Airpods 4 not connecting even when i've done everything

I noticed that my right airpod suddenly stopped working when it was working 15 minutes prior to me checking the battery. so i cleaned it with a dry cotton swab, left it to charge, and came back to it after 20 minutes. still nothing. 3 hour nap later, still nothing. so i pressed forget airpods since that seemed to work for everyone, but then the option to pair them again won't even pop up even when the light turned white. the same problem's on my macbook and my iphone.