AirPods Blinking White But Not Connecting? Here’s How To Fix!

When AirPods blinking white but not connecting the problem is usually with the receiver device.

However, there are cases where external factors that can prevent the AirPods from connecting and the solution requires some extra steps.

Let’s learn more!

When AirPods are blinking in white but won’t connect you should take your receiver device closer and toggle the Bluetooth ON/OFF. Then you should charge the earbuds, then forget the connection from the menu and test again.

Let’s learn more about the white blinking light and what does it suggest?

AirPods Blinking White Light Meaning?

One thing that all AirPods have in common is the indicator light on the back of the charging case. The meaning of this light blinking is the same for ALL models.

The blinking white light on AirPods means that the connection has failed.

This phenomenon can occur due to a variety of reasons, that include blocked Bluetooth signal, Bluetooth feature failure, or an outdated version of the AirPods.

Next, we’re about to unwrap this topic and provide you with the best working solutions.

Let’s jump right in!

AirPods White Light Blinking But Not Connecting – Fixed

When your AirPods are slowly blinking in white, here’s how you can fix this problem easily:

Solution #1 Turn On Bluetooth On Your Device

Since all models of the AirPods have the function to remember the connection of the device they last connected, turning OFF the Bluetooth on your device starts the white lights.

In other words, turning OFF the Bluetooth on your device will prevent the AirPods from connecting and make the white light blink as an indication.

Here is how to turn ON the Bluetooth:

1. Open the Settings of the device.
2. Go to Wireless.
3. Next, tap on Bluetooth.
4. Toggle ON the Bluetooth (in case it’s ON, toggle OFF and ON).
5. Reconnect with the AirPods by opening their case.

Notice: Ensure that by the time you’re turning on the Bluetooth on your device, the AirPods are inside of the charging case.

Solution #2 Charge The AirPods Case

Plenty of users reported that this white light may also occur when there is not enough charge in the case of the AirPods.

Your next move should be to charge the case of the AirPods and check if the connection with your device would still fail.

Make sure that the AirPods are connected to a charging cable and that the cable is secured into a power adapter.

Next, connect the power adapter to a charging source and let the AirPods charge for a while.

Battery Level Indication:

• Red – battery is low.
• Yellow (amber) light – the battery is charging.
• Green – over 80% and is ready to use.

Note: You can measure the battery level of the AirPods by looking at the same LED that used to blink in white.

Solution #3 Forget & Re-Add AirPods

A solution that works great to solve issues with the Bluetooth connection is to forget the connection of the AirPods on your device and then re-add them.

When the AirPods already exist in the Bluetooth list of your device, re-adding them will refresh the connection.

Here’s how to forget and then re-add the AirPods to your device:

1. Open the Settings on your device.
2. Go to Bluetooth.
3. Locate the connection of the AirPods.
4. Press the “Functions” button (“Info” for iOS devices).
5. Scroll the list all the way down.
6. Press on “Forget this device.
7. Now repeat the pairing process, by putting the buds in the case.
8. Hold the pairing button and wait for your phone to discover the device.

Note: Once your AirPods get connected again, their connection will still appear in the list.

Solution #4 Disconnect Other Bluetooth Devices

Since the white light on the AirPods means failed connection, having another set of earbuds or wireless headphones connected to your device will cause this problem.

You must keep only one receiver paired to your phone’s Bluetooth.

In that regard, go to Settings > Wireless > Bluetooth in your phone and check if there are other wireless headphones connected.

In case there is another device paired, press on Functions > Disconnect and then attempt to pair your AirPods.

Tip: Forget ALL other Bluetooth connections, except for the AirPods.

Solution #5 Reset Your Device’s Network Settings

Whenever the AirPods are still not getting connected, there’s a chance for a network blunder with your device.

Both Android and iOS devices have a function to reset all network options that refer to the wireless connectivity (WiFi, Bluetooth).

To reset the network settings of your device follow these instructions:

1. Open the Settings of your device.
2. Go to “General”.
3. Scroll down to “Reset”.
4. Choose the “Reset Network Settings” function from the list.
5. Confirm that you want to perform a network reset on your device.
6. Wait for the reset to complete.

Alert: Resetting the network settings of your device will delete all remembered Bluetooth and WiFi connections.

Solution #6 Unpair AirPods From Other Devices

For the AirPods blinking white but not connecting problem, the earbuds should not be attempting to connect to another device.

Sadly, no model of AirPods can connect to more than one device at the same time.

In that set of thoughts, if you have the AirPods connected to another device already, you must disconnect it there to stop the white LED from blinking.

It is up to you to identify which device has the AirPods paired to and remove them from the device’s Bluetooth settings.

Alert: To avoid accidental connecting of the AirPods to another device, make sure to remove the AirPods from the device’s Bluetooth settings with “Forget”.

Solution #7 Update Your Device’s Version

The next thing you should do is update the version of your device.

Since the Bluetooth version of your device is updated with the OS of the device, you should update the OS to solve the problem with the AirPods.

Here’s how to update the software version of most mobile devices in easy steps:

1. Go to the Settings of the device.
2. Enter the “General” tab.
3. Next, navigate to “Software Update” and tap it once.
4. When an update is available, directly apply it by tapping “Update”.
5. Also, press “Check for Updates” to validate an update.

Notice: Your device is likely to restart several times during the software update.

Solution #8 Reset The AirPods

In case nothing worked so far, we suggest performing a reset on your AirPods.

You’re in luck since the reset process is the same for the regular AirPods, 2nd, 3rd gen, and the Pros.

The reset on your AirPods won’t erase anything from the software but will refresh the connectivity to allow your earbuds to connect.

Here’s how to reset your AirPods in easy steps:

1. Place the earbuds into the charging case.
2. Close and then open the lid of the charging case.
3. Press and hold the pairing button on the charging case.
4. Hold the button down for 30 seconds.
5. Wait for the light to turn into an amber color.
6. Release the button after 30 seconds.
7. Attempt to pair the earbuds back to your phone.

Alert: Holding the pairing button for more than 30 seconds will unpair the AirPods from your phone.

Quick Recap:

Hence, AirPods will blink in white and not connect whenever the receiver’s Bluetooth is OFF or out of range. To solve the problem users should reset the network settings of their receiver device and factory reset the earbuds to solve the problem.

Read Next: Why Can’t People Hear Me With My AirPods?

Last Thoughts:

Now that we’ve learned why AirPods blinking white but not connecting to the receiver and what the solution includes.

We recommend scrolling up and making sure that you’ve attempted all of our solutions in case the problem with the AirPods persists.

We hope that this post was helpful and now your issue is solved. For more related content you should check our blog and discover many more solutions for your home tech.