I have had my Beats Solo 3 headphones for a couple of years, and they have always worked fine. After getting the AirPods Pro, I decided to shelve the Beats Solo 3 headphones since they were inconvenient for my working environment. Out of curiosity, I went and got them, and to my surprise, they were still in immaculate condition.
However, there was one little problem, no matter how hard I tried, I could not remember how I used to pair the headphones to my iPhone. Fortunately, we live in an information age, and after a brief online search, I found the information I needed.
To help you avoid the same predicament I faced, I wrote this article to help others connect their headphones to their iPhones.
Key Takeaways
- When you power on the headphones for the first time, they are automatically in pairing mode.
- If the LED on the power button and fuel gauge are not blinking, the headphones were previously connected to another device.
- You can get them in pairing mode by pressing and holding the power button for five seconds or until the LEDs start flashing.
- The right side of the headphone is the one with the power button and the charging port.
- The left side has the 3.5mm port and the Volume control buttons. The volume up and down control buttons are located right above and under the B logo, respectively.
- If the headphone refuses to enter pairing mode, you can reset it by simultaneously pressing and holding the power and volume down buttons. The headphone will automatically go into pairing mode when reset.
- When the headphones are connected to your iPhone, they are linked to your iCloud account, and you won’t have to pair them again to other devices that share that iCloud ID.
Beats Solo 3
Pairing the Beats Solo 3 to an iPhone Using Bluetooth
The Beats Solo 3 headphones are among the easiest to pair with an iPhone, especially if it uses iOS 10 or later, thanks to the W1 chip.
Follow the steps below to connect your headphones to an iPhone that uses iOS 10 or later.
- Unlock your iPhone.
- Power on the headphones by pressing the power button on the right earcup for one second. The LED on the power button will light up, and so will the fuel gauge LED.
- If you notice that the LEDs light up without flashing, that indicates the headphones have been connected to another device. You can remedy this by pressing and holding the power button for approximately 5 seconds until the LEDs start flashing.
Press and hold for 5 sec to initiate pairing
- Go to your iPhone, and you will notice a pop-up showing the headphone’s name with a connect option at the bottom.
- Tap on the Connect option and wait for the headphones to connect to your iPhone. The pop-up will indicate the headphone’s current battery percentage, and you can tap Done.
Pairing Bets Solo 3 with an iPhone
If your iPhone uses iOS 9 and earlier versions, or the pop-up does not appear, you can manually connect it to your headphones by following the steps below:
- Unlock the iPhone and open Settings, then navigate to Bluetooth.
- Tap the Bluetooth slider to toggle it on. You will know it is on when it is highlighted in green.
- Go to the headphones and press the power button on the right earcup slightly above the charging port.
- If the LEDs on the power button and fuel gauge start blinking, proceed to the next step. If they do not flash, press and hold the power button for five seconds until they start flashing, then proceed to the next step.
- Wait for the Beat solo 3 headphones to appear under the other devices segment. You might have to scroll down to get to the segment.
- Tap on ‘Beats Solo3‘, which is the headphone’s name, and they will automatically connect.
This procedure will also work for iPhones with iOS 10 or later in case the connection pop-up did not appear when you tried pairing the headphones the first time.
Resetting the Beats Solo 3
It is essential you know how to reset the headphones in case they do not go into pairing mode regardless of you trying the above procedure. A reset will clear any previous connections preventing the headphones from connecting to the iPhone.
You can reset the headphones by following the steps below:
- Press and hold the power button, then press and hold the volume down button on the left earcup while still pressing the power button. The volume down button is located under the ‘B’ logo on the left cup.
Press and hold the power and volume down buttons simultaneously to reset the headphones
- When you notice the LEDs blinking rapidly, you will know the headphones have been reset.
- After resetting, you can commence connecting the headphones to your iPhone.
Resetting Beats Solo 3 Headphones
Connect Beats Solo 3 to iPhone Using the Remote Talk Cable
Alternatively, you can use a Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter to connect the headphones to your iPhone, especially when the headphones do not have power.
Apple’s Lightning to 3.5mm Adapter
To do this, connect one end of the Remote talk cable to the headphones, the other to the adapter, and the adapter to the iPhone.
The Remote talk cable usually comes with the headphones, but you would have to purchase the Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter preferably from the Apple store.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Question: Why are my Beats Solo 3 not connecting to my iPhone?
- Answer: There could be various reasons why the headphones are not connecting to your iPhone. They include:
- The headphones were previously connected to another iOS device. You can remedy this by resetting the headphones. The resetting procedure involves simultaneously pressing and holding the power and volume down buttons until the LEDs on the headphone begin flashing.
- The headphone’s battery could be depleted and needs charging. You can know the battery percentage by checking the fuel gauge, and if you see a blinking red light, connect the headphones to a power source. However, you can continue using them via the remote talk cable coupled with the Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter.
- Question: How Do You Put Beats Solo 3 in Pairing Mode?
- Answer: The Beats Solo 3 headphones are automatically in pairing mode the first time you power them on. However, if they have ever been connected to another device, you must enable pairing mode by pressing and holding the power button and waiting for the LEDs to start blinking. This will take about five seconds. Alternatively, you can reset the headphones by pressing and holding the power and volume down buttons until the LEDs start flashing.
- Question: How do I reset the Beats Solo 3?
- Answer: You can reset the Beats Solo 3 headphones by simultaneously pressing and holding the power and volume down buttons. Look out for when LEDs on the headphones start flashing; that is when you will know they have been reset.
- Question: Where is the volume control on Beats Solo 3?
- Answer: The volume controls are located on the left earcup. The volume up control button is right above the B logo, while the volume down button is under the logo.The left earcup is the one with the 3.5mm audio port.
- Question: Where is the power button on the Beats Solo 3?
- Answer: The power button is on the right earcup and has an LED that lights up when you press it. The right earcup is the one with the USB charging port.
Conclusion
Connecting the Beats Solo 3 to your iPhone is easy, provided they are brand new and have never been connected to any other device. However, if they have been paired with another device, you can initiate a connection by pressing and holding the power button until the LEDs start flashing. You can also opt to reset the headphones, which is a better option.
If you encounter any problems, you can contact support but ensure you reset the headphones and try pairing them again before contacting support. You should also ensure the headphones are fully charged before using them.
