The AirPods and Apple Watch bring functionality and convenience in a compact form, seamlessly blending into your active lifestyle. If you wish to enjoy all the freedom these compact Apple devices offer, you must know how to connect your AirPods and Apple Watch. This way, you can enjoy music on the go or listen to your favorite tracks without having to take your iPhone to a gym sesh. Thankfully, the process is super easy and can be done with a few taps. Here you go!
How to Use AirPods with Apple Watch
When you connect your AirPods to your iPhone running iOS 12 or later, they are automatically connected to your Apple Watch where you’ve signed in with the same Apple ID. That means you don’t have to go through any manual pairing process. Just make sure your smartwatch is running the latest watchOS version and your connected AirPods will automatically switch between iPhone and Apple Watch, depending on which of them is currently playing the audio.
If this doesn’t happen automatically, follow the below steps to use AirPods with your Apple Watch:
- Make sure your AirPods are connected to your Apple Watch.
- Press the Side button to open the Control Center on your Apple Watch.
- Here, tap on the AirPlay icon. It’s a small triangle with three circles above it.
- Now, tap on the AirPods name you wish to connect your Apple Watch to.
Your AirPods will make a familiar sound when the connection is made.
How to Connect AirPods to Apple Watch without iPhone
If you haven’t connected your AirPods to your iPhone yet, you can still connect them directly to your Apple Watch. This will also allow you to connect AirPods to Apple Watch without your iPhone being nearby. Here’s how to pair AirPods to an Apple Watch without a phone:
- On your Apple Watch, open the Settings app.
- Now, scroll down and tap on Bluetooth.
- If disabled, toggle it to enable Bluetooth.
- Now, put your AirPods in pairing mode. For this, you must open the lid of the charging case. While you AirPods are inside the case, press and hold the setup button until the light turns white and starts flashing.
- When your AirPods name appears in the list of available devices, tap on it.
- Once done, you should see “Connected” below your AirPods name.
What to Do If You Can’t Connect AirPods to Apple Watch
There might be instances when you can’t connect your AirPods or AirPods Pro to your Apple Watch. If this happens to be your case, try the following:
- If your AirPods aren’t connected to your iPhone or if it isn’t nearby, you must manually pair your AirPods to your Apple Watch.
- If you’ve enabled Airplane mode on your Apple Watch, you must disable it and try again.
- Make sure your AirPods have ample charge. To verify, you must check your AirPods battery levels.
- On your Apple Watch, go to Settings -> Bluetooth. If you see your AirPods but you can’t connect to it, unpair your Apple Watch and try again.
