AirPods connection issues after iOS 18 Update

This now seems to me like a phone IOS18 issue. I’m experiencing the same sound interruption with whatever speaker it is connected to (and even just the phone). I only noticed on the AirPods at first, but as soon as I got in the car on the weekend, it is there to. So hence I tested only the phone, and it is there as well. When the screen sleeps or wakes up, the sound cuts out.

After updating to IOS 18 I can only connect my AirPods if I forget and reconnect. And they only stay connected as long as I am using them. If I stop for a few minutes I cannot connect again. My phone sees them, when I open the case it shows the battery status, but when I put one in my ear it won’t connect. When I got to Bluetooth and try to connect it says make sure device is in range and powered on.

when I talked to support they said I had to go into a store and pay for service because my phone and AirPods are out of warranty. This was not an issue till I updated to IOS 18.

AirPods Pro GEN two with lightning here 👋

Model Number: A2698

Version: 7B21

Case: 71.8.0

left earbud disconnects every 38 to 45 seconds, and takes 10 seconds to reconnect. Music continues to play on the right earbud during the disconnect process on the left earbud.

The issue is more likely to happen when noise cancellation, transparency mode, conversation awareness, and spatial audio with head tracking enabled.

I’ve tried each setting individually with a multitude of different ways, setting it up, and still the issue seems to persist.

To note, it worsens when you’re on a phone call with somebody, the left earbud seems to drop as usual with this issue, but the right earbud also begins to drop.

It’s a little bit rare for the right earbud to, but it only happens on phone/FaceTime calls. The right earbud does not drop when listening to music. When the earbuds drop, there is no disconnect sound that plays alongside it, it’s very rare for it to play the disconnect sound when this issue goes on.

Sometimes you do hear the disconnect sound, but it’s very rare and unlikely from my case. This goes the same way for reconnecting, I rarely hear the reconnect sound, but it does play 15% of the time.

For disconnecting and reconnecting you only hear the sounds 15 to 20% of the time.

This issue has only started happening on iOS 18.1 with the release back in September, I’ve never had an issue before then and have been keeping my AirPods in pristine condition since it is no longer under AppleCare warranty I’ve been treating it like a newborn baby since the day I bought it.

I was hoping that iOS 18.1.2 with the release of the hearing assistance would help fix this issue, but I thought wrong.

The sound quality has not diminished, the product is in perfect condition, the software seems to be the culprit.

Apple, if you’re reading this, please please take into consideration these complaints, and test run new software update updates for AirPods and AirPod pros as many individuals, including I, are having this issue.

Update as of iOS 18.6.1: I’m now on a replacement iPhone 13 Pro Max (thanks to AppleCare), and sadly the Bluetooth issues persist. I’m still needing daily hard reboots just to keep AirPods and other Bluetooth audio devices working reliably.

The behavior has improved slightly—connections don’t fail as quickly, but devices still drop randomly and often won’t reconnect at all without a full hard reboot. This happens across all Bluetooth audio devices, not just AirPods.

It’s now been 11 months since iOS 18’s release and this issue still hasn’t been resolved. I’m genuinely curious:

• Are others still seeing this issue on iOS 18.6.1?

• Is anyone on a 14/15 series iPhone seeing similar problems?

• Has anyone found a reliable fix that doesn’t involve rebooting every day?

Would really appreciate additional datapoints—it’s been a long road with this one.

Really tired of restarting my phone multiple times a day to fix Bluetooth connection issues. Yes, it’s a workaround, but maybe Apple should just fix it?

Mine are also having trouble connecting. Initially, it was just my left AirPod so I tried to repair them to my phone, but now neither AirPod will register with my phone. Even after resetting them, the light remains solid white.

I recently updated my phone to iOS 18. As soon as I tried connecting my AirPod Pro 2's to my phone it would not connect. I clicked 'Forget Device'. That was a nightmare. I tried resetting the AirPod's by holding down the button on the back- did not work. I opened the case top and my phone recognized them but 'Connection Failed'. Finally, it connected to my phone but when I was using them they disconnected every 3-5 minutes. Once it disconnected, it would pause my music/video then quickly reconnect to my phone but would not continue to play the music/video. Very frustrating since I've only had them for less than a year and maybe used a handful of times. Hoping there is a new update for these problems soon!

Same problem here, whenever I hit the gym or go for a run it is disconnecting every 3-5 minutes... Horrible experience since 3-4 weeks..

iOS 17.1.1 (iPhone 13 PRO)

Version AirPods 7B21, CASE 71.8.0 (APP2, USB-C)

None of theses problems occur with my Mac (MACOS 15.1.1)

MUST fix it QUICKLY, APPLE!

Ever since my phone forced the iOS18.1 update, my AirPod Pros have been entirely bricked. Had absolutely no issue with them prior to the update and they have been well cared for. Now my phone and computer no longer recognize them and are unable to successfully pair. I did all of the troubleshooting recommended directly by Apple--no success. Ended up taking them to the Genius Bar, where they immediately insisted my AirPods likely were damaged by moisture. When I insisted this was not the case, they took them back to their lab to further investigate, with the report concluding that there was in fact NO physical damage done to the devices. To ensure MY phone was not the issue, the tech tried to pair my airPods to his employee iPad--same problem. To this the tech said "We're not sure what's wrong with them, but because they're out of warranty, you'll need to buy new ones." They were working PERFECTLY before the update. If this isn't resolved with a software patch, I will be leaving the Apple Ecosystem altogether.

Like many of you, since updating to iOS 18, my XS Max has similarly been a total nightmare with all things Bluetooth -- it's absolutely maddening. I’ve tried all the usual fixes — restarting, forgetting and re-pairing devices, resetting network settings, and keeping iOS updated to 18.2.1—but nothing has worked long-term. Daily forced restarts seem to be the only fix that eventually allows Bluetooth devices to reconnect.

This isn’t just about AirPods; it’s widespread and affects nearly all of my Bluetooth devices, including the Poly Voyager Focus 2 and Bose QC Ultra. But none are as frustrating as the AirPods Pro 2. I even have two sets, and both are just as bad.

• AirPods Pro 2: Constant disconnections and almost impossible to reconnect.
• Other Devices: Audio dropouts on Poly Voyager Focus 2 and Bose QC Ultra.

Has anyone had any luck with a permanent fix, or is there an updated word from Apple on this?

I just picked up the new AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, hoping they’d resolve the Bluetooth nightmare—but somehow, they’re even worse than my AirPods Pro 2. On iOS 18.3.2 (iPhone 13 Pro Max), the connection breaks up constantly and drops entirely, even in low-interference environments.

At this point, I’ve exhausted every possible fix—including network resets, re-pairing, and daily forced restarts—but the issue remains.

I’m also seeing more reports of widespread Bluetooth failures across the forums. Apple, this is not acceptable. My iPhone is still in great shape—why should a software update suddenly render Bluetooth useless?

Frankly, this is just as maddening as what happened with Sonos' App redesign. Which if you're not familiar basically bricked their smart home speakers for many owners for over half a year. Fortunately that's on the upswing and is finally getting better.

Has anyone found a permanent fix yet? Or are we just waiting for Apple to acknowledge and actually resolve this?

Yep. This morning, after updating to iOS 18 yesterday, they were acting very flakey when trying to listen to Music on my iPhone 12 mini, while I was using my iPad (iPadOS 18) for Zwift. Sometimes they'd just switch back to the iPad arbitrarily, then switch back to the phone but turn off noise cancellation. And it wouldn't stop. I eventually had to switch to Music on the iPad (not my preference for my own reasons.)

It seems to be most persistent when the screen enter screen energy save mode on its own. If a podcast i playing, it cuts the sound every time screen wakes up or goes to sleep.

This happens with both airpods pro 2 gen and airpods 2 gen

I just upgraded my ipad to ipadOS 18, and got the 16 pro max, since getting the new phone, my airpods pro 2 have had auto connectivity issues with both the ipad and the phone. and if i change the way i am using my airpods while watching youtube specifically like taking one out or putting another airpod in, it keeps pausing the video. the only way to “fix” this issue is have found is to take out the airpods and put them back in the case, then manually reconnect the airpods to the ipad and closing out the app and re opening it. please help 😭

Really getting fed up now. Since the 18 upgrade my AirPod pros loose Bluetooth with my phone. Have to reset and Now not even connecting. They work fine on iPad and iMac but just not my phone! Clearly software issue. Really annoyed!