Why Are my AirPods Blinking Orange? How to fix it?

I have been using AirPods since they came out, and recently they started blinking with an orange light. That scared me a bit because I didn’t know what it meant. I started wondering if my AirPods were somehow broken.

Why Are My Airpods Blinking Orange

After researching a bit, I realized that my AirPods weren’t really broken, thankfully. Below are my findings, and the reason why your AirPods are blinking orange or some other color. Let’s get started.

Why Are My AirPods Blinking Orange?

AirPods have a system of communication, as they cannot communicate through words. They communicate through different LED indicators, such as green, orange, white, etc.

Different colors mean different things, and it helps in identifying the problem easily so you can easily fix the problem. Here’s a table that shows what all of the different blinking colors mean.

AirPods LED Indicators

LED Colors AirPodsIndicated Issue
⚪ Blinking White LightAirPods are in Pairing Mode
🟠 Static Orange LightInside the Case
Outside the Case
AirPods and Case are charging
Airpods Case has a low battery
🟠 Blinking Orange LightAirPods have a pairing issue
🟢 Static Green LightInside the Case
Outside the Case
AirPods are fully charged
AirPods Case is fully charged
🟢 Blinking Green LightOne of the AirPods is not detected

From the table above, here’s everything we know.

  1. If the AirPods are in the case with a static green light, it means that the AirPods are fully charged.
  2. If the AirPods case has a static green light without the AirPods, it means that the case is fully charged.
  3. If the AirPods are in the case with a static orange light, it means the AirPod and the case are charging.
  4. If the AirPods case has a static orange light without the AirPods, it means the case is low on battery.
  5. If the AirPods have a blinking green light, it means one of your AirPods is not being detected.
  6. If the AirPods are blinking orange, it means they’re facing a pairing issue.
  7. If the AirPods are blinking white, it means they are in pairing mode.

As we can tell, an orange blinking light means that your AirPods are facing a pairing issue. Now that we’ve identified the issue, all we really have to do is try some fixes.

How To Fix Orange Blinking On AirPods?

Airpods-blinking-orange

Here are some of the fixes in case your AirPods are blinking orange.

1. Unpair and Re-pair AirPods

Since this is a connectivity and pairing issue, your best and first course of action should be to remove the AirPods from the paired Bluetooth devices on your phone. If you need help doing so, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to Bluetooth on the setting app of your phone.
  2. In the Bluetooth settings, you will come across the devices that are paired with your phone.
  3. Find your AirPods in this list and press the “i” button next to it.
  4. Select the “forget this device” option. Your AirPods are now unpaired from your phone.
  5. Put the AirPods back into their case and close the case.
  6. Reopen the case and continue to press and hold down the setup button in order to put your AirPods in pairing mode.
  7. When your AirPods are ready to pair, there will be a blinking white light on the case. Upon seeing this, re-pair your AirPods with your phone.

Following this process should solve the problem. You can check the working of the device by playing music or a YouTube video.

2. Restart your iPhone or iOS device

IPHONE-SETTING

If the issue is not with your AirPods, there is a very good chance that the issue is with the device your AirPods are connected to. Thankfully, simply restarting your iOS device should be able to fix the issue. Follow these simple steps:

  1. Press and hold down the power button on your device.
  2. A slider will appear on the device, which is the button to power down your phone. Slide it and wait till your phone has powered down completely.
  3. Turn your device on again by pressing the power button.
  4. Once your device has started again, connect your AirPods to your device by going to the Bluetooth menu in the Settings app.
  5. Click on your AirPods to reconnect them to your device.

Following this process should solve the problem. You can check the working of the device by playing music or a YouTube video.

3. Update the firmware

An outdated firmware could also be causing these issues. Usually, your AirPods require regular firmware updates as and when you update your device as well. Generally, these updates take place automatically as soon as a new update is available.

However, if the update is not installed automatically, you could just do it manually. You can do this by following the simple steps mentioned below.

  1. You only require one AirPod for this procedure, so you can leave the other one within the AirPods case.
  2. Close the charging case’s lid and reconnect the AirPod inside. After connecting the first AirPod, remove it from the charging case and swap it out for the second AirPod.
  3. Take the first AirPod out of range of your iPhone after using it on its own for a few minutes. With the case lid closed, re-connect the second AirPod to your iPhone. However, make sure to use the second AirPod for a while before stopping all iPhone playback.
  4. Open the charging case’s lid and insert both AirPods. For slightly more than an hour, charge the AirPods in their case. Close the charging case’s lid after the first hour has passed and let them charge for another hour.
  5. While your AirPods are charging, you’ll need to unpair them and reconnect them to your iPhone. They should have their firmware updated and perform as required once they are reconnected.

Checkout other guides related to Airpods:

  1. Why Are my Airpods so Quiet?
  2. Why Does My AirPods Keep Cutting Out?
  3. Airpods Connected But Sound Coming from the Phone

FAQs

AirPods won’t reset and keep blinking orange. How to fix it?

If your AirPods are not able to reset, either your AirPods case is damaged or the AirPods have not disconnected from the device they were connected to before. Sometimes, if there is dirt on the charging case connectors, it could prevent your AirPods from restarting. It would be advisable to go to the Apple care offices and get them checked out.

Unpairing and pairing my AirPods to my iPhone did not work. What do I do next?

If you have tried to unpair and pair your AirPods to your iPhone again to no avail, you can try a few different things. The problem may lie in the device your AirPods are connected to, in which case, you could try restarting the device. If that doesn’t work as well, your AirPods may be running on outdated firmware. In that case, it would be advisable to manually update the firmware.

Summing Up

An orange blinking light on your AirPods case is nothing to worry about. It is a simple issue that can be rectified through a number of ways, for which you will not even have to contact customer care. We have mentioned the steps you can take to rectify the issue above.

However, if your AirPods continue to face the same issue, it would be advisable to give customer care a call and get them checked out by professionals.

Do your AirPods keep cutting out? We have the solution to that as well!