Pixel Buds Connecting While In Case: How to Solve 

Since the inception of Bluetooth earbuds, involuntary connections and interruptions have plagued wireless in-ear headphones.

Whether it be Apple, Sony, or even Google, all have fallen victim to a fairly similar issue. Several consumers have voiced their frustrations with these products often choosing to connect seemingly without reason. 

If you are reading this, then the issue hits closer to home than we would like.

When dealing with randomly pairing sets of Pixel Buds, it can be a relatively minor headache or one that requires replacement parts. To help alleviate malfunctioning Google earbuds, we have listed every sensible solution to this obnoxious problem.  


Why Pixel Buds Connect In The Case 

When we work on these “How to” fixes, it’s not uncommon to feel a certain amount of empathy for people trying to search for solutions.

This is easily one of the more habitual problems you can experience for Pixel Buds and there is very little information on how to fix it. So first, let’s discuss why it happens to begin with. 

Poor Connection

Bluetooth has made incredible strides since its initial release. They used to recommend switching Bluetooth off due to its tendency to drain the battery – now it’s largely inconsequential to battery life.

Regardless, the revolutionary tech still has a few pitfalls and the most notorious is the occasional shoddy connection. 

There are a lot of general, non-Google-related issues that come from BlueTooth worth mentioning. There could be too great a distance between both devices, there could be something creating static or an obstruction, it could require an update or it could simply just be poor Bluetooth on the product

The biggest form of interference is going to come from solid, metallic walls and objects. This can also come from some Wi-Fi connections as well. This is due to Bluetooth using 2.4 GHz, which is the same connection some Wifi networks use. When multiple devices are using the same frequency, it can make up connections and cause a good bit of static and noise interference

Those with 5.0 GHz internet connections are in a lot cozier of a spot, as they don’t have to compete for connection with their Bluetooth. So if you find your earbuds are connecting randomly or losing connection often – it could be due to your environment. 

The Pixel Buds Have Insufficient Charge

If you are noticing that your earbuds keep connecting at random with an increasing amount of repetition, put your buds on a charger for a couple of hours. A dying or low battery can create issues with Bluetooth connection, which could be the reason why your earbuds keep choosing to connect. 

For the sake of eliminating all possible issues, we strongly recommend charging your earbuds fully before attempting any of the solutions below. If you find that the issue stops once your earbuds are charged, you may be in the clear — just keep an eye out for issues going forward. 

Your Device or Buds Are Not Updated

Firmware updates always just feel like a needless break in our playlist’s action, especially on days when we require a lot of use out of our earbuds. It can be very easy to allow yourself to miss a few updates, especially if you don’t always have access to the internet.

These patches are important though and should be added as soon as possible to avoid frustrating glitches like the one we are discussing. 

We will discuss exactly how to update your devices below, which is an important distinction to mention. When updating, make sure that you also do the same with any devices you intend to connect as well as the Pixel Buds themselves. Incompatibility between a device and your earbuds can cause further issues down the road. 


How To Fix Pixel Buds Connecting In Case 

Recently, we covered an identical issue with Airpods and the most frustrating part of the research was how different the solutions were. Depending on why your earbuds are connecting, the solution could be vastly different. We will cover solutions based on their simplicity and effectiveness and descend from there. 

Try to charge your phone as well before attempting any of these solutions, a dying battery can cause inconsistent connection and you will need it for a solution below, regardless

1 –  Firmware Update

This is likely one of the last things you want to hear when something is not working, but the truth is that a big reason for inconsistent connections comes from not being up to date on firmware.

Many people probably aren’t aware of how to do this process. This isn’t technically their fault — for most tech products nowadays the updates happen in the background, and Pixel Buds are no exception. 

The “fly in the ointment” is if you are often outside of secure Wifi connections or don’t have the data to download an update – then you will have to manually take care of it. This process is by no means difficult, it may just feel a bit foreign at first. 

Android devices will be required to get firmware updates. As of this article, no iOS devices are compatible. 

  1. Take out your earbuds from the case if they are inserted. 
  1. Navigate to the Pixel Buds app on your device and select it. 
  1. Go to More Settings > Firmware Update and see if an update is available. 
  1. If an update is available, press it and wait for your phone to reset. 
  1. This process can take a bit of time, so throw on a video for a couple of minutes and keep an eye on your phone. 

You should absolutely test your Google Pixel Buds to see if the problem has been resolved. If not, this was still an important step. Not updating the firmware is a good way to get other errors and glitches similar to this. As much as we enjoy your visits, you may not want to have to look up earbud solutions every week. 

2 – Reset Device

Like in most how-to articles, we are going to have to reset our device. This tends to fix a number of errors that pop up from time to time and is a healthy task to perform when you feel like your Google Pixel Buds are dragging behind. This process is no more complicated than the previous solution and will fix a vast span of Google Pixel Bud problems. 

Follow the steps below to easily get your Pixel Buds up to date: 

  1. On your connected device, navigate to Bluetooth and forget your earbuds. 
  1. Insert your earbuds into the charging case, leaving the case ajar
  1. Connect your charging case to a power outlet via the USB cable
  1. Hold down the pairing button on the back of your case for no less than half a minute. 
  1. When the status light will quit jumping, you can let go of the pairing button. 
  1. The earbuds will alternate between white and orange hues until sticking to a solid, jumping white color. When you see this, you have reset your Google Pixels. 

For most folks, this will likely solve the issue. You are going to have to pair your earbuds back up with your phone as they likely won’t automatically connect due to forgetting them. Once this is done, place them in the charging case and see if this connection issue continues. If so, we are still not completely without a paddle. 

3 – Google Pixel Buds Connecting After Charging

Another possible reason for your ailing Buds could come from your earbuds disconnecting after acquiring a full charge. This happens as some earbuds will automatically disconnect which can initiate pairing between the headphones and your device. As frustrating as this solution may seem; your best bet is to remove them from the case when they are fully charged

The simplest way to test this is to get your Pixel Buds to full charge and see if they connect to your device. For those looking to be absolutely certain, you can take them out and reinsert them as many times as you like to see if this is the root cause. While this may be a quick fix, it is a bit more selective in who it will work for. Regardless, it’s an often overlooked fix that can solve a problem that seems to affect multiple wireless earbuds.

*Alternatively, a charging case that is depleted of battery can also cause the earbuds to connect randomly. So, be sure that your charging case isn’t drained, itself.

4 – Clean Your Pixel Buds

Whenever you are discussing or reading about inconsistent charges or connections concerning earbuds, hygiene will pop up. While we all have seen some of the more gruesome effects of dirt and debris inside wired headphones, you never had to worry about them charging. So with the introduction of wireless earbuds that run off a charging case, we have to start considering the harmful effects of grime-related obstructions (dirt, wax, dust, etc). 

The reason a dirty set of earbuds can cause stuttered, random pairings is due to a weak connection with the charging port. If you remember from the previous category, we discussed how Google Pixel Buds can disconnect when fully charged which initiates an automatic pairing with your device.

This same factor can cause a series of random pairings when the charging port keeps shuffling between connected and disconnected. Physical interference with the charging pins can also stop your earbuds from charging or make them disconnect often from the charger, resulting in random, periodic connections with your mobile device. 

Don’t clean the case while it is charging or plugged in and avoid heavy chemical cleaners

To clean your earbuds use a non-abrasive cloth or Q-tips and give them a thorough but gentle wipe-down. Take special care when cleaning near the charging pins as you don’t want to cause damage to the internals of your case. You can moisten the rag, cloth, or Q-tip a bit to clean visual markings found on the outside of the earbuds. To preserve the stuff under the hood, avoid using water or liquids in general when coming into contact with the charging pins or USB outlet. 

Try to make sure and clean around the seal of your charging case as it being left ajar could cause the dreaded random Bluetooth pairings. 

Google recommends using adhesive putty for consumers with the Pixel Pros, though only if there is more dirt and dust found after the cloth cleaning. A-series users can get away with just a cloth. 

When you are done cleaning, make sure to dry off your earbuds if they are in any way moist, soaked, or any other synonym for wet. Pixel Buds do have mild water resistance with an ingress protection rating of 4. The charging case, regrettably, is a bit more vulnerable and does not maintain the same standard. So placing a wet earbud into your charging case could cause water damage to the product. There are far fewer solutions to that often incurable electrical illness. 

If you wanted to optimize the cleanliness of your earbuds – it is recommended that you clean them after every use. While this is ideal, it also asks a lot of several people with crushingly busy schedules and work requirements. So in the interest of being reasonable to all walks of life, you could probably keep your earlobes from falling off with a cleaning every week or so. 

5 – Forget Your Buds After Use

There used to be a lot of concern about leaving your Bluetooth on when not using it. The biggest and most widely shared reason is that it would drain your battery. While that held true then, those days have come and gone as technology evolved. Turning off Bluetooth can still prove useful in one very specific scenario, however. 

If this problem plagues you when you are sleeping or the sound has just become too annoying to bear – this is a temporary solution to an immediate problem. To stop the beeping you can forget the earbuds on your primary connected device so that they have nothing to connect to. 

To Forget Pixel Buds, do the following: 

  1. Go To Settings > Bluetooth and find your Pixel Buds in the list of compatible devices. 
  1. Click on the Settings icon beside it and select Forget
  1. You have now forgotten your Pixel Buds. Pretty simple! 

Now, this is absolutely not a complete solution and will not fix the Buds glitch or damaged part, but it should at least stop the pounding in your temples. While it may feel like more of a concession than a practical fix, for those who may have to get their devices repaired or serviced – this is a nice way to make a bad situation tolerable until you send them in. 


What To Do if Your Pixel Buds Still Won’t Work 

Sometimes these issues are indicative of deeper problems — and quick solutions and exterior maintenance can’t always crack the case.

If you have diligently followed the solutions and found no genuine fix to the issue, you may want to reach out to customer service or consider dusting off the warranty. Before we leave you with a busted pair of earbuds, let’s go over how you can proceed in the unfortunate circumstance that your product is defective. 

Utilize The Warranty

Google claims that any product purchased from them (non-used) including any additional accessories in the package will be impairment free for one big, beautiful calendar year. Regardless, it may still prove beneficial to read the conditions of your own individual warranty just to be sure. If you have a warranty, any broken or defective parts can likely be repaired or replaced entirely free. 

As much as we all dread to do it, it can also benefit you to speak to customer service. They may be able to get you in touch with a professional

Get It Fixed at a Shop

While the intimidating costs we see when browsing tech can give us pause, the repairs don’t have to be quite so terrible! If you live in a decent-sized city you can usually have access to a few different shops, otherwise, you may have to search for one nearby or send your product in. A lot of shops nowadays can get you set up fairly quickly at a price that is at least manageable. 

If you want to know if the cost of a repair is worth it, you may want to know how expensive it would be to replace a part entirely. Let’s say that you know the problem is located within your A-series charging case; it may be cheaper just to replace it than to pay someone to fix it. To give more insight into exactly how expensive each part would be, let’s go over it briefly in more detail. 

For Pixel Buds Pro, the price of both earbuds is $70 without tax. The Charging Case is also $70 without tax. The ear tips are $12 not including tax and come in a set of all-size tips.  

For Pixel Buds A-Series, each individual earbud will cost $39 not including tax and the Eartips will run you $8 not including tax. Unfortunately, Google does not currently offer a replacement case and you will have to reach out to customer service to see about getting a new one if it is possible. 

Check to see if your region is able to get replacement parts before taking the financial dive. If you live in a place like Alaska or Hawaii, you might not be able to get replacements shipped to you. 


Conclusion 

Technical issues are never easy and often times fixing them can be incredibly frustrating.

Fortunately, this is an issue that is typically an easy fix for the majority of people reading. The process in total shouldn’t take more than an hour to complete the majority – if not all – of the steps listed above. 

The trouble comes when you still have a defective product at the end of these fixes.

While we would love to assure everyone that we can guarantee a fix every time, it’s simply not realistic. So for the unfortunate minority that does still contend with a randomly connecting product, start pursuing replacement alternatives or even third-party products. The beauty of purchasing from Google is there are several third-party companies that make alternative parts for Pixel Buds!