Is It Safe To Pair An AirPods 1st Gen Earbud With An AirPods 2nd Gen Earbud?
You’ve probably seen the commercials for the new Apple AirPods 2, maybe even you own a pair. They tout longer battery life, hands-free “Hey Siri” support, and a new wireless charging case. But what if you’re still using the original AirPods?
Can you pair an AirPods 1 earbud with an AirPods 2 earbud? This is a common question because AirPod earbuds are just so easy to lose.
Cross-Generation Earbud Pairing: The Quick Answer
It’s safe to attempt but it will not work. The AirPod system will not support pairing two different generation of AirPods at the same time. You can mix-and-match the case generation with the AirPod generation (1st gen AirPods will charge in a 2nd gen case) but you can’t listen to a 1st gen earbud in your left ear and a 2nd gen in your right ear. It just won’t work.
Should You Try It?
There is no harm in attempting to pair an AirPods 1 earbud with an AirPods 2 earbud and listen to both at the same time — it just won’t work. You won’t damage the Airpods nor will you hurt your phone or the AirPod case. Both AirPods need to be from the same generation for listening to work.
Conclusion
So, there you have it! If you’re thinking about upgrading to the new Apple AirPods 2 but don’t want to spend the money on a whole new set, you can charge an AirPods 1 earbud in an AirPod 2 case (and vice versa), but you can’t buy a single AirPod 2 earbud to replace a missing AirPod 1 earbud (or vice versa).