If you buy a new pair of AirPods, you should never have to do that unless you go out of your way to unpair them from your iCloud account. Also, you e over complicated it - just hold the button in the case until it’s reset, then open the lid and they will appear as new.

> Like all apple products they do sacrifice some discoverability in favor of a sexier minimalist look

And which Bluetooth headphones have a more ‘discoverable’ pairing mode?