What to do if only one headphone Xiaomi Airdots is connected: the full guide

You pulled out of a Xiaomi Airdots case, turned on Bluetooth on your smartphone, but found that only one headphone connects? The problem is familiar to many owners of wireless headsets of this brand - from the budget Airdots Basic to the flagship Air 3 Pro. In 80% of cases, the malfunction is not due to a hardware defect, but to software synchronization failures between headphones or connection errors to the device.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible reasons why the second headphone isn’t being identified, from the banal battery drain to the hidden Bluetooth settings. You’ll get step-by-step instructions with illustrations (for Airdots 2/3/Pro/Lite models), a table of compatibility with devices, and tips on how to avoid problems in the future. If you’ve tried rebooting your headphones but nothing has worked, don’t rush them into service: in 95% of cases, you can bring the headset back to life yourself.

Why one headphone Xiaomi Airdots is not connected: top-5 cause

Before you start repairing, it is important to understand what exactly went wrong, and here are the most common reasons why a second earpiece may be silent:

• 🔋 Discharged battery – one of the headphones did not charge in the case due to poor contact or battery failure.
• 📶 Sync failure – the headphones “disconnected” with each other (typical for Airdots 2 after a firmware update).
• 📱 Bluetooth error on the smartphone – the device “forgot” the profile of the second headphone (often happens on Android 12)+).
• 🔄 Incorrect connection sequence – you first turned on the headphones, and then Bluetooth on the phone (for Airdots 3 Pro critical order of action).
• 🛠️ Hardware malfunction – damage to contacts, speaker or antenna (if the earphone does not respond to reset).

According to service centers, 60 percent of the time, the sync between headphones is to blame, 25 percent is to blame for Bluetooth problems on smartphones, and only 15 percent is to blame for hardware, which is good news: most problems are solved without a soldering iron.

Checking the basic parameters: case, charging, indicators

Start by diagnosing the physical condition of the headphones and the case, and often the problem is in the little things:

1. Check the lights on the case: when you connect the charge, a white or red LED should light up (depending on the model). If the indicator does not burn, the case does not charge, and the headphones do not receive power.
2. Look at the contacts on the headphones and in the case: they should be clean, without oxidation. Use a cotton swab soaked in alcohol to clean.
3. Try charging the headphones separately: put the “silent” headphone in the case for 10 minutes, then check if the indicator is on it (on Airdots 3 Pro – red when charging, white when fully charging).

If the indicator on the problem earphone does not light up at all, it is a sign of a malfunction of the battery or power controller, in which case only repair will help. But if the indicator flashes, but there is no connection, then go to software methods.

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On Airdots 2 and Air 2S models, the headphone display flashes red when low and white when connected. On Airdots 3 Pro, only white (charged) or red (discharged).

Reset headphones Xiaomi Airdots: universal instruction

The most effective way to get back sync is to reset completely, and the procedure is different for different models, but the general principle is the same: reset the paired keys between the headphones and make them reconnect.

1. Get both earphones out of the case

2. Make sure they are on (flashing indicators)

3. Disable them from Bluetooth on a smartphone

4. Charge the case to 100%-->

For Airdots 2, Air 2/2S, AirDots Youth:

1. Put both headphones in the case and close the lid.
2. Wait until the indicator on the case goes out (earphones will turn off).
3. Press and hold the button on the case for 15-20 seconds until the indicator starts flashing red and white.
4. Get your headphones out – they should sync automatically (indicators flash synchronously).

For Airdots 3, Air 3 Pro, AirDots 3 Lite:

1. Get both earphones out of the case.
2. Press and hold the touchpads on both headphones simultaneously for 10 seconds until you hear the beep.
3. Put the headphones back in the case for 5 seconds, then pull out - they should connect to each other.

After reset, the headphones will appear on the list of Bluetooth devices as Mi True Wireless or Redmi Airdots (depending on the model).

Bluetooth settings on a smartphone: cleaning the cache and reconnecting

Sometimes the problem is not with the headphones, but with the Bluetooth settings on the phone, especially for Android 11+ and iOS 15+ devices, where the system can “forget” the headphone profiles after updates.

Follow this algorithm:

1. Remove the headphones from the list of associated devices: On Android: Settings → Bluetooth → Press the gear next to Mi Airdots → Delete / Forget the device. On iPhone: Settings → Bluetooth → Press the “i” next to the headphones → Forget this device.

Clear the Bluetooth cache

Settings → Applications → Show all apps → Bluetooth → Storage → Clear cache

Reboot your smartphone

Enable the developer mode

Settings → About Phone → Build Number (click 7 times) → Return to Settings → System → For Developers → Disable AVRCP 1.6 (if any)

After this manipulation, try reconnecting the headphones. If the second headphone still does not work, check the compatibility of your smartphone with the Airdots model (see the table below).

⚠️ Attention: On smartphones Xiaomi/Redmi/Poco firmware MIUI 12.5+ It can trigger a bug when the system blocks the second headphone as an "uncertified device." Solution: disable the Smart Connection feature in Bluetooth settings.

Software Checking: Firmware Update

If your Xiaomi Airdots stopped working after upgrading your smartphone or headphones, it is the fault of the firmware incompatibility. For example, Airdots 3 Pro require a minimum version of the firmware V12.2.4.0, otherwise the second headphone may not sync.

To update the headphone firmware:

1. Install the official Mi Home app (for Android) or Xiaomi Wear (for iOS).

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If you often lose communication between headphones, try turning off Bluetooth energy-saving mode on your smartphone. On Android, this is done in Settings → Battery → Energy Saving → Optimization → Bluetooth (disable).

FAQ: Frequent questions about the broken headphone Xiaomi Airdots