Unpair and Repair AirPods on iPhone, Mac, Watch or Apple TV
To unpair and repair AirPods (that is, remove them and pair them again), Apple’s path on an iPhone is Settings, the name of your AirPods, then Forget This Device, and Apple says in the same line that this “removes the AirPods from all the devices where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account”. Apple’s order for misbehaving AirPods comes first, though: “If your AirPods aren’t working right, first make sure the device they’re paired with” “is up to date”. “Then try restarting, unpairing, or resetting them.”
Every quotation below is Apple’s, from the two pages in the Sources section: the AirPods User Guide page on restart, unpair and reset, and Apple’s reset article. The order is ours.
Before you unpair: Apple’s restart
Under “Restart AirPods”, Apple’s guide page says: “AirPods or AirPods Pro: Put the AirPods in their case, then close the lid for a minimum of 10 seconds.”
For the headphones: “AirPods Max: On the right headphone, press and hold the Digital Crown and the listening mode button at the same time until the status light next to the charging port flashes amber (around 10 seconds), then immediately release the buttons.” Apple marks this Important: “If you hold the buttons longer than around 10 seconds, AirPods Max are reset to factory settings.”
How to unpair AirPods on each Apple device
Apple prints four lines under “Unpair AirPods”. Each is quoted below with the device as Apple names it.
| Device | Apple’s unpair path |
|---|---|
| iPhone or iPad | “Go to the Settings app” then “tap the name of your AirPods near the top of the screen, then tap Forget This Device.” “(You may need to scroll down.)” |
| Mac | “Go to the System Settings app” then “click the name of your AirPods in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down), then click Forget This Device.” |
| Apple Watch | “Go to the Settings app” then “tap Bluetooth, tap” the info button, “then tap Forget Device to remove AirPods from all devices where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account”. |
| Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD | “Go to the Settings app” “then select Remotes and Devices. Select Bluetooth, select your AirPods, then select Forget This Device.” |
The iPhone line ends with the part to know before you tap: “This removes the AirPods from all the devices where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account”.
What unpairing means for pairing again
Apple’s note under the same heading reads: “After removing your AirPods, you must pair them with a device associated with your Apple Account to use them again.”
Apple’s reset article gives the reconnect cue after a reset, under “Reset your AirPods 1, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro 1, or AirPods Pro 2”: “When the status light on the front of the case flashes amber, then flashes white, you can follow the steps on your device’s screen to reconnect your AirPods.” And under its heading “If the status light doesn’t flash white when you reset your AirPods”: “To reconnect your AirPods: With your AirPods in their charging case and the lid open, place your AirPods close to your device, then follow the steps on your device’s screen.”
This site also covers using AirPods with an Apple Watch without an iPhone and connecting two Bluetooth headphones to one iPad.
If they still are not working: Apple’s reset, by model
Apple’s guide page sets the condition: “If your AirPods aren’t working correctly after you restart or unpair them, you can try resetting them to their factory settings.” Its reset article adds: “You might need to reset your AirPods if they won’t charge, or to fix a different issue.”
Apple’s reset article puts the Forget step inside the reset. Under both of its model headings the first four steps read: “Put your AirPods in their charging case, close the lid, and wait 30 seconds.” “On an iPhone or iPad that’s paired with your AirPods, go to Settings, then tap Bluetooth.” “If your AirPods appear in the My Devices list, tap the More Info button next to your AirPods, tap Forget This Device, then tap again to confirm.” “If your AirPods don’t appear in the list, continue to the next step.”
“Reset your AirPods 1, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro 1, or AirPods Pro 2”
Under that heading, after the four steps above: “Open the lid of your charging case.” then “Press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds.” then “When the status light on the front of the case flashes amber, then flashes white, you can follow the steps on your device’s screen to reconnect your AirPods.”
“Reset your AirPods 4 (all models), AirPods 5 (both models), or AirPods Pro 3”
Under that heading, after the four steps above: “Open the lid of your charging case.” then “Double-tap the front of the case while the status light is on.” then “Double-tap again when the status light flashes white.” then “Double-tap a third time when the status light flashes faster.”
Apple’s guide page prints the same split in one line each. For the older models: “Put the AirPods in their case, close the lid, then wait 30 seconds. Open the lid, then press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds, until the status light flashes amber, then white.”
For the newer models, whose line Apple labels “AirPods 4 or 5” “or AirPods Pro 3”: “Put the AirPods in their case, close the lid, then wait 30 seconds. Open the lid, then double-tap the front of the case three times.”
AirPods Max
Of the two Apple pages cited below, AirPods Max appears on the guide page only; the string AirPods Max prints nowhere on Apple’s reset article. Under “Reset AirPods to factory settings”, the guide page says: “AirPods Max: On the right headphone, press and hold the Digital Crown and the listening mode button at the same time, until the status light next to the charging port changes from flashing amber to flashing white (around 15 seconds).”
“If the status light doesn’t flash white when you reset your AirPods”
Under that heading, Apple’s reset article says: “Put your AirPods in the charging case and close the lid for 20 seconds.” then “Open the lid of your charging case.” then “Depending on your model of AirPods:”
“For AirPods 1, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro 1, or AirPods Pro 2, press and hold the setup button on the case again for about 15 seconds, until the status light on the front of the case flashes amber, then flashes white.”
“For AirPods 4 models, AirPods 5 models, and AirPods Pro 3, double-tap the front of the case while the status light is on, double-tap again when the status light flashes white. When the status light flashes faster, double-tap a third time, until the status light flashes amber, then flashes white.”
This site also covers removing AirPods from iCloud and finding lost AirPods.
What Apple’s two pages do not say
The 2023 version of this article told readers to wait between unpairing and pairing again, to restart the iPhone, and gave an Android path. Neither Apple page cited below prints a wait between those steps, a phone restart, or an Android step: the strings restart your iPhone, wait 1 minute, one minute and Android appear on neither page. This article makes none of those claims.
Frequently asked questions
Does forgetting AirPods on my iPhone unpair them from my Mac too?
Apple’s iPhone line says it “removes the AirPods from all the devices where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account”, and Apple’s Apple Watch line says the same: “then tap Forget Device to remove AirPods from all devices where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account”.
Do I have to reset AirPods to pair them again?
Apple’s guide page says: “If your AirPods aren’t working correctly after you restart or unpair them, you can try resetting them to their factory settings.” Its note on pairing again after an unpair is only this: “After removing your AirPods, you must pair them with a device associated with your Apple Account to use them again.”
How do I know the reset worked?
Apple’s guide page says: “When you successfully reset your AirPods, the status light flashes amber, then white.”
Does the AirPods Max reset differ from the restart?
Both use the same two buttons on Apple’s guide page. The restart is “until the status light next to the charging port flashes amber (around 10 seconds), then immediately release the buttons”, and Apple warns: “If you hold the buttons longer than around 10 seconds, AirPods Max are reset to factory settings.” Under “Reset AirPods to factory settings” the reset is “until the status light next to the charging port changes from flashing amber to flashing white (around 15 seconds).”