AirPods not connecting to iPhone after updating to iOS 17

Yes since ios17 AirPods are weird now, all sorts of issues that never happened before

eg taking them out of the ear, the media used to stop. but now it keeps playing on the phone speaker

it doesn’t automatically pair when you put them in your ear.

You have to go to settings each time.

ive tried with two iPhones and two AirPods.

and I’ve re synced them.

this has got to be an issue on apples end

UPDATE:

After 3 attempts of contacting apple support I was advised to go to the nearest authorized mobile care. I was advised that both buds need to be replaced. The price was like buying a new one.

I tried reconnecting my airpods to my phone and ipad and finally I was able to connect but still the right buds is the one only working.

1st how come they told me that the buds are no longer working if I manage to reconnect and listen to it.

I’m still hoping that its just a firmware and software issue.

It is an iOS 17 issue for sure. There are so many other bugs I am coming across with the 17.1 update. My lock screen widgets are all off center (since 17.0, still not fixed) my games are constantly glitching during play, when setting a timer with Siri it always goes back to the default "radial" alarm even though I use a different sound (this never happened with previous iOS versions), after traveling across the country my device didn't update my time zone automatically. With my Airpods, not only do I have to continually reconnect them, I also lose the left side and also get interference between them during use

Hi everyone. I posted today in a different Apple community forum about my AirPods being unable to connect to any of my Apple devices after upgrading my iPhone 14 Pro from iOS 16 to iOS 17.03:

Did the iOS17 update break your AirPod co… - Apple Community

I think there is enough anecdotal evidence that the iOS 17.03 upgrade caused our AirPods to experience issues and that Apple needs to acknowledge and make us whole.

In case the link it stripped out by the moderators, here's what I posted:

My AirPods Pro 2 worked without issue on my MacBook Air, iPad Air, iPad Mini and my iPhone 14 Pro right up until the time that I upgraded my iPhone 14 Pro from iOS v16 to 17.03. After the "upgrade", I could no longer successfully pair the AirPods with ANY of my Apple devices. I also was getting the message "Not Your AirPods Pro" - see attached

The AirPods were still under warranty and I contacted Apple Support and spent nearly two hours on the phone with someone named Jay (very helpful) to troubleshoot the pairing issues. With the issue not resolved, a repair ticket was created and I sent my AirPods to Apple to be fixed or replaced.

However, I received the below response from Apple Support yesterday:

"Our technicians inspected your product and found issues that are ineligible for service. They determined that your device has been damaged or modified in such a way that is not covered by the Apple Limited Warranty, an AppleCare product, or an Apple Service Program. We’ll send the product back to you right away."

Apple's response is completely inexcusable and makes it clear that they have no intention of accepting responsibility for THEIR software damaging the AirPods. I resent the implications of their response and not sure how I would "modify" the AirPods and the only place they have been is in my ears and in the charging case!

I literally used the AirPods with my iPhone 14 Pro just before "upgrading" to 17.03 and, immediately after the upgrade, was unable to pair and use.

So, there are at least some of us - and possibly many, many more - who have had their AirPods rendered inoperable after upgrading to iOS 17.03.

I'm not sure what recourse I, or more broadly, we have, but does anyone know if Apple has a complaint mechanism?

I'm going to reach out to the Washington State (where I live) Attorney General's office to see if there is a way to get Apple to acknowledge the issue and offer to replace any AirPods damaged by the iOS 17.03 upgrade.

Is anyone aware of any other forums where people are reporting similar issues?

Thanks

After installing iOS17 my audio was working fine, but I couldn’t get Find My to connect. I admit to needing this function at least once a day.

It seems to have reset by forgetting the AirPods in BT settings and reconnecting them.

Happens to me all the time since I think iOS 17. I normally restart my phone when it happens, but it doesn’t last. Airpod max will act similarly as well, in that I case I have to put them in the case for a minute then it’s reset and good to go. I had scenarios where either headphone is not recognized and can’t connect, recognized with the pop ups, but can’t connect after, or seems to connect for a second when I pull done control centre and see the name of my headphones flash under the Bluetooth symbol for a second then fail to connect after.

It’s not just AirPods doing this. We have Beats products that are also having the issue. One set of Powerbeats Pro will only connect to an iPhone, they will either not pair and/or show up to connect to any other Bluetooth device. A Beats Flex will connect to one of our Samsung tv’s but not the other one. Both sets of Beats connected to ANY device we owned previously with no issues. It is beyond frustrating. Resetting either of them does nothing, I have even cleared the Bluetooth cache and reset the TVs to factory levels.

Same problem! iPhone 15 Pro Max with iOS 17.5.1. Sometimes connects but not sound.

So I thought about using my iPhone 13 Pro Max with iOS 16.2 and you know what works perfectly! In the second photo, screen from my iPhone 15 Pro Max. No data AirPods. The first photo, screen from my iPhone 13 Pro Max, magically, all data from the Airpods. Apple we all need an answer! iOS 17 is the Real Problem! We need a solution! Thanks

Same issue here, AirPods Pro gen 1 and max, they will connect to my MacBook and iPad Pro fine but not my iphone 15 pro max. It will say it’s trying to connect but never does, I have to turn Bluetooth off and back on and then it works. Super annoying because it’s not every time it just randomly decides it doesn’t want to connect and sometimes it’s fine all day.

I have this issue too, but I can't get my AirPods to connect if I go into "find my device," connect to my AirPods, and then play the sound that helps you find them. I just have to remember to shut the sound off so I don't cause ear damage. But then my phone is connected to my AirPods. Weird.

I had no issues with my AirPods (1st gen) connecting with my phone (iPhone 14 pro max) when I was running the iOS 17 beta. However, since getting the public release, I cannot connect them and when I forgot the device it wouldn't reappear. I've tried everything and they're fully charged!

I have the iPhone 12 Pro Max and have same issue with my first gen airpods after the iOS 17 update. They will not connect at all, I've factory reset the pods, forgot the pods from the Bluetooth menu and reset all settings on my iPhone as well.

This only being one of many new issues since the update. Suddenly I'm also low on disk space, yet cant erase any photos ( I erase and they just pop back into existence), I also now am having issues with searching for apps I have downloaded when I swipe down from the home screen, ect ect.

Is Apple up to their shadiness again with updating phones and making it to where it forces customers to buy new products??? Very frustrating. I can barely afford getting a latte anymore, let alone new airpods XD

Apple, please be kind to us in this economy, not everyone is a high rolling exec that can drop gold bars on your products.

Since installing iOS 17 I have had issues with my AirPods 3rd gen non-pro. AirPods will be connected and have no sound coming through. Also device switching/selection is messed up. When I have the AirPods in my ear and answer call, it will not automatically switch to AirPods like it normally does.

I recently switched to iPhone for the ecosystem, which is the ONLY thing that justifies Apple’s existence. If this is a sign of things to come, going back to Samsung is a very easy decision.

I have this issue also. My problem goes even further though as I removed the AirPods Pro from Bluetooth and now my phone will not recognize them at all. I’ve tried every possible way and no matter what my phone just doesn’t recognize them. Everything is updated and everything has a full charge.

I just spoke with Apple Support. I let them record me and I went down the list of everyone's connectivity issues on this thread...all of the various device problems. She is getting the info to the techs but of course, can't promise me anything within a time frame as she does not have that power. If I hear anything further I will let you know. I did let her know that no one has answered the boards as of today.