How to Disconnect AirPods from All Devices

There may be times when you need to disconnect your AirPods from all of the devices it was connected to before. Perhaps you bought the AirPods as a used item and it’s still paired with the previous owner’s devices. If that happens, you won’t be able to pair the AirPods with your own devices. The previous owner has to disconnect it from their Apple ID. AirPods can only be associated with one Apple ID. In this guide, I will take you through the steps to disconnect AirPods from all devices paired with it before.

You can disconnect your AirPods from the different Apple devices that you have paired them with one by one. Alternatively, you can disconnect the earbuds from all devices that you have paired them with altogether by removing it from your Apple ID. This will also disconnect it from all your devices that used the same Apple ID.

How to Disconnect AirPods from iPhone or iPad

Remove AirPods from Your Mac

1. Go to System Settings > Bluetooth.
2. Right-click or Control-click on your AirPods.
3. Click Forget from the contextual menu, then click Remove to confirm.
   

How to Disconnect AirPods from your Apple Watch

If you use your AirPods with your Apple Watch, you can disconnect it also by following the steps below.

1. On your Apple Watch, go to Settings > Bluetooth.
   
2. Tap the “i” button next to your AirPods, then tap Forget Device.
   
3. Tap Forget device to confirm.
   
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How to Disconnect Airpods from Your Apple ID

As mentioned, you can only pair AirPods with a single Apple ID. So, if you’re not its first owner, you need to ask the previous owner to disconnect the accessory from their Apple ID. Then you can pair the AirPods with your Apple ID. In the same way, you need to disconnect your AirPods from your Apple ID if you are giving them to somebody else. See below for steps to remove AirPods from your Apple ID.

1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad and tap Devices.
   
2. Tap on the AirPods that you want to disconnect from your Apple ID, then tap Remove this device.
   
3. Tap Remove to confirm.
   

Before you confirm, you will see an explanation about the Remove AirPods function. First, it will remove the AirPods from the linked Apple ID and by doing so, it will allow another person to configure Find My network. And second, the Remove AirPods function will remove it from the list of connected Bluetooth devices. To play audio, you will need to pair it again with the Apple ID

Resetting AirPods, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max

Another way of disconnecting AirPods from all devices it was previously associated with is to factory reset the accessory. This is particularly useful if you can’t contact the previous owner to ask them to disconnect the device from their Apple ID.

To factory reset AirPods and AirPods Pro:

1. Open your AirPods case and make sure that both AirPods are inside it.
2. Check if the AirPods are charged, if not connect the case to the charging cable.
3. Press and hold the setup button at the back of the case for 15 seconds.
4. When the status light on the front of the case flashes amber, then white, the AirPods have been reset.
5. Pair the AirPods again with your device.

To reset AirPods Max, press and hold the noise control button and the digital crown for 15 seconds or until the LED flashes amber, then white. Like the AirPods and AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max can only be paired with one Apple ID.