Airpods are some of the best true wireless earphones available in the market right now. Even the best of devices does not seem to come without any issues. I own the Airpods Pro and they keep disconnecting from time to time. It is very annoying to say the least.

For the premium price you pay, you would expect better from the device but that is not the case. If you are facing issues with your Airpods, here are a few troubleshooting steps to fix the Airpods keep disconnecting issue.

Toggle Bluetooth Off and Turn it on Again

Often times, this simple trick has come in handy for me. It is very similar to the good old ‘Did you try restarting your phone?’ trick. But instead of restarting your phone or the device your Airpods is connected to, you are simply going to restart the Bluetooth connection on your device.

If the issue is with your iPhone or Mac or iPad’s Bluetooth and not the Airpods, this might help fix the issue.

Go to Settings > Bluetooth > Turn off and Turn On again.

You could also use the Bluetooth toggle in the Control Center to do the trick.

Make sure Airpods get a clear signal

Bluetooth has come a long way in terms of range and reliability. Airpods use the latest cutting-edge tech in Bluetooth but we should not push it too hard and test the limits.

According to Apple, Airpods should work fine up to 30 metres without any issue but as the distance increases, you may notice some fluctuations in the quality. Bluetooth 5.0, used in Airpods, is very good; no doubts. But when you push technology to its limits, things start to get worse.

Make sure your Airpods and the device are close by. And make sure there are no obstacles in the way between them. For example, if you have your iPhone or iPad in your backpack while the issue occurs, try taking it out of the backpack thereby clearing the obstacles.

Check for update

If your iOS or iPadOS or MacOS is out of date, then you may notice some issue with the connection between the device and Airpods. With every update, a lot of bugs are quashed.

Outdated software can cause compatibility issues between Airpods and iPhone or iPad or Mac.

Incompatible Bluetooth Version

Airpods are built on Bluetooth 5.0 technology and they work very well with devices that are running Bluetooth 5.0. If you are using Airpods with a device that is running an older version of Bluetooth, you may face issues.

Bluetooth 5.0 is backward compatible, yes. But when you connect Airpods with a device running an older Bluetooth version, Airpods is forced to downgrade the Bluetooth connection to match the older Bluetooth version level.

Effectively, this means that you will not get the same efficiency that you get out of Bluetooth 5.0 technology.

Firmware Issue

According to a reddit post, a lot users started facing issues with a recent firmware update.

Some of the issues that are caused by this update are:

• Airpods disconnect when switching from music playback to calls.
• Very low battery capacity – only 45 mins of usage.
• Airpods automatically disconnect when in calls.

Airpods 2 and Airpods Pro have already received a firmware update after this which fixes these issues. But the problem remains the same for Airpods 1, unfortunately.

You can check your Airpods firmware version by following the steps below:

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth.
2. Locate your Airpods from the listed Bluetooth devices.
3. Tap on the ‘i’ icon at the right corner.
4. Scroll down to check the firmware version.

Low Battery

A low battery percentage has been known to cause issues with the Airpods connectivity. Airpods need enough charge to stay connected to your device.

Checking AirPods battery on iPhone

You can check your AirPods batter level by simply following these steps:

1. Unlock your iPhone.
2. Bring the Airpods case near iPhone and open the lid.
3. The Airpods battery percentage and the charging case battery percentage will both be displayed.

Checking AirPods battery on Mac

1. Take the AirPods out of the charging case and leave them out.
2. On Mac, click on Bluetooth icon on the top right menu bar.
3. You should be able to see the battery percentage of the AirPods.

Return AirPods to the Charging Case

This step is very similar to restarting your AirPods, in theory. As soon as you come across connection issues between your iPhone and AirPods, simply return the AirPods to the charging case.

Leave them in the charging case until they are disconnected from iPhone. Now, take them out again and they will be connected to your iPhone. See if this helps fix the issue.

Disable Automatic Ear Detection

Automatic Ear Detection is a great feature and makes your life a lot easier. It automatically pauses or resumes playback based on whether the AirPods are in your ears or not.

I use this feature all the time and it works absolutely great for me. But I also have a lot of complaints from my friends who are not fans of this feature.

This feature could be a total pain especially if your AirPods do not fit very well into your ears. In such cases, the AirPods will keep on disconnecting from time to time. But fortunately, there is an option to disable this feature altogether.

1. Put on your AirPods.
2. Go to Setting > Bluetooth.
3. Locate your Airpods from the listed Bluetooth devices.
4. Tap on the ‘i’ icon at the right corner.
5. Disable Automatic Ear Detection.

Forget AirPods and Pair Again

If you are constantly facing connection issues with your AirPods, then there could be some issue with the device pairing. You can come to this conclusion when your AirPods work fine with other devices such as MacBook or iPad but not with your iPhone.

In such a scenario, the issue is not with the AirPods. To fix this, we can unpair (forget) and re-pair the Airpods to your phone.

1. Put your AirPods back in the charging case.
2. Open Settings and go to Bluetooth.
3. From the list of Bluetooth devices, click on the i icon next to your AirPods.
4. Then tap on Forget This Device.
5. Next, bring your AirPods near your iPhone and open the case.

Now, you will be asked to connect / pair AirPods with your iPhone again.

Reset Your AirPods

Any consumer tech is expected to cause issues over time. And AirPods are no exception. Over time, you may face connection issues, charging issues, and more. Such issues can be fixed by resetting your AirPods.

To reset your AirPods:

1. Put the AirPods back in the charging case.
2. Make sure they have at least 60% charge.
3. Open the AirPods case lid, and hold down the back of the case for 20 seconds.
4. You will notice that the indicator in the case goes from flashing white to flashing amber, which indicates the AirPods have been successfully reset.

AirPods keeps disconnection on Apple Watch

When you face AirPods connectivity issue with your Apple watch, follow the below steps:

1. Turn off your Apple Watch.
2. Turn off your iPhone.
3. Next, turn on the iPhone first and then the Apple Watch.
4. Once both the devices are turned on, connect your AirPods to your Apple Watch and see if the issue is fixed.