Pair AirPods: here’s how to connect them

New AirPods, a replacement AirPod or a new phone? Here’s how to connect your AirPods step by step. The instructions for Beats are further down.

Pair with an iPhone or iPad

  1. Put both AirPods in the charging case and open the lid.
  2. Hold the open case next to your unlocked iPhone. A window appears on the screen: tap “Connect”.
  3. If no window appears, press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds, until the status light flashes white. With AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3, double-tap the front of the case instead.

Your AirPods are then also available on your other Apple devices that use the same Apple Account.

Pair with Android or Samsung

  1. On your phone, open the Bluetooth settings and turn Bluetooth on.
  2. Put both AirPods in the charging case and open the lid.
  3. Press and hold the setup button on the back of the case until the status light flashes white. With AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3, double-tap the front of the case.
  4. Select your AirPods in the list of devices found.

Music and calls work as usual. Some features are only available with Apple devices, for example automatic switching between your devices.

Pair with a Mac

  1. Open “System Settings”, then “Bluetooth”.
  2. Open the lid of the case and press and hold the setup button on the back until the status light flashes white. With AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3, double-tap the front of the case.
  3. Click “Connect” next to your AirPods.

Connect a replacement AirPod or a new charging case

A new AirPod or a new charging case has to be paired once with the parts you already have:

  1. First remove the AirPods on your iPhone: “Settings”, “Bluetooth”, tap the (i) next to your AirPods and choose “Forget This Device”.
  2. Put both AirPods in the charging case and charge it for a while.
  3. Open the lid and press and hold the setup button on the back for about 15 seconds, until the status light flashes amber and then white. With AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3, double-tap the front of the case.
  4. Hold the open case next to your iPhone and tap “Connect”.

The steps for each model are also on our help page.

Pair Beats

With Beats Fit Pro, Beats Studio Buds +, Powerbeats Fit and Powerbeats Pro 2, press and hold the system button in the case for about 15 seconds, until the LED flashes red and white. On an iPhone, “Connect” then appears; on Android, select the Beats in the Bluetooth settings. With Beats Solo Buds, press and hold the button above the logo on both earbuds for at least 10 seconds, then reconnect them.

Not working?

  • Only one AirPod connects: put both AirPods in the case, close the lid for about 30 seconds, then reconnect them as described above.
  • The status light flashes amber: press and hold the setup button on the back for about 15 seconds until it flashes white, then reconnect the AirPods.
  • The replacement AirPod isn’t recognised: check our table to see whether the model numbers go together. AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning and with USB-C don’t work together, and neither do AirPods 4 with and without ANC. Then leave the AirPods charging in the case for a while, near your iPhone connected to Wi-Fi. This way, all parts automatically get the same software.
  • The AirPods don’t show up on Android: check that the status light is flashing white, and search for devices again in the Bluetooth settings.

Still no luck? Write to us using the contact form and tell us your model numbers.