So you just got a new pair of wireless headphones for the New Year and now they won’t work. Not even a little bit, not even once you get them out of that weird case they came in. Said wireless headphones are your AirPods if you haven’t already deduced that from the headline and first several thousand words of this article. Being wireless makes them tricky to troubleshoot when they don’t work as advertised. If you have any other issues with your AirPods (such as pairing problems or Siri not hearing you), have no fear: We have a whole article about common AirPod problems and how to fix them! But if your battery light is red, or the left or right AirPod isn’t making any noise, read on for some fast tips about what might be going on.
Why Are My Airpods So Quiet All Of A Sudden
- They might not be charged. Your AirPods don’t work without power, so if they’re dead, they won’t play any audio. Fortunately, it only takes about 15 minutes of charging to get five hours of battery life for your AirPods.
- You might have accidentally pressed the on/off switch. The AirPods come with a handy on/off switch, which you can use to turn your AirPods off when you’re not using them. The switch is located on the back of each AirPod, and it’s pretty easy to accidentally press when you put your AirPods in your ears.
- They might have lost the Bluetooth connection to your iPhone. If the left or right AirPod isn’t making any noise, it could be because it has lost its connection to your iPhone. To make sure that this isn’t the problem.
- There might be some debris lodged in one of your AirPods that is preventing sound from coming out of one side or the other (gross). In order to remove this debris, hold down either of your AirPods for about 15 seconds until its battery light flashes white (if there is no debris), or red if there is something stuck inside that needs to be removed. Then just remove whatever is stuck inside! If you’re having persistent issues with audio quality after removing any foreign objects or debris from the inside of an earbud, you may want to take your AirPods to an Apple Store and see if they can fix it.
- Something might be broken inside of one of your AirPods. If you’re having persistent issues with audio quality after removing any foreign objects or debris from the inside of an earbud, you may want to take your AirPods to an Apple Store and see if they can fix it.
Some Common Problems Of Airpods
AirPods suddenly got very quiet
This is the most basic issue to address, but it can also be the most serious. If one or both of your AirPods suddenly got a lot quieter than they were before, then there could be a hardware failure. But don’t panic: It might just be a software issue. The first thing you should do if you’re experiencing this issue is double-checked your AirPods’ battery levels. If they’re very low, they just might be too quiet to use. If they’re in the red and you’re desperate to get some things done, try charging them for a few minutes. If you don’t have the time, or they’re already charged, then there’s another trick you can try.
AirPods only play in one ear
If you’re wearing both AirPods but only one is making sound, then you might have accidentally selected one and not the other. If this is the case, you can quickly select both AirPods by double-tapping either one. If you didn’t accidentally choose one AirPod over the other, and the one that’s working is actually just playing in mono (as opposed to stereo), then you can change that by tapping the Bluetooth icon in your iPhone’s Control Center, then tapping the name of your AirPods. Once you’re in the Bluetooth settings, tap “Audio Options,” then change the “Play Audio in Both Earbuds” setting to “Mono.”
AirPods are making crackling noises
If you’ve reached the point where you’re certain that both AirPods are working, but you’re still hearing crackling noises, then you have a WiFi interference problem. Now, hopefully, your AirPods are still under the one-year warranty, but if you’re outside of that window, you’re going to have to shell out some cash to replace them. If you’re not ready to do that just yet, there are a couple of things you can try to limit the amount of WiFi interference you’re hearing. First, make sure you’re not too close to any WiFi routers. They’re powerful enough that you can actually hear them if you’re too close.
How To Fix Airpods That Suddenly Got Quiet
Double-Check the Battery Level
If your AirPods suddenly got a lot quieter than they were before, then there could be a hardware failure. But don’t panic: It might just be a software issue. The first thing you should do if you’re experiencing this issue is double-checked your AirPods’ battery levels. If they’re very low, they just might be too quiet to use.
Try Charging Them for a Few Minutes
If you don’t have the time, or they’re already charged, then there’s another trick you can try. If your AirPods are connected to your iPhone and are playing at the same volume level on both of them, but only one of them is getting really quiet for no apparent reason, then it means that only one of them could be getting disconnected from the Bluetooth connection with your iPhone or Mac in some way and that would explain why only one of them is playing sound at all times while the other one is completely silent. So if this happens to you, then what you can do is switch off both of your AirPods by holding down either one until it stops making any sound at all and wait until they turn off completely before turning them back on again by holding down either one again until it starts making the sound again before placing it back in your ears to see if that fixes the problem. And if that doesn’t work, then you should turn off both of your AirPods and wait for a few minutes before turning them back on again.
Reset Your AirPods
If none of these tricks work, then you could try resetting your AirPods. To do that, you need to hold down both the “Volume Up” and “Volume Down” buttons at the same time until the LED light on each of them starts flashing in a really fast pattern. Once that happens, release both buttons and wait for 5-10 seconds before holding down either one of them again and see if that fixes the problem. If it doesn’t work, then try resetting your AirPods again. This time, you need to hold down both the “Volume Up” and “Volume Down” buttons at the same time until all three lights on each of them start flashing in a really fast pattern. Once that happens, release both buttons and wait for 5-10 seconds before holding down either one of them again and see if that fixes the problem. If it still doesn’t work, then you should contact Apple Support or take your AirPods to an Apple Store so they can get replaced for free under warranty since there might be a hardware failure with them.
Try Using Another Pair of Bluetooth Headphones
If none of these tricks work, then you could try using another pair of Bluetooth headphones with your iPhone and Mac to see if they have any problems when paired with them. If they don’t, then it means that there’s something wrong with your AirPods and you should contact Apple Support or take your AirPods to an Apple Store so they can get replaced for free under warranty since there might be a hardware failure with them.
Contact Apple Support or Take Your AirPods to an Apple Store
Finally, if none of these tricks work, then you could contact Apple Support or take your AirPods to an Apple Store so they can get replaced for free under warranty since there might be a hardware failure with them.
How To Fix Airpods That Only Play In One Ear
Make Sure They’re Turned On
Before you can do anything with your AirPods, you first need to make sure that they’re turned on. To do that, simply tap on the “Status” button once and the LED light on each of them should start flashing in a really fast pattern. And if they don’t, then check to see if they’re charged before trying again. If they still don’t turn on after charging them, then it means that there’s a hardware failure with them and you should contact Apple Support or take your AirPods to an Apple Store so they can get replaced for free under warranty since there might be a hardware failure with them.
Check to See If They Have Any Power
One of the most common reasons why one of your AirPods might not play sound in both ears is because it doesn’t have any power left in it and has completely drained out its battery. And if that’s the case for you, then all you need to do is plug in your charging cable into one of its charging ports and let it charge for at least 30 minutes before trying again. Once it’s charged up and has some power left in it, try pairing it with your iPhone or Mac again and see if that fixes the problem by playing sound through both of its built-in microphones at the same time. And if that doesn’t work, then try charging your AirPods for another 30 minutes before trying again.
Reset Your AirPods
The next thing that you can do to fix your AirPods that only play sound in one ear is to reset them. To do that, simply hold down the “Status” button on each of them for at least 15 seconds until both of its LEDs start flashing in a slow pattern, and then release the button. Once you’ve done that, try pairing it with your iPhone or Mac again and see if that fixes the problem by playing sound through both of its built-in microphones at the same time. And if that doesn’t work, then try charging your AirPods for another 30 minutes before trying again.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you’ve now got some strategies for dealing with the problems that can come with using AirPods. Whether it’s sudden quietness, mono audio, cracking noises, or a combination of these issues, there are a few things you can do to get your AirPods back up and running again.
