Resetting the Nothing Ear (3) clears all pairings and returns the earbuds to factory state. You might need to do this if you're selling them, passing them to someone else, or dealing with connection issues that won't resolve with normal troubleshooting. The reset itself takes about 10 seconds, but plan on a few minutes to re-pair afterward.
The process is straightforward because Nothing kept it simple. Hold the button on the case for 10 seconds, the LED flashes red, and you're done. No multi-tap sequences, no app required for the reset itself.
When You'd Reset the Ear (3)
Connection drops during calls, one earbud losing audio, or the Nothing X app failing to recognize the buds are all reasons to try a reset. I'd also reset before selling the buds so the next owner gets a clean device with none of your pairings stored.
If the buds are acting up after a firmware update, the reset often clears that too. The Personal Sound Profile might need a retest after the update, but that's a separate issue covered below.
Check the Case Battery First
Open the case lid and look at the LED. If it's off or flashing weakly, the case might be too drained to complete the reset. The LED needs to be visible during the button hold, and a dead case won't show the red flash that confirms success.
Plug the case into USB-C for at least 15 minutes before resetting. The case accepts 5W standard input, so a quick top-up is enough. Qi wireless charging works too if you have a pad handy.
Hold the Button for 10 Seconds
Place both earbuds in the case and leave the lid open. On the back of the case, locate the small circular button. Press and hold it for a full 10 seconds. The LED on the front will flash red during the hold, that's your confirmation the reset is happening.
After 10 seconds, release the button. The LED should have flashed red during the hold. If the LED stayed white or didn't light up at all, the case battery might be too low or you didn't hold long enough. Try again with a charged case.
The reset erases all paired devices from the buds. They become a fresh unit, ready to pair with any phone or tablet. This is the same method Nothing uses on all their recent earbuds, so it's consistent if you've reset Ear (1) or Ear (2) before.
Confirm the Reset Worked
Open Settings > Bluetooth on your phone (or Settings > Connections > Bluetooth on most Android phones). The Ear (3) should no longer appear under Connected Devices or My Devices. If you had them named something custom, that custom name should be gone too.
If the buds still show as connected, the reset didn't take. Repeat the 10-second button hold and watch for the red LED flash. You can also open the Nothing X app and see if it prompts you to pair new earbuds, that's another sign the reset succeeded.
Re-Pair to Your Phone
With the case open and the buds inside, bring the case close to your unlocked phone (within a few inches). The Ear (3) should appear as a Bluetooth device ready to pair within a few seconds. Tap it in the Bluetooth list, and your phone handles the rest.
For the full feature set, open the Nothing X app after pairing. The app is required for ANC and EQ adjustments. You'll be prompted to run through the ear tip seal check, set up squeeze gestures, and configure the Personal Sound Profile. The ear tip sealing can be inconsistent for some ear shapes, so try different tip sizes if the seal test fails.
If the Nothing X app doesn't detect the buds, close the app and reopen it. On iOS 18.4 and later, the app has a known crash issue. Force-closing the app and retrying usually works. If it keeps crashing, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Nothing X app, that's been the reliable fix for now.
What You'll Need to Reconfigure After a Reset
The reset wipes the buds clean, so a few personal settings need redoing. The Personal Sound Profile requires a fresh test, which is the headphone-based EQ calibration inside the Nothing X app. Your previously saved profile is gone after the reset, so plan on a minute or two for the test.
Squeeze gesture shortcuts reset to defaults. By default, a single squeeze plays or pauses audio, a double squeeze skips to the next track, and a triple squeeze goes back to the previous track. You can customize these in the Nothing X app under Gestures.
ANC settings revert to whatever the factory default is, usually ANC on. The Nothing X app lets you toggle between ANC, Transparency, and Off modes. LDAC and LHDC 5.0 codec support stays active on Android devices that support those codecs, no extra steps needed there.
If you bought the Ear (3) used and the previous owner didn't reset them, you might see their paired phone name still attached. A fresh reset fixes that. The case lid magnet can weaken over time, so if the lid feels loose after months of use, that's a hardware thing, not something a reset addresses.
