How to pair Galaxy Buds to a Samsung phone, or any other device

• You can pair your Galaxy Buds to a Samsung device manually or automatically.
• It’s also easy to pair your Galaxy Buds to a non-Samsung Android, to an iPhone, or to a PC or Mac.
• Before you pair your Galaxy Buds to a new device, make sure they’re in range and not already connected to another device.
• Visit Insider’s Tech Reference library for more stories.

There was definitely a time in technology history when connecting devices – even ones advertised as “plug and play” – was convoluted, time-consuming, and frustrating. Thankfully, those days are pretty much over, at least for the newest generation of Bluetooth-enabled mobile gadgets.

Connecting Galaxy Buds to another device via Bluetooth is a simple process. Galaxy Buds can automatically pair to a Samsung phone, but you can also pair them with another Android device, an iPhone, and a PC or Mac – here’s how.

How to automatically pair Galaxy Buds to a Samsung phone

1. Make sure the Galaxy Buds are in their charging case and that they’re at least partially charged.

2. Place the case near your Galaxy phone and open the case.

3. Your Galaxy Buds will automatically go into Pairing Mode, and your phone will display the Galaxy Buds screen, asking if you want to connect to this device.

4. Tap Connect.

How to manually pair Galaxy Buds to a Samsung phone

If you have trouble getting your Galaxy Buds to pair using the automatic process, you can still pair them by following the steps for other wireless earbuds.

1. Make sure the Buds aren’t currently paired with another nearby phone. If they are, unpair the earbuds from that phone or turn off that phone’s Bluetooth.

2. Try the automatic method again.

3. If it still doesn’t work, manually enter pairing mode by tapping and holding the touchpads on both Galaxy Buds.

4. Open the Settings app on your phone.

5. Tap Connections, then Bluetooth.

6. When it appears, tap the entry for your Galaxy Buds.

How to pair Galaxy Buds to a non-Samsung Android

The exact steps below may differ depending on what kind of Android device you have, but generally, you’ll need to go to your Bluetooth settings page to find and select a new device to pair.

1. Make sure the Buds aren’t currently paired with another nearby phone. If they are, unpair them from that phone or turn off that phone’s Bluetooth.

2. Open the Galaxy Buds case and your earbuds should automatically enter pairing mode.

3. On your Android, open the Notification center, then press and hold on the Bluetooth button.

4. On the Bluetooth settings page, select Pair new device.

5. If your Galaxy Buds are in range, they will appear in a list of nearby devices. Select them and they should pair to your Android.

How to pair Galaxy Buds to an iPhone

To pair your Galaxy Buds with an iPhone, you’ll need to go to the Bluetooth page of your iPhone’s Settings app, and find your Galaxy Buds in the list of nearby devices.

For a step-by-step rundown, read our article on pairing Galaxy Buds with an iPhone.

How to connect Galaxy Buds to a PC

1. Make sure the Buds aren’t currently paired with another nearby phone. If they are, unpair them from that phone or turn off that phone’s Bluetooth.

2. Open the Galaxy Buds case and your earbuds should automatically enter pairing mode.

3. In the search bar at the bottom of your Windows computer, type Bluetooth and select Bluetooth and other device settings from the search results.

4. On the Bluetooth & other devices page, click Add Bluetooth or other device at the top.

5. In the Add a device pop-up, choose Bluetooth.

6. In the list of nearby devices, select your Galaxy Buds to pair.

How to pair Galaxy Buds to a Mac

1. Make sure the Buds aren’t currently paired with another nearby phone. If they are, unpair them from that phone or turn off that phone’s Bluetooth.

2. Open the Galaxy Buds case and your earbuds should automatically enter pairing mode.

3. Open System Preferences on your Mac, which you can do by clicking the Apple icon in the toolbar at the top of your screen and selecting System Preferences in the drop-down.

4. In System Preferences, click Bluetooth.

5. If Bluetooth is turned off on your Mac, click Turn Bluetooth On on the left side of the Bluetooth page.

6. Under Devices on the right side of the Bluetooth page, find your Galaxy Buds and click Connect.

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