AirPods connection issues after iOS 18 Update

I went to Apple Genius Bar because of the problem. They completely replaced my Airpods 2 Pro. It did not help! I've been struggling with this weird bug since September! It's just annoying! Why is Apple so slow to fix this bug?

I have the following data:

iPhone 15 Pro

iOS 18.1

Airpods Pro 2 USB C

Model: A3047

Firmware: 7B21

Me too. AirPods will turn on when I put them in but the sound wont play through the air pods. Usually a phone restart fixes the issue, but this is a $1,000 phone with $300 ear buds.

Embarrassing for Apple that this is even an issue. Not to mention it’s been going on for at least 2 months now.

Fix. It.

Another odd thing is now occurring. Rather than sleep and disconnect from my iPhone/Macbook/AppleTV when placed in their case, now my Airpods Max maintain their active connection(s) to my devices. I had recently replaced my original worn out case over the summer with a brand new one, so again, something seems WAY wrong with the latest iOS update. I am just baffled that it would somehow bork $600 headphones that only very rarely receive updates themselves.

It happens much more when I use apple services like Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, FaceTime, etc.

and the weird thing is my APP1 works perfectly with my m1 MacBook Pro.

and the weirdest thing is my MacBook have so much connection issues with my Sony Wireless home theater.

Every thing is messed up with iOS 18.

Curious if anyone else has noticed a pattern here—this AirPods issue seems to disproportionately affect devices that are 2+ years old. I haven’t seen many reports from folks on newer models like the 15 or 15 Pro.

Maybe it’s just a compatibility quirk with iOS 18 on older hardware, but it does feel like the bug is nudging people toward an upgrade. Hopefully that’s not the case, but it’s worth raising in case others are seeing the same thing.

Would love to hear from anyone on newer hardware—trying to get a clearer picture of what’s going on.

AlpineSkye1 wrote:

Curious if anyone else has noticed a pattern here—this AirPods issue seems to disproportionately affect devices that are 2+ years old. I haven’t seen many reports from folks on newer models like the 15 or 15 Pro.

I have zero problems with my AirPod Pro 2s and my iPhone 15 Pro.

Totally feel you on this—I'm in the same boat. After months of daily reboots just to get Bluetooth working reliably with my AirPods, I finally saw some small improvement recently (I no longer have to reboot every day)… but now iOS 18.4.1 seems to have broken forced restarts altogether. 😵‍💫

So here I am—still having Bluetooth issues, but now I can’t even use the one workaround that used to help. Madness.

I just saw that iOS 18.5 is out and am updating now, crossing fingers that it either improves Bluetooth stability or at least restores the ability to force restart. If it helps, I’ll report back here.

And you're right—after spending serious money on both the phone and AirPods, this shouldn’t still be an issue. You're not alone in your frustration.

Yeah. My APP2 has been cutting out for a second whenever I open an app or turn the display on/off. It’s a horrible experience, waiting for a firmware (or software) update.

I have just disabled Vocal Shortcuts. I’ll update you with more info (if the problem’s fixed or not)

This could be a software issue, what app(s) are you running while using airpods?

-I had the same issue with playing mp3’s in vlc.

I’ve seen several posts saying to durn off vocal shortcuts… it’s not setup for me, yet I’ve still got problems.

I have another problem with my AirPods Pro after updating to IOS 18. When I'm listening to music through my AirPods and a call comes through, the ring tone is extraordinary LOUD. This has never happened before and I can only assume it's a result of the recent update. I attended a Genius Bar appointment today at Apple only to be told that there was no fault with my AirPods and perhaps Apple will address this issue in a future update.

When my AirPods pro2 updated to 7a305 and my iPad Pro updated to 18.1.4 my AirPods started to cutout and it sounds like I’m in a tunnel it is with all audio in all apps I hope there is a fix soon I use my AirPods and iPad to fall asleep every night and I have trouble sleeping because of my disability

This issue is genuinely ******* me off. I’ve spent way too much money with Apple for my devices to keep having unresolved issues. Ever since I updated to iOS 18, my AirPod pro 2’s disconnect multiple times a day when I’m using them. And of course customer service is no help because they just want me to follow a series of steps that I have already done 100 times.

I have another issue with my AirPods after iOS 18 update! Both AirPod are able to connect through Bluetooth and show battery but cannot play sound together when I try to listen to a call or music, only one AirPod is able to play sound at any time: if I take either side out, the other side will work if I replay the music, but once I put the AirPod back into my ear, they cannot work together. I’ve already tried resetting the AirPod connection. (The #1 AirPod is now renamed to be #3 on my device list). What else can I try?