So You Spent $200 on AirPods and They Keep Disconnecting From Your Phone, Huh?

Apple tends to get a lot of hate, especially when it comes to its latest features and software releases. There are tons of folks who are quick to point out that Apple "reinvents the wheel" and doesn't really come out with any new technology. However, this is a reductionist criticism of a brand that's clearly captivated the imaginations — and wallets — of people all around the world.

That being said, even the "luxury" tech company has some problems with its products, like customers who are left asking: Why do my AirPods keep disconnecting?

The AirPods are renowned for their general ease of use, quick pairing, variety of sound features (if you spring for the Pro models) and perfect functionality in Apple's device ecosystem over the brand's vast line of products and gadgets.

However, that doesn't mean there aren't some buyers who haven't had an issue or two with the true wireless earbuds.

There are a number of reasons behind why this repeated disconnection could be happening. First, if you happen to use AirPods on a non-iOS device, you'll want to make sure that whatever version of Bluetooth your computer is running isn't the issue. Versions lower than 5.0 will give you a depleted range and the AirPods will automatically downgrade their own Bluetooth version in order to pair with a device.

It could also be a battery issue. If you're AirPods are getting low on charge, there may be random disconnections. Back in 2016 and 2017, first-time purchasers of the device were experiencing a bunch of disconnection issues with iOS 10.1 and were plagued with another widespread disconnection problem after folks began updating to 11.2.6.

Users experienced mass disconnections yet again after the 12.1 update rolled around. If you haven't noticed a common theme as of yet, iOS updates can lead to AirPod disconnections.

Make sure you're sending user feedback to Apple when it occurs and document what you were doing when the disconnection happened. That won't immediately fix your problem, but there are other ways to ensure that you can reconnect your AirPods to your iPhone.

While none of these solutions are particularly elegant, they will help you get back to using your AirPods in a relatively short amount of time. The first thing that you can do is take your AirPods out, put them in their charging case, close them, and then open them back up again.

If that doesn't work, or you're still experiencing persistent disconnections, then you can unpair your AirPods from your iOS device entirely.

As per Apple's support page here's how you get that done:

Put your AirPods in their charging case, and close the lid.

• Wait 30 seconds.
• Open the lid of your charging case.
• On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the "i" icon next to your AirPods. (If you don't see your AirPods in Settings > Bluetooth, just go to the next step.)
• Tap Forget This Device, and tap again to confirm.
• With the lid open, press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds, until the status light flashes amber, then white.

Obviously, you'll also want to make sure that your Bluetooth is turned on, and if that still doesn't work, it could be that your AirPods' firmware hasn't been updated. While there's no way to force this update (your iOS does it automatically for you), some of your usage behaviors could inhibit that from happening.

In order to ensure that your AirPods' firmware is being updated, then all you need to do is put them in the charging case and ensure that they are charging. The most important part is to ensure that they are near your iPhone while you're doing this, as the two devices communicate with one another.

Finally, if they won't stop disconnecting, then maybe troubleshoot with another pair of Bluetooth headphones or someone else's AirPods to see if maybe your device or the AirPods themselves are the problem. This way, when you go to Apple for a potential repair or replacement, you have more data to send their way.