Airpods connect to iPhone perfectly but disconnect from MacBook after a few seconds

Question

Wanted to share as none of the usual troubleshooting tips helped me. Basically, my Airpods worked fine with my iPhone, but when I tried to connect them to my MacBook, they would connect (Bluetooth icon shows a device connected, Airpods play the connect sound), then disconnect a few seconds later (also playing the disconnect sound). In those few seconds they never showed up under output/input audio devices.

I tried without success:

1. Re-pairing Airpods with the MacBook
2. Un-pair and factory reset the Airpods (hold button until amber light flashes)
3. Delete the Bluetooth plist file on the MacBook

What to try next?

Answer 1

The fact that the Airpods connect to Bluetooth but never show up in Sound output/input devices indicate an issue with macOS system audio. Open a terminal and run:

sudo killall coreaudiod

Now try to connect the Airpods via Bluetooth. That should work. If not, try restarting the MacBook and connecting again.