AirPods connect without chime and don't play any audio

From what I've searched up in the forum, I have not found a solution for what I'm experiencing, but if I am wrong, then sorry for posting this.

This doesn't happen every time I try to use my AirPods (first gen.), instead, it happens every so often. Whenever I try to connect them to my iPhone XS, it goes through the pairing process as it normally does, however, it does not make the chime sound before flashing the headphone symbol in the upper right hand corner of the screen (where the signal and battery are). Aside from the lack of chime, it seems normal since it shows the volume of the AirPods when I adjust my volume, but when I try to play any sort of media I am met with silence. After a few seconds, the iPhone will continue to try and play audio through the AirPods and eventually give up reverting to the regular phone speakers.

This also happens on my MacBook 16 in. and iPad 2019, therefore, I don't think it's the device the AirPods are connecting to that is the issue, leaving me to conclude that it's my AirPods causing the error.

So far, I've tried resetting the AirPods entirely (holding down pairing button until 3 amber flashes), forgetting them in bluetooth settings, and even resetting my network settings although I'm unsure if the latter really did anything. They're not filthy as I've just cleaned them so I don't think any sensors are being covered, and the mesh is all clear of debris.

It's also worth noting that I haven't had these for more than a year now, with semi-regular use, so it's hard to imagine their time is up.

Has anyone encountered this bug before and know how to fix it?