Can I Connect AirPods If I Only Have One?
Your AirPods are an expensive and downright important part of your life once you’ve owned them for just a little while. Versatile, edgy, and high-tech – these earbuds are both sweat- and water-resistant for non-water sports and exercise, not to mention for work or play. You can do just about anything with them. But they are small – perhaps grievously so. That makes them easy to misplace.
As someone renowned for losing small gadgets, I was not necessarily surprised when, one day, I could not find both of my AirPods. I was pretty bummed out about it, to be sure, but I wanted to see if I could still connect to my iPhone using the one remaining bud.
Table of Contents
- Can I Connect AirPods If I Only Have One?
- How do you connect using just one AirPod?
- Ways Connect Airpods in Case You Lost One
- How do I ensure better sound quality for AirPods with one that’s missing?
- How do I locate my missing AirPod?
- Closing Thoughts
Can I Connect AirPods If I Only Have One?
You can get your iPhone to still automatically connect to your one AirPod. You will need to open your AirPods case, remove your sole AirPod, and place it in your ear. This makes it so that you can connect just one and switch it around even if you do have both AirPods in your possession.
How exactly do you use only one AirPod? How do you connect using paired or unpaired mode? How do I ensure better sound quality for AirPods with one that’s missing? How do I locate my missing AirPod? Read on to find out.
How do you connect using just one AirPod?
If you just have one AirPod in your possession, here is how you can connect using just that single earbud:
- Open up your AirPods case.
- Remove your sole AirPod.
- Place that one AirPod into your ear.
Yeah, it really is just that simple. Your iPhone should automatically pair to the singular AirPod that you have just popped into your ear.
Of course, you can simply switch which AirPod you are using; your phone should automatically reconnect. Now, if you are using both AirPods and simply want to switch to using only one, simply place the AirPods back in their case. Then, remove the AirPod and place it into your ear.
Ways Connect Airpods in Case You Lost One
There are two ways to connect your AirPods in case you have lost one – paired and unpaired mode.
Paired Mode
If you still have your AirPods paired with the iPhone, you are indeed quite fortunate. If this is your case, the connection is performed just as you would connect to your phone normally. The downside? You will notice a lack of audio output, but that is just something you will eventually get used to.
Unpaired Mode
If you have lost one of your AirPods, your AirPods will be in unpaired mode. Unfortunately, you will need to have both AirPods to pair them up with your iPhone. But – don’t sweat – there is a workaround.
In order to connect AirPods with one missing that is in unpaired mode, you will need to borrow an AirPod from someone you know. And you need to make sure that you have borrowed the correct AirPods.
These borrowed AirPods need to be of the same model and orientation as your originals. Note that, if you have lost the right ear-sounding buds, you need to collect that particular one.
Once you have both of the AirPods on hand, you must place both of them inside of the case. Once you’ve done that, press down on the button on the back case for five seconds. Doing this will turn on pairing mode in your AirPods.
Some white lights flashing in your case will come up once you’re in pairing mode. You will then be able to connect the Airpods with your Phone, PC, or TV. After the connection is finished, you can simply hand back the borrowed AirPods to the person from whom you borrowed them.
How do I ensure better sound quality for AirPods with one that’s missing?
It is quite clear by now that you will not experience the same sound quality from a single Airpod. In fact, for most users, the sound becomes a little obnoxious. However, you can take some comfort in that there is one way to enhance the audio quality in your sole earbud.
In order to do this, you need to enter the settings menu on your iPhone. After that, you will need to search for the Audio/Visual tab – typically found in the Accessibility section of the phone’s Settings. Once you’re there, you need to the Mono Audio on – doing so allows your iPhone to produce sound from a sole AirPod. This should help you experience better sound quality from your one AirPod.
How do I locate my missing AirPod?
Want to try looking for your lost AirPod? I cannot say I blame you, given how expensive they are and how much sound quality can diminish with just one AirPod available.
Finding that lost AirPod will help you gain some peace of mind and save you quite a bit of money on replacing your AirPods. Before you go about trying any of the methods that I have detailed above, you should attempt to use Apple’s Find My Device app to locate that missing AirPod.
Using the Find My app, you will notice that there are some options for tracking your Apple devices that have been paired up with that iPhone. This includes your Apple Watch and even your beloved AirPods.
Once you have gotten into the app, you will need to pick the device you are looking for – which, in this case, is your AirPods. Just bear in mind that your AirPods need to be in pairing mode and within Bluetooth range for this feature to function.
Closing Thoughts
You can find ways to connect your AirPods if you only have one earbud. It isn’t easy, and you will still want to try looking for your lost earbud. But you can get okay-ish sound quality from that single AirPod… as long as you have a friend or relative from whom you can borrow a spare AirPod of the same make and model to connect. That is the real catch.