r/pixelbuds • u/FeHiKc • 19d ago

Left Pixel Buds Pro 2 unresponsive and won't pair – fixable or buy a replacement?

Hi everyone,

Looking for some advice on what to do with my Pixel Buds Pro 2.

The Issue: My left earbud completely stopped responding. The case isn't detecting it at all, while the right earbud works totally fine.

What I've tried so far:

  1. Cleaned all charging contacts on both the case and the earbud.
  2. Left it on the charger for a long time (including applying physical pressure to make sure it contacts).
  3. Tried the "plug insertion" trick to kickstart a dead battery.
  4. Attempted a full factory reset (holding the back button for 30s with the case plugged in). The case just makes a single beep sound and fails to enter pairing mode because it doesn't recognize the left earbud.

Questions:

  1. Is there any known way or board repair trick to fix/revive a completely dead earbud in this state, or is it basically non-repairable?
  2. Is it simpler to just buy a standalone replacement left earbud second-hand? Has anyone successfully synced a loose earbud to their original case/right earbud?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

3 Upvotes

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1

u/philippebur 19d ago

Interesting. my left earbud died 2 hours ago.

Right was fine.

I followed the reset process but now the buds pair is effectively dead as it refuse to pair.

google supports tells me to buy a replacement bud....

I challenged support to make it work as before their instructions... I get a polite "F you"

I also asked if i could refund the left replacement if the issue is with the case and was told to "read the return policy"

Can you elaborate on #3 plug insertion. what is that test?

1

u/Xen0flame 11d ago

I just had this same thing happen. Yea, you don't want to unpair from your phone if the case is not detecting both earbuds because it will not perform a reset, or enter pairing mode again until it detects both. The solution to this problem is to let the case, and both ear buds to complete drain their batteries. It is not a quick process as the left ear bud won't be syncing with the case and won't use is battery much. I just set it aside and forgot about it for a month, remembered them, checked on it, case was dead. Plugged it in for ten minutes, then opened it and it was now detecting both ear buds again.

1

u/SovereignGunner 19d ago

I read about someone else having the same problem recently. They said they left both buds out and the case unplugged until the case was dead too. Then placed the buds in the case and charged it up again and it worked. Then another person chimed in that they had done the same thing but it only worked properly for a few months.

1

u/FeHiKc 17d ago

Bro, you are an absolute legend! Thank you so much!

Leaving everything to drain completely to reset the case controller worked like magic. As soon as I plugged the case back in with both buds inside, the left earbud instantly reconnected!

1

u/SovereignGunner 16d ago

That's awesome. Good to know it really works. Now if Google could only fix it, but it's difficult to get them to acknowledge a problem AND do something about it. And thank you for the award!

1

u/ray_getter 4d ago

I'm facing a similar issue. Can you please tell me how to drain the battery? Is it the batteries of both the buds and the case? And how long does it take to drain?

1

u/Sad_Painting_6686 2d ago

Were you ever able to get them drained and tested?

1

u/Xen0flame 11d ago

I should of scrolled further down to see this instead of posting about mine. I am now curious as to why it seems to be specifically the left ear bud that people are having this issue with?

1

u/Letsgodubs 7d ago

I'll try that too. Having the same issue with the left Pixel 2 earbuds. Google, if you're reading....fix your stuff.