Why can't I hear anything on my AirPods? Did your AirPods’ volume strangely change? Is it unbelievably low? Why is one of my AirPods quiet? That would be disappointing for the most sought-after pair of earbuds, right? You may have asked -- why did my AirPods get quieter? Don’t worry, it usually just requires some minor fixes.
From simple cleaning to adjustment of settings, we’ll give you a simple guide in fixing your quiet AirPods.
Why Are My AirPods so Quiet All of a Sudden
There are a lot of reasons why your AirPods are acting this way. It may be a physical obstruction like something is impeding the proper volume of your AirPods or a setting problem that you simply need to adjust in your device, or maybe a much-needed software update. Here's how to fix quiet AirPods:
1. Sweat, Dirt, and Earwax
Consistent use of your AirPods can accumulate sweat, dirt, and even earwax and this messes up the volume of your AirPods.
Do you jog and work out with your AirPods on? Sweat can mess up the sound quality of your AirPods because of the salt from your sweat and may be the reason why you ask -- why can't I hear out of my AirPods.
Do you leave your AirPods out of their charging case? This gathers up dirt especially when there’s moisture on your speaker mesh from a jog in the rain or a simple temperature change. When there’s moisture, dust easily comes into your speaker mesh and changes the quality of your AirPods’ sound.
Do you consistently use your AirPods when your ears aren’t clean? Well, this is really bad news for your AirPods. Earwax buildup can cause your speakers to get broken over time. It also immediately affects the sound quality of your AirPods.
Simply put, just wipe your AirPods with disinfectant wipes that aren’t that wet and follow through with a microfiber cloth. For the speaker mesh, which is the most sensitive part of your AirPods, use a cotton swab and gently wipe off gunk buildup. Safely clean your AirPods with a complete step-by-step guide here.
2. Low battery
Your AirPods may already be running out of battery and at 10% or less. If this is the case, your volume can be limited.
Charge your AirPods by simply placing them back In your charging case. If your charging case is also running low, plug it with a wired connection, use a MagSafe charging case, or a Qi-certified charging mat. Be guided with your AirPods battery life here and safe charging here.
3. You’re on Low Power Mode
Sometimes, you want to extend the life of your AirPods by turning on Low Power Mode; however, this feature lowers its performance and could affect the volume.
To turn this feature off, go to Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode, it must be toggled off for you not to use this feature.
4. Volume level of the connected device is low
Some users overlook this simple problem. But yes, your device’s volume must be adjusted to a louder sound that you’re most comfortable with. Go to Settings > Sounds and Vibrations and then adjust accordingly.
5. Your device’s volume limit is at a low
Your device has a volume limit that you can adjust depending on your preference. Do a quick check by going to Settings > Music > Volume Limit. Set it to a maximum or what you’re most comfortable with.
6. Left and right channels don’t have volume balance
To conserve AirPods battery, we sometimes just use one AirPod. However, we may not notice that volume levels are not balanced. You can make sure you have both AirPods channels by going to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > go to Balance and make sure the button’s in the middle.
While you’re on the Audio/Visual page, check Mono Audio and make sure it’s disabled as well.
7. Update your software
Make sure to update your software as it fixes bugs from the previous versions. This could just be a minor bug that could be easily fixed by updating your firmware.
Final Thoughts
Why are my AirPods so quiet? It seems like your AirPods have gone broken but it just needs some cleaning or adjusting. We’ve given you the most common problems (and solutions) on how to go about your quiet AirPods. Make sure you’ve gone through these steps before panicking. Alternatively, you may restart your device, and disconnect and reconnect your AirPods for a quick refresh.
However, if it still doesn’t work out, you may go for a reset. Click here on how to properly reset your AirPods.
Did we solve your problem? Let us know which solution worked for you.
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