Why Your Replacement AirPod Can’t Connect
We know AirPods are easy to lose. If you’ve recently had to purchase one AirPod replacement earbud, you might think it’s okay now – your lonely AirPod has a friend again. However, a number of Apple fans are reporting that their replacement AirPods will not be paired with their older AirPods, making it meaningless to have a functional matching pair.
Do not worry; It’s not even a bug this time, and your new AirPod isn’t broken. Apple accidentally shipped a replacement AirPods with unreleased firmware – version 2D3, which made them incompatible with the AirPods you already own. Both AirPods must have the same firmware installed to pair.
You can confirm your AirPod’s firmware number by connecting it to your iPhone and inserting one (or both) in your ear. From there go to Settings> General> About. Scroll down and tap the name of your AirPods, then find your device’s “Firmware Version” . If it is 2D3, then your device has unreleased firmware.
You cannot rollback firmware on AirPods firmware, so you have to wait for Apple to finally release an update in the future. Apple has not publicly commented on the unevenness of the firmware, despite widespread reports, but Apple Support has reportedly confirmed that a firmware update is in progress. We can only guess when this update will finally come out, so the only option is to wait and get used to listening with one ear.