5 Ways to Fix AirPods Connected but No Sound

You’ve been successful in pairing your AirPods to your phone, but there’s no sound coming through. You straightforward jump to the worst-case scenario thinking your AirPods might be dead. There’s no need to jump to any conclusions as you can fix this problem with a few simple fixes.

AirPods are known to deliver a truly magical listening experience. With all the amazing cool new features, the AirPods are known to provide a theater-like experience that you’ll definitely enjoy. However, what’s the use of all these features when you can’t even listen to any sounds on your AirPods?

For multiple reasons, AirPods may have difficulty playing sound. Your AirPods might stop working altogether due to unsanitary conditions, faulty Bluetooth drivers, battery issues, and a host of other factors.

There’s no need to worry as I have covered everything you can do to fix this problem in this guide. The solution is extremely simple, and I promise that you’ll have your AirPods working again in no time. So stick with me till the end to get rid of this problem for good.

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Fixes for Airpods Connected but No Sound

The audio output from AirPods is dynamic and highly adjustable to the user’s interests. They become exceedingly sensitive. As a result, the music may not reach your ears due to environmental factors like dust or ear wax.

Bluetooth 5.1 drives have trouble establishing reliable connections for two or more devices at once. Due to these factors, you won’t hear anything even when your AirPods are linked to your devices.

Here are the solutions for the problem of AirPods connected but no sound:

The Universal Solutions

When the AirPods no sound issue arises, you must first try these methods regardless of the devices you use. After using the universal remedies, your issue will be resolved in most cases:

The following are the universal fixes for the AirPods connected but no sound problem:

Check Battery

If your AirPods are low on battery, your AirPods Bluetooth sensor will not be able to catch any signals from your phone. If no signals are being matched, you won’t be able to listen to anything on your AirPods pro.

To maintain proper connectivity between your phone and AirPods, try to make sure your AirPods battery lies above 60%.

Clean the AirPods

You might not be aware of it, but your AirPods may have Earwax stuck in their speaker. The Earwax can interfere with the sound giving rise to the issue you are facing. In such a case, it is necessary your go ahead and clean your AirPods.

Take assistance from the following steps to have your AirPods cleaned appropriately:

Exterior

  • Take a cotton bar and wipe the dirty areas of your charging case clean.
  • Using a clean toothpick, you can clean out the lines on the case, which are hard to get to.
  • The box can be cleaned externally using tissue paper or cloth.

Interior

  • Go ahead and scrub your charging port using a soft brush.
  • You must clean the AirPods tail with a dry cloth.
  • Using a periodontal brush, go ahead and clean the connection point on the inside.

By cleaning your whole AirPods set, you will be able to get rid of all the ear wax. Once the dirt and wax are removed, you will start listening to sounds again.

Reset The AirPods

At times, after prolonged use, your AirPods may stop putting out sounds for some particular reason. When you experience no sound in your AirPods, you can try resetting the AirPods to resolve your problem.

Follow the steps provided below to reset your AirPods:

  • Place both of the headphones in their charging case.
  • Next, you must hold the Setup button for about 30 seconds. You will notice the lights to start flashing.
  • Go ahead and close the Lid down again.

After resetting your Airpods, they’ll return to their factory settings. By resetting your Airpods, you will be able to remove any sort of issue related to No sound. You should now be able to receive sound normally.

Place AirPods back In Case.

Placing your AirPods back into its case will refresh its Bluetooth connectivity and give it a fresh start. Once you place the AirPods in their case, they’ll automatically get disconnected and will turn off. Each AirPod links separately, and a problem with either of them can give rise to such issues.

Placing the AirPods back in the case will refresh the connection. Once you take them out again and reconnect them, your sound problem will hopefully be resolved.

Solutions On iPhone

The answers for AirPods themselves are the general ones mentioned above. Nevertheless, AirPods aren’t always to blame. The device you’re using could also be misconfigured. You’ll need to use device-specific remedies if general repairs don’t work.

Here are the solutions for the iPhone’s no sound when using AirPods issue:

Choose AirPods as Your Output Device.

Sometimes the output sound device isn’t set to your AirPods. This means that instead of AirPods, another device receives the sound you are playing. At that point, you must manually choose AirPods as your output device.

The steps to choosing AirPods as the output device are as follows:

  1. Swipe up from the Home Screen to open the Control Center on your iPhone.
  2. In the Audio Card menu, select the AirPlay icon.
  3. From the device list, choose the AirPod (the earpiece in your ear).

If you follow the instructions precisely, your AirPods sound should start up right away. If it doesn’t help, try the following solutions.

Restart Bluetooth

Turning the Bluetooth menu on or off does not automatically restart Bluetooth. To reboot your Bluetooth driver properly, you must do extra steps.

The methods to restart the Bluetooth on your iPhone are as follows:

  1. After selecting Settings, click on Bluetooth.
  2. Remove all gadgets except for the AirPods.
  3. Turn off Bluetooth on your iPhone, reset it, and then wait 20 seconds.
  4. Restart the Bluetooth again.
  5. Choose your AirPods once more and connect them to your phone.

Your AirPods will begin transmitting sound after the driver has been successfully rebooted. If the issue persists, go on to the next option.

Restart Your iPhone

The processing power of your iPhone rapidly degrades with prolonged use, and the Bluetooth won’t work as intended. That interferes with the sound transmission to AirPods and can give rise to the No sound issue in AirPods. That problem may be fixed by just restarting the system.

The steps to restarting your iPhone are as follows:

  1. Quickly press the power button five times.
  2. Move the power icon to off.
  3. Now you must wait for about ten minutes.
  4. Press the power button repeatedly.
  5. Give your phone some time to respond completely after restarting. Connect your Airpods and play a song to check the status after that.

Disable Automatic Ear Detection

The automatic ear detection function might occasionally result in Bluetooth communication problems. This feature’s deactivation can fix the AirPods’ No Sound issue.

The ways to disable automatic ear detection are as follows:

  1. Find your way to Settings.
  2. Select Bluetooth, then click the Info button.
  3. Flip Automatic Ear Detection to off.
  4. After that, unplug your AirPods and wait a while before plugging them back in. Your AirPods will be connected, and the no audio issue will be fixed by doing this.

If the issue still persists, move on to the next solution.

Reset your network settings

Resetting the network will also restart any connected drives that rely on radio waves. All of the jumbles in your iPhone’s network section will be resolved as a result.

To reset network settings, follow these instructions:

  1. Select Transfer or Reset iPhone under Settings > General.
  2. Reset the device by clicking on reset.
  3. Next, you must select Reset Network Settings.

It is important to note that Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth connections, and VPN settings may all be reset by selecting Reset Network Settings.

Secure AirPods Connection To iPhone

AirPods may be paired with a variety of devices. The iPhone is not always the linked device when AirPods connect. Your iPhone won’t play audio at that period.

Therefore, you must make sure that your AirPods are only associated with your iPhone and not with any other devices.

Update Firmware for AirPods

Software-related problems with the AirPods can also be resolved by updating the Firmware. To manually upgrade the Firmware, however, is not possible.

Here are the instructions for updating the Firmware on your AirPods:

  1. Your iPhone must be connected to the AirPods.
  2. Wi-Fi or mobile data should be enabled.
  3. Then, wait six hours.
  4. Your AirPods’ firmware version will immediately upgrade once you’ve followed these instructions.

These are the fixes for the iPhone’s AirPods sound issues. Your problem will be permanently fixed after implementing the Fixes mentioned above.

Solutions On MacBook

Your iPhone and other devices may also have AirPods and no sound issues. You must first use the universal fix if you have the no sound AirPods issue. Try the following solutions if they are unable to solve the problem.

If your AirPods are connected but not transmitting sound, try these fixes:

Choose Airpods as Audio Output

Many output devices, including speakers, headphones, and AirPods, are compatible with MacBooks. Look for the output device when AirPods linked to a MacBook don’t produce audio. Choose AirPods as the device if it isn’t already.

The instructions for choosing AirPods as the audio output on a MacBook are as follows:

  1. First of all, launch the System Preferences.
  2. Go ahead and click on Sound.
  3. In the Output section, choose your AirPods.
  4. Your ears will tingle when you choose the AirPods as the output device while it plays soothing music.

Reconnect Your AirPods

The Bluetooth drivers are restarted when you reconnect your AirPods to your MacBook. You may restart the Bluetooth drivers in the MacBook to start over.

  1. Select System Preferences.
  2. Enter the Bluetooth menu by pressing the Bluetooth icon.
  3. Turn Bluetooth off, then wait a moment before turning it back on.
  4. In the AirPods Tab, press X.
  5. AirPods will be in pairing mode once you reset them. It’s time to connect them to MacBook at this point.

Reset Bluetooth on Your Mac

Bluetooth uses radio waves to convey data. Bluetooth drivers can occasionally become unreliable due to constant use. The Bluetooth driver has to be reset after that. The driver returns to its factory settings after being reset.

The following instructions will let you reset Bluetooth on macOS (Big Sur or earlier):

  1. Keep holding the Shift and Option keys. Additionally, choose the Bluetooth button in the menu bar.
  2. Choose Bluetooth Reset.
  3. Go ahead and click on Confirm.

The option was discontinued with the release of macOS Monterey, though. Now that the Bluetooth on Monterey has been reset, a script has to be run.

The procedures to restart Bluetooth on Mac OS Monterey are as follows:

  1. First of all, launch Terminal.
  2. Enter sudo pkill bluetoothd into the command line.
  3. Click on Enter and then put in your password.
  4. Next, you must reset your Mac.

You must reconnect your AirPods after resetting the Bluetooth driver. The sound will then resume.

Switch Off Automatic Ear Detection

AirPods audio can occasionally be affected by Automatic Ear Detection. If the sensors are malfunctioning, AirPods may not identify whether they are in your ear or not. Therefore, turning them off will guarantee the audio output will continue.

Here’s how to disable Automatic Ear Detection on a MacBook:

  1. Select System Preferences from the Menu and then click on Bluetooth.
  2. Under Devices, click Options next to your AirPods.
  3. Automatic In-Ear Detection should be unchecked.
  4. Select “Done”

By following these steps, you can disable automatic ear detection on a MacBook. If this fix fails to work, jump on to the next fix.

Reboot Your MacBook

Your gadget may occasionally fail to boot up properly. That may interfere with Bluetooth and other features. The majority of connectivity problems with the Bluetooth driver may be resolved by restarting the devices.

Because of this, Apple tech support advises rebooting your MacBook if you’re experiencing no sound problems with AirPods.

Solutions On Windows

Windows has its own preferences and settings, which may cause connectivity problems. Additionally, a connection problem may prevent sound from reaching AirPods. As a result, in order to remedy the No Sound issue while connecting Airpods to a Windows PC, you must use certain particular workarounds.

For Windows PC, try these fixes for the AirPods connected but no sound issue:

Reboot Your PC

You should just restart your computer if your AirPod isn’t transceiving sound. The processing power of your hardware quickly degrades after prolonged usage, which prevents the Bluetooth driver from working properly.

Restart your computer if you experience audio issues with your AirPods on a Windows computer.

Select Your AirPods as The Output Sound Device

On your computer, you could install many sound drives. There won’t be any sound coming from it if AirPods aren’t set as the primary output.

To choose AirPods as your output sound device, follow these steps:

  1. In the bottom-right corner of your Taskbar, left-click the speaker icon.
  2. Select the arrow icon.
  3. Go ahead and choose the Menu labeled AirPods.

By carrying out these actions, the PC will be forced to send sound to the AirPods. Furthermore, it will fix the audio issue.

Update Bluetooth Drivers

Typically, a Windows update will automatically update the Bluetooth driver on a computer. However, the driver may not always be updated automatically. 

The methods to upgrade your Bluetooth driver on a Windows computer are as follows:

  1. First of all, right-click on the This PC icon.
  2. Next, click Manage.
  3. After that, select Device manager.
  4. Goa head and choose Bluetooth.
  5. Find the Bluetooth Driver and right-click on it.
  6. Go ahead and select Update Driver.

Restart the computer after manually updating the driver, then plug in your AirPods once again to reactivate the sound.

Choose AirPods as the Default Output Device

In certain rare instances, even when you choose AirPods as the output device, the PC will stop transmitting sound through them. You should then choose AirPods as the default output device at that point.

To make AirPods the default output device on Windows, follow these steps:

  1. Connect your PC to your AirPods.
  2. Head over to the Control Panel.
  3. Pick Sound from the Menu.
  4. Select headphones with a name that is identical to your AirPods (Not Headset).
  5. Next, you must click the down arrow and choose Default Communication Device.
  6. Go ahead and click OK.

Using AirPods with a Windows PC will no longer cause inconvenience in the future.

Update Windows

Features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and sound may cease functioning correctly if your Windows hasn’t received an update in a while or for a very long time. So, I advise periodically upgrading your Windows.

The steps to updating Windows are as follows:

  1. Select settings in the left corner by tapping the start button.
  2. Select Windows Update under Update & Security.
  3. Hold off till the update is finished.
  4. Start Windows again.

You could experience performance problems for several minutes once the update is finished. Give your PC some time to adapt, and your Bluetooth will function properly.

FAQs

Why are my AirPods connected but no sound in one ear?

This problem is frequently brought on by balancing issues or low battery in one earpiece. Therefore, the first thing you should do is check the AirPods’ charge. For uninterrupted audio, your battery must be at least 40%.

Next, navigate to Settings > Accessibility > and place the Balance slider exactly in the center. And doing so will find a solution.

Why are AirPods connected but with no sound on Spotify?

Applying the universal solutions and the solutions tailored to certain devices will 90% fix your issue. After that, reinstall the Spotify app, and the AirPods’ audio will begin to play.

My Airpods are connected, but the sound is coming from speakers?

The audio output device appears to be set to the phone’s speaker. The sound is coming from the phone as a result. Your issue will be resolved if you swipe up from the home screen, hit the “Airplay” button, and then choose “AirPods.”

Airpods connected, but no sound windows 11?

Select Control Panel after typing “control panel” into the Windows search box. Click Sound after selecting Small icons next to View by. Make sure your AirPods are activated in the Playback tab (there should be a green checkmark). Then choose Set as default after clicking the AirPods.

Airpods connected, but the sound coming from the phone?

It looks like the phone’s speaker has been selected as the audio output device. As a result, the sound is coming from the phone. Swipe up from the home screen, choose “Airplay,” and then select “AirPods” to solve your problem.

Airpods connected, but no sound android?

After 15 seconds of pressing and holding the Setup button, the status light will begin blinking. Place your AirPods near your device to rejoin them. Take the actions shown on your device’s screen.

Airpods connected, but no sound in one ear?

Verify that each AirPods is charging by looking at the iPhone or iPad’s charge state. Insert the two AirPods into each ear. To test both AirPods, play audio. Reset your AirPods or call Apple Support if an AirPods is still not functioning.

Airpods connected, but no sound MacBook?

Make sure that both AirPods are charged by placing them in the charging case. Select Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Bluetooth to confirm Bluetooth is turned on. Ensure your AirPods are chosen as your audio device if connected.

Wrapping It Up

AirPods aren’t the only headphones that don’t let any sound play from either the left or right earphones. The issue arises with all genuine wireless earphones. However, given the abundance of AirPods on the market, you could believe that every single one is broken. Thankfully, faulty earphones are few. The majority of audio problems may be quickly resolved in a few steps. You merely need to be familiar with the troubleshooting techniques.

To fix the problem, you should first try the Universal solutions as they can, in most cases, help you get rid of the problem. If those solutions don’t apply, you can try the device-specific fixes.

Hopefully, after going through this article, you will have found the solution to your problem. We wish you all the best.

Related:
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AirPods Not Working with Nintendo Switch 
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How to Turn Off AirPods Notifications

Nick Miller

It's Nick Miller a 25 year old tech enthusiast and senior editor at Flexgate, i try to make tech simple for the everyday person. You will find review about tech, tools and Computer hardware here.

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