The last time when my girlfriend helped me find my lost AirPods, I knew I had to pay the price of it. I had to pick her calls each time when she rang up; even in the middle of a meeting. The stakes were high so I gave up on anything to hold my AirPods again and she dragged them out of the laundry.
Promises were forgotten and life was back to normal again until one day when I was trying to connect Spotify on my TV, I realized I couldn’t hear a word! I toggled many times with the Volume settings on my TV but nothing moved at all. As if the world was muted.
She glared at me as if I were a jerk and took my AirPods out of my ears about which I had actually forgotten. I unplugged my AirPods from my Tv only to realize that nothing was wrong with the volume of my TV.
This left me startled. This time, I connected them to my Apple TV whose wi-fi I had recently set up so nothing could go wrong with the connection settings. The misery wasn’t lessened anyways. Just last week, when I had the Apple TV all blank, I had reset all settings on it and I wasn’t ready to believe that there could be anything wrong with my Apple product.
No matter what I did, nothing could be heard at all from my Airpods. My heart broke into tiny little pieces. After all, it’s Apple, isn’t it! It literally took me the balls to spend all my pennies to earn these two tiny pieces of earplugs and they were just mute !!!
After all the cursing and whining on her shoulder about why are my AirPods so quiet, I decided not to give into the hands of fate and set out to figure out how to fix quiet Airpods.
There is no way I could have them next to me but so unresponsive and dumb.
Such unfortunate incidents have never been able to make me underestimate my innate capabilities to fix deadliest of the issue one may face and yes, I was able to fix my dumb, quiet AirPods in no time. They behaved obediently with each song I played and each show I watched.
Therefore, I decided why not share it with fellow AirPod-ers so that never in future you face such an issue and if you do, then never worry. At Least till the time you have a tech-lover writer like me who will turn the way upside down to fix any issue on earth that you may face with your device.
Stay with me to learn what happened and how it was fixed.
Why Are My AirPods So Quiet?
There can be more than one reason why you have been wondering today that why are your AirPods so quiet all of a sudden. Most probably, it can be due to the earwax or the dirt that has housed your AirPods. What I found during my research was that there are more reasons for the AirPods to go deaf which has left you wondering why are my AirPods so quiet.
I am listing them down here for your information but rest assured, an individual solution has been provided in the next section for each cause. Take a broad look at the probable reasons to understand why does your AirPods sound low.
- Earwax, sweat and moisture
- Low Power Mode
- Low Volume Limit
- A Software/Firmware Issue
- A Hardware Issue( Water or Heat Damage)
- Almost Dead Batteries
- Incorrect Equalizer Settings
- Bluetooth Synchronization issue
So, the above mentioned causes can be the broad reasons why you have been left wondering why does my AirPods sound low.
Here onwards, I am going to elaborate upon each cause in detail, along with the solution. If you thoroughly implement each fix I am going to lay out, you won’t be worried about why are your AirPods so quiet all of a sudden.
How to Fix Quiet AirPods: 8 Easy Ways
So, you are well-aware of the causes of the problem and that’s what makes the solution easier and quicker as you are already set in the troubleshooting mode. To help you unriddle why are my AirPods so quiet, here are the fixes stapled with each cause which will cooperate in putting two and two together and fix the bug.
1. Earwax, Sweat and Moisture
Given the fast life we live in, I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed my bathing session with the lavender candles and Rosemary Oil. You just want to wrap the cleaning up and get on to tasks. If that’s the case with you, take a small minute to identify if there is even a small layer of wax in your ears. Because if that’s not wiped out, one day you will be troubled with why does my AirPods sound low for sure.
Believe me, even a tiny layer of earwax or moisture from the sweat can clog the earpieces of the AirPods and this can be one of the prominent causes of a ‘low’ volume on your AirPods. Just look at this poor tiny AirPod doing Bachata with earwax. Eww! It made me almost throw up!
There can be a lot of moisture build-up in the AirPods if you were wearing them on a treadmill or when you were completely soaked up in rain.
There is salt in our sweat. Don’t believe me, taste it ! That tiny amount of salt catches up on the AirPods and deposits on drying out which messes up the volume quality.
Also, you must know that if your Airpods were wet with either the rain or sweat or for that matter shower, they welcome dust on drying out and deposit dust easily.
Especially the AirPods Pro, which truly messes up. Their rubber tips grip on sweat, dust and earwax like you can’t even fathom!
So, if one odd day, if you are suddenly wondering “why is my AirPod volume so low”, this surely has taken a toll on your AirPods. In-fact ear wax is also one of the prominent causes for AirPods sounding muffled.
What to do :
Clean your AirPods regularly – Cleaning is so essentially required for the AirPods and on a regular basis. To clean the AirPods efficiently, check out the tips below :
- Grab a soft, dry and lint–free piece of cloth.
- Use distilled water to lightly dampen it.
- Wipe out the deposited mesh on each AirPod.
- Afterwards, use a soft, dry brush to brush away gently. Who doesn’t like a scrub, anyway!
- I would also advise you to clean the AirPods case as well while cleaning the AirPods to prevent them from dirtying up again.
Use Blu Tack – I have tried once using the Blu Tack also for cleaning my AirPods. For those who haven’t heard about it, the Blu Tack is a handy adhesive which is also reusable. This is also pretty effective in cleaning the Airpods. Find out how to use it –
- Take a piece of Blu Tack and give it a good rub between your hands to warm it up.
- Now, press the Blu Tack into the earbud speaker mesh. Press it tightly.
- Now, pull it out quickly.
- The dirt and the mesh will stick up to the Blu Tack and will leave the earpieces clean.
Both these methods are effective in relieving your AirPods of all the dirty wax and the dust. This should definitely improve the sound quality and you should not be worried anymore about why are my AirPods so quiet after cleaning.
2. Low-Power Mode
If your Iphone is settled in ‘Low-Power Mode’, the volume will be automatically decreased on the AirPods. The Low-Power Mode has to be turned ‘off’ to improve the volume of your AirPods.
Although I understand the fact that the low power mode of your phone should not mingle with the volume of your AirPods since the AirPods have their own battery set up. I know and that’s right too but high volume on your AirPods does affect the battery of your phone. Hard Truth !
So, if your Iphone is on Low Power Mode, that is one reason why you are left to deal with the quiet Airpods issue.
What to do :
To fix this kind of bug, you’ll have to modify the settings on your Iphone. Check out how it’s done.
a) On your iPhone, open the Settings.
b) Now, click on Battery.
c) Click the Low Battery tab and turn it OFF.
This small step turns off the ‘Low Battery Mode’ on your phone and the volume on your AirPods should not be affected with the low battery of the phone.
3. Low Volume Limit
There is a safety mechanism in most of the phones and earphones which keeps a check on the volume for getting too high and damaging your ears. This feature is called setting the ‘Low Volume Limit’ mode.
If this feature is enabled on your phone, the volume of your AirPods when you are listening to music, will be adjusted automatically and set to low.
This can leave you aghast when you have been increasing volume to the loudest on your AirPods and are only left dismayed trying to figure out why are my AirPods so quiet on full volume.
What to do :
In this case, you’ll have to turn ‘off’ the volume settings on your iPhone. Check out how will this be done :
a) Once again, open Settings on your phone.
b) Now, tap on ‘Sounds and Haptics’.
c) Locate the ‘Headphone Safety’ button and click on it.
d) Now, using the ‘Reduce Loud Sound’ switch, you’ll be able to turn the volume limiter off for your phone.
This method is very effective when the volume on your AirPods cannot be heard despite the music’s volume being loud and you are just flabbergasted with why are my AirPods so quiet on full volume.
4. A Software Issue
Be it a TV, a phone, laptop or tablet, be it any device, it requires ‘Software Updates’ run timely. It is possible that there is an update which is waiting to be launched on your Apple phone and this has caused the volume settings to behave this weird.
Your iPhone and the AirPods should be laced with the latest iOS settings so that no such software issue causes you to worry why are my AirPods quiet.
What to do :
To fix such a software issue, updates, if any, will have to be launched on both the iPhone and the AirPods.
To update your iPhone, follow these steps :
a) Click on Settings and there, click on the icon General.
b) You’ll see an option as Software Update. Click on it.
On doing the above, if there is any pending update on the iPhone’s system, it shall be updated and it will sync well with the AirPods which you will now update.
To update your AirPods, follow these steps :
a) Under the Settings, you’ll find about their firmware.( something like BTSXXX.00X)
b) New firmware is launched time-to-time to update the AirPods.
c) For updating their firmware, put them back in their case and connect them to a power source.
d) Then, pair them with your iPhone or iPad. It will run a quick Force Update on the AirPods.
When both the iPhone and the AirPods are updated freshly, the Volume settings also will be refreshed and there won’t be any lag like the one you are facing.
5. A Hardware Issue
This one I dread the most. The software issues can still be sorted with updating them but if there is any hardware issue with the AirPods, it’s a hopeless sort of situation and it will require replacement or you’ll have to contact Apple Support.
What I mean clearly with a hardware issue is water or heat damage to your AirPods. If you have been unlucky enough to find your AirPods in the laundry basket after the washing cycle, you’ll understand the damage caused.
There isn’t a lot you can do if the AirPods were washed up or were heated up. The AirPods are tiny and fragile and they need to be looked after very carefully to live a long life.
What to do :
Genuinely, you’ll have to buy new AirPods if such a damage has happened. There is no possible way to fix these flawed AirPods. Wait for your birth anniversary or an upcoming Promotion if you don’t want to splurge a big chunk of money as of now but the hard truth is, you’ll have to purchase new AirPods now.
6. Almost Dead Batteries
I know this is very basic but as you know, Common sense is not very common ! Often , people forget to charge their AirPods or have them plugged with a battery charge as less as 5% and can’t help but wonder why are my AirPods quiet.
I’ll put it across very plainly. Almost dead batteries are one of the prime causes of a spotty, bleak connection where the volume connection is interrupted at first.
What to do :
Simply charge your AirPods. If you connect your AirPods to charge for a good 30 minutes, they deliver a good talking time of upto 3 hours and a sufficient 5 hours of listening time. And if you are in a rush, a quick charge of only 15 minutes can bear a good 2 hours of talktime and somewhat 3 hours of the listening time. Isn’t that good enough!
All they need is to be charged regularly. Just for your information, AirPods charge the fastest when connected to an iPhone or iPad USB Charger or if they are plugged into your Mac.
How to Check if AirPods are Charging?
It’s always good to check whether the AirPods have charged up or not if you have plugged in your AirPods for a long time. To check the status of battery charge on your AirPods-
a) Open the AirPods case. Let the AirPods be inside it.
b) Unlock your iPhone and hold the case open.
c) The battery status and the charging level will be displayed on the iPhone’s screen.
d) The small lightning bolt sitting next to the battery icon indicates active charging status.
So, to avoid glitches due to a simply dead and uncharged AirPods, juice them up everyday depending on your usage and connect to the battery when not in use. This will save you from charging them intuitively and grabbing two dead AirPods one odd day.
7. Incorrect Equalizer Settings
In case you are unaware what an Equalizer is, an Equalizer is a setting which fine tunes the frequency response of the earphone/ speaker to what we heard the sound as in real life.
So, if you have been thinking do AirPods get quieter over time, you must reset the equalizer settings on the AirPods. So, if the volume levels on your AirPods have been disrupted over time, the EQ ( Equalizer) Settings need to be reset.
What to do :
a) Select any song and start to play any song in the Music app on your iPhone.
b) Open the Settings and click on Music.
c) There, you’ll see EQ ( Equalizer).
d) Adjust the EQ settings by increasing the volume in this case. It can also be decreased if the loud volume levels trouble you while playing any song.
e) The Late Night Setting here is the ‘loudest’ but you can adjust settings as per your own choice.
f) The ‘Loudness’ actually is set up to decrease the loudest of the sounds so don’t just go by the name and adjust your settings in a way where you can hear your AirPods really well and clearly.
8. Bluetooth Synchronization
If you have been juggling your AirPods between multiple devices like your iPhone or Mac, the Airpods get confused. Thereafter when you connect to your iPhone one day and see the AirPods connected to the phone, you are left dismayed wondering why is my AirPod Volume so low.
What to do :
a) Pair your Airpods to any of the devices and play any song.
b) Take the volume all the way to zero level while the song still plays.
c) Now, open the Bluetooth Settings on your phone and disconnect the AirPods. Don’t ‘Forget’ them, just disconnect.
d) Keep playing the music but let the volume be at level zero.
e) If the volume increases by chance, disconnect the AirPods and again reduce the volume to level zero.
f) Now, connect the AirPods again to the iPhone’s Bluetooth and now, increase the volume .
This hack should fix this odd volume bug and will make your Airpods burp loudly. All the methods elaborated in such detail above will leave you totally relieved when you have been frustrated with why does my Airpods sound low.
Additional Suggestions for Fixing Quiet AirPods-
1. Headphone Accommodation for a Quick Volume Boost
I will recommend checking the option of ‘Headphone Accessibility’ if the AirPods still sound low. There are many accessibility features which will improve the volume on the AirPods while playing the music or answering calls.
a) Open the Settings and tap on Accessibility.
b) Now, click on ‘Audio/ Visual.’
c) Now, tap the ‘Headphone Accommodations’ icon to ‘on’ position.
d) There will be an option at the bottom of the screen where you can choose which device you are making these changes to.
e) If you select Phone, , it includes essential features like Facetime and other video calling apps.
f) Under the ‘Tune Audio For’, tap on any option to select optimization. Play any song while doing this so that you can hear what changes have been made.
h) You can also choose to tap Custom Audio Setup to try the samples of the audio and select the best one for you.
Why is One AirPod Quieter Than the Other?
By now, you are very well aware about the causes and reasons which can make the Airpods quieter over time but it’s a different scenario altogether when one of the Airpods seems to malfunction. The Apple owners seem perturbed wondering why is one AirPod quieter than the other. Either the left one or the right one, music can be heard clearly but from one of them. It’s as irritating and disturbing as the time when none of them were working.
Here, if you are also worried about why is one of my AirPods quiet, take a look at the simple hacks to ensure that both the Airpods work well and are very functional but before that, I will list down the various reasons that can make you dig deeper about why is my left AirPod so quiet or at times, why is my right AirPod so quiet.
Why is One AirPod Quieter than the Other :
Take a look at the reasons which can make one of the AirPods defective.
- A Flawed connection
- The AirPods have not been connected properly to each other
- One AirPod has been muted
- Both AirPods have been muted
- Very low volume on AirPods
- One AirPod is damaged
- One Airpod isn’t fully charged
- Something is blocking the Airpods
- Airpods are not in range
Observe the reasons above carefully and try to identify with any of them. If you can relate with one of the reasons above, well and good otherwise, the solutions mentioned below will make it clearer to you to figure out why is one of my Airpods quiet.
Solutions to Fix “ Why is My Left or Right AirPod so Quiet?”
Grab your AirPods and try each and every solution which I am going to lay down from here onwards. All of them are equally effective and I strongly believe, by the time you reach the last one, your Airpods, both the Left and the Right one, will be operative and you’ll be able to hear from both of them.
1. Ensure that the AirPods are in a Good Condition.
Both the AirPods must be in good condition. A good condition means they shouldn’t be damaged or lay loose when kept in the case. If they are loose or very stiff, they won’t fit well in the AirPods case and hence, the connection will be interrupted.
2. The Phone Should Not be on Airplane Mode.
In a jiffy, one forgets to check if the network is available on the iPhone or not. If by chance your iPhone is put into Airplane Mode and you have been claiming the AirPods to be the culprit, that’s not fair! Turn ‘off’ the Airplane Mode and then, you’ll be able to use both the Airpods. Interestingly I did an article on whether you can wear AirPods on a plane or not.
3. Try Connecting the Airpods to Another Device.
If you have been trying to hear sound on the AirPods using your iPhone, try connecting them to another device like the TV or the MacBook. Then, check if the quieter AirPod worked. Connecting to another device refreshes the connection history and might fix the lag on one of the AirPod.
4. Reset the AirPods.
When you reset an AirPod, all the pairing and the connection settings on them are refreshed and this can be ideally done in the case you are juggling with. This might sound very simple but is a potential fix to solve software issues like the connectivity issues or a battery life that drains too fast.
To reset your AirPods-
a) Grab the AirPods Case. There is a ‘Set-up’ on the backside of the Charging Case. Press and hold it there.
b) The flashlight will flash ‘amber’ a few times and then, will flash ‘white.’ Release the button at that moment.
c) The AirPods have been reset now.
d) Now, connect your AirPods to your phone or any device and now, try to hear from the troublemaker AirPod.
After the entire connection has been refreshed, you should be able to hear from the AirPod whichever was muted , either the right one or the left.
5. Restart the Phone.
Restarting the connector device is a good idea to fix such minor but crazy issues at times. This step resets and refreshes the connection settings and connects the Airpods with a fresh start.
To restart your iPhone-
a) Press and hold the Power button ( for Iphones without the Face ID) or the side button and the Volume button ( for iPhones with the Face ID) on your iPhone. When you do this, the ‘slide to Power off’ button will display on the screen.
b) Now, swipe the red colored Power icon from left to the right. This will power off your phone.
c) Now, wait for about 30 seconds and then, press and hold the Power button ( for phones without the face ID ) or the side button ( for phones with the Face ID) till the Apple Logo will appear in the center of the display and your phone will turn on again.
A fresh restart on your Phone will refresh the pairing and the connection settings and the mute AirPod should begin to operate.
6. Re-Pair your AirPods with Apple.
At this stage, Apple is the only support that can fix this issue. You will either have to buy new AirPods but before that, you can try using Apple’s Mail-in Repair Service. For purchasing new AirPods, I always trust visiting a genuine Apple Store.
For repairing your AirPods using the Mail-in Service by Apple, Apple Support online website you have to visit whose link I have attached here. Follow the on-screen instructions to fill in your registered details and you’ll receive due support over the mail to fix this issue. You’ll receive an ID for repair like displayed above which you need to keep safe. This will assist you while receiving assistance from the support team.
7. Check the Audio-Balance on your Phone.
If the audio balance on your phone is set to either left or right, then one of the AirPods will sound louder and the other one will be quieter. The Audio settings on your phone should be duly balanced in order to maintain sound frequency on both the AirPods.
For balancing the Audio settings on your phone –
a) Open Settings and then, tap on Accessibility.
b) Now, tap on the icon ‘Audio/Visual’.
c) Now, drag the slider in the center from either left or right. The center will ensure the audio balance on your iPhone.
8) Clean the AirPod.
In the end, I would strongly recommend trying this basic but essential step which can be the root-cause of the issue, i.e. one of the AirPod is quieter than the other. Clean the AirPod which you cannot hear clearly from.
I stressed on the importance of clean AirPods in the very beginning of this article. If the AirPod(s) is clean, most of the problems will be at bay and no sound or operational issue will surface.
To clean the AirPod ( either Left or right) –
- Grab a soft, dry, lint-free cloth and dip a small section in distilled water.
- Wipe the AirPods clean very gently along with the AirPod Case.
- I have also recommended using Blu Tack and a gentle toothbrush for the same.
I hope by now, the basic audio issue with your AirPods is settled and you’ll be able to hear sound from both. Once you have tried and tested all the hacks mentioned above, keep them in mind as precautions to avoid facing any such similar issue in the future.
AirPods are very fragile and so tiny. To use them for the maximum time they can live for, take extra precautions in taking care of them and always keep them very clean!
FAQs
Q1. How long should the battery of AirPods last?
Answer – If you have 3rd Gen AirPods, the battery can last upto 6 hours of their listening time( for 5 hours if the spatial audio is enabled ). It can give upto 4 hours of the talking time on charge for a single time. If the AirPods are charged for just 5 minutes inside their case, it can give a good 1 hour of listening time and talking time.
Q2. Can I wear AirPods while I shower?
Answer – Oh please, don’t use your AiRpods in running water like showering or a faucet flow. Also, don’t swim with them ‘on’ otherwise they will swim deeper than you can and be gone forever. They also shouldn’t be in the washing machine or the dryer, or to say, a sauna or steam bath.
Q3. Why can’t I wear AiPods while sleeping?
Answer – Why do you need to be so available to everything and everyone , please understand. Wearing AirPods while sleeping can cause hearing loss. If you want to fall asleep while listening to music on AirPods, the maximum volume should be 50% or less. The nights are relatively silent so you can enjoy AirPods with lesser volume.
Q4. How can I clean my AirPods?
Answer – Remove the eartips from the AirPod and run the eartips under water. No soap or any other dishwashing liquid should be used for cleaning them.After cleaning them, wipe them with a soft, dry cloth which is lint-free. I prefer a muslin cloth. Before you re-attach the eartips to the AirPods, they should be completely dry.
Q5. Is it alright to leave the AirPods on charging overnight?
Answer – The AirPod case stops charging once it is fully charged up. This makes it somewhat safe to leave them plugged to power in the case for the entire night. There are no consequences like lightning or blasting if they are left on charging overnight.
Wrapping Up:
As I always say, Do not take anything for granted! Even if you have invested the heart of your pockets in adding AirPods to your collection, they will not stay with you the way they came if you do not take extra care of them.
Why extra? One because once you begin to use AirPods, their out-of-the-world quality will not let you switch ever to the basic earphones and two, they are super expensive. It will take some guts if you end up buying new AirPods every two months.
Apple never disappoints and delivers excellent quality all the while you use its products but only if they are pampered like babies and never ignored. So, keep your Airpods carefully back into the case when not in use and never let a tiny grain of dust behold them.
So, I rest my pen here with a hope that you are enjoying music again on your AirPods and will be careful with this tiny costly baby of Apple. Take care and have fun!
As an engineering graduate (and a full-time layabout), I am always looking for smart technological innovations to make my life simpler and more automated so that I can be even lazier than usual.
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