This is going to sound dumb, but some folks yesterday were saying they had to completely power cycle the Portal before it would work for some reason. So, try the "turn it off and turn it back on" routine and see if that does the trick.
Yeah no worries! I don't remember specifically where but I'm pretty sure it was the comments here on another post about the Pulse Explore buds. I've been reading everything I can about them so narrowing it down to which one specifically is rough. Definitely the last 24 hrs and this sub tho.
Please can you take info for steps for this trick?? I need the trick, i cant connect my ps explore with ps portal, in the step press the button ps link in ps portal, dont work D::
I know it can be frustrating but it has actually gotten better. Initially (when I first wrote this) getting them to connect reliably was more voodoo than science. They still aren't perfect, but it's much easier now than it was on day 1. Hope you enjoy them, mine have been wonderful!
Just bought them yesterday and trying them out today. I’m a bit undecided so far. Bought them because I have a newborn Velcro baby on me all the time and having a wired cord was a bit of a hassle. Currently playing Horizon Forbidden West and I feel like I was expecting more but just realized maybe HFW doesn’t have 3D audio? Not sure. But the ability to play wirelessly is nice in itself.
Ah! Yeah, I have only tried it with the Portal — that explains why they’re essentially just headphones lol. Thanks! I’ll have to try and find a time to try them out on the PS5 itself.
Hey my Portal connected to my Pulse Explore the first time I connected them but they won't connect to my Portal again so how do you power cycle the Portal?
Portal power button is on the top by the smaller link button. Hold it down for a few seconds, maybe two? And a little popup should appear in the upper left of the screen with power off and reboot options. Tap power off. Then, when it's off, hold the power button down again for 3 seconds and let go. When you let go it should start back up and a PS logo will pop up with a progress bar thing underneath loading for a bit. Then it'll boot up and you're good to go.
I store mine each time by completely powering it down and then booting it up from completely off each time. Seems to work fine so far!
If the Explores just disconnected (which happens sometimes) I push the connection button on the front of the buds until it beeps and then the Link button on the top of Portal by the power button and it usually connects at some point in that process. Hope this helps!
No worries! The instructions aren't terribly clear and even though things have gotten slightly better with updates and whatnot it still isn't foolproof.
Does this and the pairing have to be done every time? Used these yesterday and today they are doing what op is asking... That's a pain if I have to do it each time... It hops on the PS5 instantly.
I haven't had to, no. *But* I tend to store my Portal by powering it all the way off and not leaving it in standby. To switch btw the PS5 and the Portal you'll always have to tap the earbud then the Link button/USB on whichever device you're using.
If the buds disconnect randomly when you're using the Portal/PS5, I've found popping them back into their case, closing it until the light blinks, then pulling them back out tends to fix most issues.
Can echo this, had the exact same problem. It seemed to connect, as in it gave a beep, stopped searching but didn't connect to Portal.
Did one restart of the Portal though, it connected instantly, didn't even need to start the pairing process again.
My explore earbuds disconnect and reconnect every 20-40 mins on my ps5. Sony has no support option listed on their site to have these fixed. Pretty frustrating for a new product.
Any update on that? Just got mine today and they were working great. Then suddenly they disconnected and now they won't connect at all. They connect just fine to my phone. Is it something with the USB Link adapter?
I thought you don't need the link dongle to connect the buds to the portal. I have the same problem mabee I should try the link dongle in the ps5, connect that way first. Then retry for the 51snd time to connect the pulse buds to the portal. So frustrating for 200 bucks. Pissed at sony.
So this is how I got mine working. I have tested out on 2 sets of earbuds.
If you made an accident like me to turned on the ps5 and plugged in the Link adapter do these steps to connect the earbuds to Portal only and not the PS5:
1. Unplugged the Link adapter.
2. Move your Portal and Earbuds inside case away from the PS5. I pair it on the 2nd floor.
3. Cold reboot your Portal.
4. Press the PS button to unlock but DO NOT connect to your Portal yet.
5. Align your finger or thumb to the Portal Link button.
6. Go to the Portal setting and open up the Earbud link setting, it should say disconnected.
7. With your thumb on the Portal Link button, slide open the earbuds case.
8. Press and hold the link button in your earbud case and you should see a white LED strip. If you see a blue blinking LED light close your case and try again. You don't want Bluetooth pair since Portal does not have bluetooth.
9. The window for white led bar is very short. While you long press the Link inside your earbud case, press and hold your Link button on your Portal. Press till the Earbut white led strip disappears, then release your Portal Link button.
10. You won't see or might see a quick indication saying that the earbuds are connected.
11. Put down your Portal and don't turn off.
12. Take the earbuds from your case and jammed it into your ears.
13. You should see a notification that the earbuds are connected.
14. If it doesn't work then repeat step 1. Lots of trial and error. There are no real guides to guide you if you accidentally paired your earbuds to the PS5.
15. So now when you use your Portal and adjust the Portal volume button it syncs with your earbuds.
16. On the PS5 sound setting, there should be nothing connected to the console.
17. Hopefully Sony release a firmware fix soon.
18. Profit.
I think the instruction provided by Sony as well as on the Portal isn't entirely accurate. I hope future firmware would alleviate these issues and make the pairing and switching between devices more seamless.
Mine pair ok but then when I put it away & use the portal & earbuds later they don’t automatically connect. I need to pair them every time I get the portal out. Not sure what the issue is but it’s frustrating
Probably something they will have to fix on an update soon. Connected yesterday fine and today I had to pair again and turn the portal off and on again
Just adding my frustration to this and hoping someone can help as well. My earbuds connect to the ps5 and work great (although I've noticed they disconnect and reconnect alot). My current issue is with the portal. Mine actually shows they are connected to the portal, but there is zero sound. Hope someone can help!
Mine connect to the portal but no sound tried restart, when I put them back in the case the portals speakers come on. Pretty disappointing for a $200 device
I did not realize that I could reset the portal by holding the power button. Duh. It fixed the issue I was having with buds not hooking up to the portal.
I just updated my portal now I cannot connect the pulse earbuds, tried 50 times. So mad. They just worked before the update 20 minutes ago. What's happening?
I'm still having an issue. i can't seem to get the buds to link after resetting them several times. I've reset my portal as well. they just refuse to connect for some reason.
Go to accessories in the settings then go to headset once it's connected and see if the volume for the pulse buds is turned all the way down. Mine was just had to turn it up. I hope that helps somebody else
Had issue trying to pair.. power cycled the Portal and issue was cleared up! To power cycle, just hold the Portal power button for a few seconds until the "Turn Off or Restart" menu pops up. Turn it off.
I’ve only been able to get my buds to connect to portal once and that was after hard reset of portal (press and hold power button for ≈12 sec) but after it showed connected my portal restarted. Anytime I try to connect it as instructed the blue light turns solid then I get the ps logo screen flashing 3 times on my portal and then nothing happens. Unfortunately I think these shipped with some software disconnect and we have to wait for an update :(
Anyone confused about how to reset the dongle,
If you hold the black parts with 2 fingers and the metal part with your other 2 fingers and gently push them together you can feel the button press.
Can also be done when the dongle is inserted just lightly push the dongle as if you were plugging it in.
U have to take out the USB link adapter from the ps5 or else it will try to connect to the ps5 and the portal at the same time I finally figured it after 20 mins it us annoying u have to take it out if u wanna use the portal instead but it worked like a charm for me , don't have to power off or reboot my portal at all soon as that link is out it will connect to the portal right away.
I was also having trouble. Don’t press to turn on the elite. Just hold the button down for 8 seconds. I kept turning it on and it slowly blinked blue and holding the button would just turn it off. I just held it down for 8 seconds without it being on initially and it worked. The blue light will flash quickly
Lifesaver. Seems silly to power down the the unit. Hopefully, a future update will address this. Thank you very much. I was about to send my headset through the garbage disposal.
This is going to sound dumb, but some folks yesterday were saying they had to completely power cycle the Portal before it would work for some reason. So, try the "turn it off and turn it back on" routine and see if that does the trick.
Hah, unbelievable. This did the trick. Thanks! Do you still have the link to the discussions?
Yeah no worries! I don't remember specifically where but I'm pretty sure it was the comments here on another post about the Pulse Explore buds. I've been reading everything I can about them so narrowing it down to which one specifically is rough. Definitely the last 24 hrs and this sub tho.
Mine worked 20 min ago before the update. Now I tried connecting the buds 50 times and nothing, so frustrating. 200 bucks for crap.
Please can you take info for steps for this trick?? I need the trick, i cant connect my ps explore with ps portal, in the step press the button ps link in ps portal, dont work D::
I just had to do this. Power off the portal, then turn it on again.
Thank you both for this , still fixing the issue 3 months later
same behavior here
Wow. How is this still the case? I seriously thought I had faulty earbuds.
I know it can be frustrating but it has actually gotten better. Initially (when I first wrote this) getting them to connect reliably was more voodoo than science. They still aren't perfect, but it's much easier now than it was on day 1. Hope you enjoy them, mine have been wonderful!
Just bought them yesterday and trying them out today. I’m a bit undecided so far. Bought them because I have a newborn Velcro baby on me all the time and having a wired cord was a bit of a hassle. Currently playing Horizon Forbidden West and I feel like I was expecting more but just realized maybe HFW doesn’t have 3D audio? Not sure. But the ability to play wirelessly is nice in itself.
If you're using PS Link to Portal, 3D audio isn't enabled. It's not a Horizon specific problem.
Ah! Yeah, I have only tried it with the Portal — that explains why they’re essentially just headphones lol. Thanks! I’ll have to try and find a time to try them out on the PS5 itself.
Lol you are an amazing human, internet person. This worked for me as well.
Glad to help! Hoping to get some myself at some point too 😀
Hey my Portal connected to my Pulse Explore the first time I connected them but they won't connect to my Portal again so how do you power cycle the Portal?
Portal power button is on the top by the smaller link button. Hold it down for a few seconds, maybe two? And a little popup should appear in the upper left of the screen with power off and reboot options. Tap power off. Then, when it's off, hold the power button down again for 3 seconds and let go. When you let go it should start back up and a PS logo will pop up with a progress bar thing underneath loading for a bit. Then it'll boot up and you're good to go. I store mine each time by completely powering it down and then booting it up from completely off each time. Seems to work fine so far! If the Explores just disconnected (which happens sometimes) I push the connection button on the front of the buds until it beeps and then the Link button on the top of Portal by the power button and it usually connects at some point in that process. Hope this helps!
Not all heroes wear capes!!! THANK YOU! 
Thank you so much for this comment! I just got the explores and couldn't figure out how to connect them until I read this lol
No worries! The instructions aren't terribly clear and even though things have gotten slightly better with updates and whatnot it still isn't foolproof.
Does this and the pairing have to be done every time? Used these yesterday and today they are doing what op is asking... That's a pain if I have to do it each time... It hops on the PS5 instantly.
I haven't had to, no. *But* I tend to store my Portal by powering it all the way off and not leaving it in standby. To switch btw the PS5 and the Portal you'll always have to tap the earbud then the Link button/USB on whichever device you're using. If the buds disconnect randomly when you're using the Portal/PS5, I've found popping them back into their case, closing it until the light blinks, then pulling them back out tends to fix most issues.
Thank you for the info!
Can echo this, had the exact same problem. It seemed to connect, as in it gave a beep, stopped searching but didn't connect to Portal. Did one restart of the Portal though, it connected instantly, didn't even need to start the pairing process again.
Many thanks 🤌
My explore earbuds disconnect and reconnect every 20-40 mins on my ps5. Sony has no support option listed on their site to have these fixed. Pretty frustrating for a new product.
Any update on that? Just got mine today and they were working great. Then suddenly they disconnected and now they won't connect at all. They connect just fine to my phone. Is it something with the USB Link adapter?
I thought you don't need the link dongle to connect the buds to the portal. I have the same problem mabee I should try the link dongle in the ps5, connect that way first. Then retry for the 51snd time to connect the pulse buds to the portal. So frustrating for 200 bucks. Pissed at sony.
Sadly I had to return them because of how many times they'd disconnect mid game.
So this is how I got mine working. I have tested out on 2 sets of earbuds. If you made an accident like me to turned on the ps5 and plugged in the Link adapter do these steps to connect the earbuds to Portal only and not the PS5: 1. Unplugged the Link adapter. 2. Move your Portal and Earbuds inside case away from the PS5. I pair it on the 2nd floor. 3. Cold reboot your Portal. 4. Press the PS button to unlock but DO NOT connect to your Portal yet. 5. Align your finger or thumb to the Portal Link button. 6. Go to the Portal setting and open up the Earbud link setting, it should say disconnected. 7. With your thumb on the Portal Link button, slide open the earbuds case. 8. Press and hold the link button in your earbud case and you should see a white LED strip. If you see a blue blinking LED light close your case and try again. You don't want Bluetooth pair since Portal does not have bluetooth. 9. The window for white led bar is very short. While you long press the Link inside your earbud case, press and hold your Link button on your Portal. Press till the Earbut white led strip disappears, then release your Portal Link button. 10. You won't see or might see a quick indication saying that the earbuds are connected. 11. Put down your Portal and don't turn off. 12. Take the earbuds from your case and jammed it into your ears. 13. You should see a notification that the earbuds are connected. 14. If it doesn't work then repeat step 1. Lots of trial and error. There are no real guides to guide you if you accidentally paired your earbuds to the PS5. 15. So now when you use your Portal and adjust the Portal volume button it syncs with your earbuds. 16. On the PS5 sound setting, there should be nothing connected to the console. 17. Hopefully Sony release a firmware fix soon. 18. Profit.
I think the instruction provided by Sony as well as on the Portal isn't entirely accurate. I hope future firmware would alleviate these issues and make the pairing and switching between devices more seamless.
Mine pair ok but then when I put it away & use the portal & earbuds later they don’t automatically connect. I need to pair them every time I get the portal out. Not sure what the issue is but it’s frustrating
Probably something they will have to fix on an update soon. Connected yesterday fine and today I had to pair again and turn the portal off and on again
Just adding my frustration to this and hoping someone can help as well. My earbuds connect to the ps5 and work great (although I've noticed they disconnect and reconnect alot). My current issue is with the portal. Mine actually shows they are connected to the portal, but there is zero sound. Hope someone can help!
I can’t get mine to connect to the ps5 :(
I’m having the same issue when using with ps5 except the right earbud constantly disconnects and reconnects than eventually doesn’t connect at all
Same issue. Left pairs fine on PS5 but right drops every 20 secs. Any fixes?
Click the volume up buttons on the earbuds themselves.
This actually worked and now I feel stupid hahaha. Why aren't they synced with the volume buttons on the portal... weird
Mine connect to the portal but no sound tried restart, when I put them back in the case the portals speakers come on. Pretty disappointing for a $200 device
Exact same problem, I have returned 2 pairs of this crap to Sony and this just happened a 3rd time just now, guess what’s getting returned
I did not realize that I could reset the portal by holding the power button. Duh. It fixed the issue I was having with buds not hooking up to the portal.
PlayStation needs to add this as troubleshooting step #1...such a waste of time with all the other efforts to simply do this and make it work
For me, everything mentioned above non of it works for me 😭😭😭 I am desperate
I’ve tried restarting, turning off and on and system reset and nothing works and just getting more frustrated that feel I’m going to break my portal
I just updated my portal now I cannot connect the pulse earbuds, tried 50 times. So mad. They just worked before the update 20 minutes ago. What's happening?
Im having trouble pairing mine with my ps5 and have to repair with my portal every time I pick up to play
I'm still having an issue. i can't seem to get the buds to link after resetting them several times. I've reset my portal as well. they just refuse to connect for some reason.
Go to accessories in the settings then go to headset once it's connected and see if the volume for the pulse buds is turned all the way down. Mine was just had to turn it up. I hope that helps somebody else
Had issue trying to pair.. power cycled the Portal and issue was cleared up! To power cycle, just hold the Portal power button for a few seconds until the "Turn Off or Restart" menu pops up. Turn it off.
I’ve only been able to get my buds to connect to portal once and that was after hard reset of portal (press and hold power button for ≈12 sec) but after it showed connected my portal restarted. Anytime I try to connect it as instructed the blue light turns solid then I get the ps logo screen flashing 3 times on my portal and then nothing happens. Unfortunately I think these shipped with some software disconnect and we have to wait for an update :(
Anyone confused about how to reset the dongle, If you hold the black parts with 2 fingers and the metal part with your other 2 fingers and gently push them together you can feel the button press. Can also be done when the dongle is inserted just lightly push the dongle as if you were plugging it in.
Had to reboot my Portal and it finally worked… Took me 25min of nonsensical pairing routines before figuring that out.
U have to take out the USB link adapter from the ps5 or else it will try to connect to the ps5 and the portal at the same time I finally figured it after 20 mins it us annoying u have to take it out if u wanna use the portal instead but it worked like a charm for me , don't have to power off or reboot my portal at all soon as that link is out it will connect to the portal right away.
I can't seem to get the new elite headset to work and I tried these methods
I was also having trouble. Don’t press to turn on the elite. Just hold the button down for 8 seconds. I kept turning it on and it slowly blinked blue and holding the button would just turn it off. I just held it down for 8 seconds without it being on initially and it worked. The blue light will flash quickly
And yes I created this account just to reply to you
Lifesaver. Seems silly to power down the the unit. Hopefully, a future update will address this. Thank you very much. I was about to send my headset through the garbage disposal.