How to Pair Mismatched AirPods with One Case, Plus Troubleshooting

Learn to pair mismatched AirPods with a case if you’ve lost one of your original ones

Last Updated: March 19, 2023

Resetting Your AirPods and Case

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Troubleshooting

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Tips

If you’ve lost one of your original AirPods and had to order a replacement, don’t worry. As long as the new AirPod is compatible with your original set and the old charging case, you can connect two different AirPods to the same case. To get started, you’ll need to unpair your AirPods from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and set them up again. In this article, we’ll show you how to do it, as well as how to troubleshoot common problems.

Things You Should Know

Connect two mismatched AirPods to the same case by unpairing and re-pairing the AirPods from your device, then resetting the case.
Make sure both AirPods are the same generation and that they’re compatible with the case.
If you’re having trouble setting up your AirPods, make sure the AirPods and case are both fully charged.

Section 1 of 2:

Resetting Your AirPods and Case

1
Open the
Settings app on your device. If you’ve had to replace one of your AirPods, Apple recommends unpairing your AirPods from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and then re-pairing them.^{[1]
X
Research source} First, go to the Home Screen on your device and launch the Settings app.
2
Select
Bluetooth. It’s near the top of the Settings menu.

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3
Tap the
Information button next to your AirPods. You should see your AirPods listed under My Devices. Tap the Info button (it looks like a blue circle with a lowercase i inside) next to your AirPods.
4
Select Forget This Device and confirm your choice. On the next screen, tap Forget This Device. A confirmation menu will pop up at the bottom of the screen. Select Forget Device. You may be prompted to tap it a second time to confirm your choice.
5
Put both AirPods in the charging case with the lid open. Put your new AirPod in the charging case along with the old one. Don’t close the lid.
- At this point, you should notice that the status light on the case is flashing amber. This means that the case recognizes a pairing or connectivity issue between your AirPods.
6
Press and hold the setup button until the light flashes white. Locate the setup button on the back of the case and hold it down for a few seconds. This will reset the case and the AirPods. Once the process is complete, the light will begin to flash white.
7
Hold the open AirPods case close to your device. Return to the Home Screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and hold the AirPods case close to it. Keep the lid open and make sure both AirPods are in the case.
8
Tap Connect on the setup animation. Once the AirPods are in range, a setup animation will pop up on your device’s screen. Select Connect, then tap Done to finish the connection process.

Section 2 of 2:

Troubleshooting

1
Make sure your AirPods are both the same generation. If your AirPods are different generations or different models, you won’t be able to get them to work together. Before buying a replacement AirPod, check to make sure it’s the same kind as your other AirPod. You’ll also need to make sure the new AirPod is compatible with your charging case. Depending on which version of iOS you’re using, there are a couple ways to do this:
- In iOS 14 and later, open Settings on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, then select Bluetooth. Tap the Information button next to your AirPods (it looks like a blue circle with an i in it). You’ll see the model name and number listed in the About section.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
- In earlier versions of iOS, open Settings, General, and then About. Locate your AirPods in your list of connected devices and tap their name for more information, including the model name and number.
- You can also find the model number listed on the AirPods themselves.
- Check out Apple’s list of AirPod and charging case models for compatibility information.
2
Charge your case if you can’t get it to reset. If you’ve tried holding down the reset button on the case but can’t get it to change from amber to white, the case might need to be charged. With both AirPods still inside, close the charger lid and connect it to a power supply for 20 minutes. Open the lid and hold down the setup button again until it flashes white.^{[3]
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Research source}
3
Check that both AirPods are charged. If you still can’t get your AirPods to work together, make sure both of them are charged. Check that the case is fully charged, then place the AirPods in it and let them charge for at least 30 seconds. Open the case near your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and look at the status display to make sure both AirPods are charging.^{[4]
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Research source}
- If one of them still isn’t charging or doesn’t show up on the display, try resetting the AirPods again.
4
Clean your AirPods if you’re having trouble hearing one of them. If your AirPods both seem to be charged and connected properly, but you still can’t hear out of one of them, it’s possible that dirt or lint is blocking up the speaker port.^{[5]
X
Research source} Carefully clean your AirPods by wiping them down with a soft cloth. Brush the speaker ports with an anti-static brush to remove set-in grime.
- You may also need to fix the audio balance in your device’s Accessibility settings.