Are you looking to score a deal on used AirPods? Great! But before you shake hands on a deal, it is important that you’re aware of how to reset AirPods from previous owners. To make the most out of this purchase, you’d want to reset the owner off from the AirPods.
Why You Must Reset AirPods From Previous Owners?
Suppose you’ve just purchased a used set of AirPods. As you’re about to pair them to your iPhone, you get a pop-up saying, “These AirPods are connected to another Apple ID.” Frustrating, right?
To avoid this occurrence, you must ask the owner to reset and unpair the AirPods from their Apple ID. If not, you’ll only be able to use the AirPods as a temporary user. You cannot pair those to your Apple ID.
When AirPods are set up, they link to the owner’s Apple ID. No other user can own those until the owner unlinks them from their Apple ID. While purchasing, do not forget to ask the owner to reset the AirPods prior to purchasing.
Use Find My To Reset AirPods From the Previous Owner
Time needed: 2 minutes
Here’s what you have to do:
- Ask the owner to log into the Find My app with the Apple ID linked to the AirPods.
- If preferred, you can access Find My via iCloud as well.
- Once logged in, access the Devices menu.
- Select the paired AirPods and swipe up the menu.
- Now, scroll to the bottom and choose the Remove This Device option.
- Hit Remove to conclude the process.
Note: You can access the Find My app via Mac as well and follow the same steps to unpair AirPods from the previous owner. In doing so, the AirPods should turn to default settings, which are ready to be set up from scratch.
Hard Reset the AirPods
Wait, we’re not done yet. There is a slight chance that you’ll still have some issues connecting these AirPods to your device.
Once the AirPods are disconnected from the Apple ID, it’s wise to unpair it from the iPhone as well. This will help you make sure that you don’t run into pairing issues later on. By hard resetting the AirPods to their factory settings, you can rest assured that you can pair them with any device of your liking. Simply pair and play.
What Happens if You Don’t Reset the Used AirPods
Now that you know how to reset AirPods from previous owners, let’s quickly review what will happen if you don’t.
- The Find My app requires an Apple ID to track your devices. As a result, if the AirPods are paired with the Apple ID of another user, you won’t be able to track them on your own.
- If the AirPods are linked to your Apple ID, it will be easier for you to connect them with other devices running the same. Otherwise, you’ll have to go through the hassle of pairing it with every device, like a MacBook or iPad.
- You may also lose or misplace the AirPods, which can make it difficult to locate them.
- The original owner can track your location at all times using their Find My app.
- Finally, you will not be able to resell the AirPods to any other user since you’re not in complete control.
The bottomline is that you should always request the owners to de-link AirPods from their Find My. If they don’t agree than something is not right. Another suggestion is to go for Apple Certified AirPods which is accompanied with warranty and purchase proof.