooted, you can initiate the connection process again. 

If restarting your device doesn’t work, continue with the troubleshooting methods below. 

Solution #1: Pair Your Airpods in the Case and Next to Your Device

Signal interference is one of the most common causes of your Airpods rejecting the connection with your device.

You may think you’re in the clear, and your AirPods should pair up successfully.

However, that’s not always the case, as there could be lots of other signals that can disrupt the connection process.

The quickest way to deal with this is to put your Airpods next to the device you want to pair it to.

Even though the devices could be in range of each other, it helps to get them as close as possible to the initial pairing process.

Here’s how to pair your Airpods and avoid interference:

1. Get your AirPods and place them next to the device you want to pair them to.
2. Place the Airpods inside the case.
3. Open the lid.
4. Pair your AirPods.
5. Tap Done to complete the process.

Note: You want to check that the Bluetooth module of your phone or computer is turned on for the pairing to be successful.

Solution #2: Charge Your AirPods For a Few Extra Minutes

Your AirPods battery levels also matter whenever you pair them with another device.

It’s always difficult to judge its current battery levels as it does not have a quick indicator that can tell you.

You can pair your AirPods, but their batteries are running out, rejecting the request.

Whenever this happens, you want to ensure that your AirPods are charging inside the case. Give it a few extra minutes to replenish its power before attempting again.

Here’s how to get your AirPods to charge properly before pairing:

1. Put both AirPods inside the charging case.
2. Confirm that the AirPods are charging.
3. Plug the charging cable into the charging case to charge it.
4. Leave your AirPods in the case to charge for around 15 minutes.
5. Repeat the pairing process.

Note: Watch out for the light on the charging case of your Airpods. An amber light means it’s charging.

Solution #3: Remove Other Bluetooth Connections from Your Device

The next step you should take if your Airpods continue to reject pairing attempts is to remove saved Bluetooth connections on your phone.

If your phone has a lot of existing connections, these can cause a problem with your latest pairing attempt.

To resolve this, you want to clear your connections list before pairing your AirPods to your device.

Here’s how to remove Bluetooth connections from your device:

On iPhone:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings.
2. Select the Bluetooth menu.
3. Tap on one of the devices on the list.
4. Select the More Info “i” button.
5. Choose Forget this device.

On Mac:

1. Go to your Mac’s System Preferences.
2. Open the Bluetooth menu.
3. Select a device to delete.
4. Press the “x” icon on the right.

Pro Tip: You will need to do this for all connections on your device before pairing your Airpods.

Solution #4: Disconnect the Airpods from Connected Devices

If you have paired your Airpods repeatedly and forgot how many devices it’s linked to, you can have difficulty cleaning up its connections.

Doing this step will make your life a lot easier since your AirPods can malfunction if it’s connected to several devices that use it often.

You can perform this by deleting the AirPods from your phone, computer, or TV. However, you may not unlink your Airpods from all other connections it’s saved.

Here’s how to disconnect your Airpods from all other connected devices:

1. Place the AirPods back into the charging case.
2. On the back of the case, look for the Setup button.
3. Press and hold it for 15 seconds.
4. Wait for the indicator light on your AirPods case to flash yellow.

Note: Your Airpods will need sufficient battery levels to perform this. If it’s out of battery, wait a few minutes or it to charge.

Solution #5: Set Your Airpods as Your Audio Device

Your AirPods can connect to multiple devices at the same time. However, it can only output audio from one of them.

If your AirPods have multiple active connections, it can confuse what audio to play.

The best way to get them to work is to set them as audio output.

Here’s how you can set AirPods as your audio output device manually:

On your iPhone:

1. Open the Control Center on your device.
2. Tap and hold the audio card in the top right corner.
3. Select the icon to go to the device menu.
4. Choose Airpods.

On your Mac:

1. Click the volume control in the menu bar.
2. Choose Airpods as the output device.
3. Audio controls are in the Control Center if you’re using Big Sur.

Solution #6: Use the Case to Reconnect Your AirPods

Your AirPods case is not just for charging your earphones.

If the pairing process is rejected, you can use the case to reset them, allowing you to reconnect them.

Some steps will signify to the earphones to refresh their connection.

Here’s how to reconnect your Airpods using the case:

1. Place the Airpods inside the charging case.
2. Close the lid of the case.
3. Wait for 15 seconds, then open the lid.
4. Press the Setup button at the back of the case.
5. Hold for 10 seconds and wait for the light to flash white.

Note: Once the notification light turns white, you can attempt pairing it again to your device of choice.

That’s it! These are the steps you can take to resolve the rejected pairing issues your AirPods will suffer.

If none of these steps fix your issue, you update your phone’s software to eliminate any software glitches that can occur.

Bottom Line

You will now be able to resolve the pairing rejected by Airpods error. It can be frustrating whenever this happens.

However, with these steps, you can now use your AirPods properly and listen to your favorite music or podcasts.

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