Will.i.am’s tech company won’t be buying Earin after all, the true wireless earbud startup has announced. The acquisition first became public almost a year and a half ago at CES 2018, when reports emerged that the musician’s tech brand, i.am+, would be buying the Swedish startup for an undisclosed amount.

In its announcement, Earin said that the proposed acquisition stalled due to “unfulfilled obligations,” but did not give any further details. It said that the company would “return to its innovative roots” under its original leadership team.

“Unfulfilled obligations” are to blame

Hopefully the announcement means that Earin can get itself back on its feet after a troubled couple of years. Its first pair of true wireless earbuds were marred with connectivity issues and poor battery life, and its second pair, the M2 earbuds, didn’t ship until August 2018 despite being announced way back at the beginning of 2017.

It’s probably for the best that the acquisition by i.am+ never went through. The company has tried its hand at numerous smartwatches and wireless earbuds, and most of them have been pretty terrible. Now, its website suggests it’s hard at work on an business-focused AI platform called Omega.