Why do My AirPods Sound Muffled? 7 Ways to Fix

The AirPods are great items, and they won’t go out of style any time soon. However, that does not imply that there are no issues. The sound often becomes distorted, which is a problem.

As the AirPods age, this invariably occurs. When mine began to sound distorted, I became concerned. I anticipated having to swap them out. But all they required was a good cleaning. But not just any clean; they need thorough cleaning with specific instruments for each section of the AirPods.

I’ve shown here how to correctly clean the AirPods to eliminate the muffled sound. In case that doesn’t work, I’ve offered some alternative methods. You may be confident that your AirPods will sound brand-new after reading the article.

Contents

AirPods: Possible Reasons for Muffled Sound (& Fixes to Try)

Why are My AirPods Audio Muffled?

Here are some of the many reasons why your AirPods sound muffled:

A dirty pair of headphones is the most frequent cause of muffled sound from AirPods. Ear wax and other debris will unavoidably cause the AirPods to become dirty. Additionally, the AirPods will gather dirt and dust from the case if you haven’t cleaned it in a while.
A lousy Bluetooth connection might sometimes cause the AirPods to sound muffled. Suppose the AirPods are linked to numerous devices. In that case, they may become confused about which device to use as the output, resulting in muted sound.
Additionally, only use the AirPods to pair with the Bluetooth-enabled device playing the audio. When using AirPods close to a refrigerator or microwave, the Bluetooth signal may be disrupted, muffled, or lost.
It is typical for the audio to be horrible when playing online audio over a lousy internet connection. Additionally, out-of-date iOS versions may be to blame.

How to Fix Muffled Sounds in AirPods?

1. Clean AirPods

Cleaning the AirPods thoroughly should be your first step if the audio becomes distorted. It’ll generally resolve the problem. However, you can try resetting the AirPods if it doesn’t. Check your Bluetooth and internet connections, and keep the software on your AirPods up to date.

You can’t just grab a piece of cloth and start wiping the AirPods down. The noise will still be muffled despite that. For various AirPods components, you need to use specific cleaning tools. Here is how you can do that and what you’ll need.

The first thing you need to do is gather all the cleaning tools. The cleaning tools are:

Lint-free microfiber cloth.
Cotton swab.
Toothpick.
Soft towel/tissue.
Optic cleaner/isopropyl alcohol.

Now that you have all the cleaning tools, let’s begin the actual cleaning process:

A. Wipe AirPods

Take a lint-free microfiber cloth and gently wipe the case as well as the AirPods. After using them, try to consistently do this.

B. Use the Cotton Swab

Utilizing a cotton swab with optic cleaner or rubbing alcohol, gently brush the AirPods. With it, clean the speaker grills. Take it easy. Remember not to apply excessive pressure to the mesh grills.

C. Use the Toothpick

Use a toothpick to remove the extra filth that the cotton swab could not remove. Remove the wax by getting into every crevice. Since the alcohol would have melted the wax, it shouldn’t be hard.

D. The Last Wipe

One final time, slowly wipe the AirPods with a microfiber cloth or a soft towel.

E. Let it Dry

Don’t use the AirPods right after cleaning them. The alcohol or the optic cleaner has to dry for at least 30 minutes on a desk. Keep the speaker facing down so any moisture within the AirPods may escape and prevent internal component damage.

F. Clean the AirPods Case

The case should be gently cleaned with a gentle, dry, lint-free cloth. Clean the confined spaces with a cotton swab and a toothpick. If desired, you can briefly immerse the fabric in isopropyl alcohol and begin wiping the case before letting it air dry. At least once every three months, you should give deep cleaning the AirPods a go. It will lengthen the life of your AirPods.

Now determine whether or not the sound is muffled. Typically, cleaning would take care of it. Try the following solutions, nevertheless, in case it’s still around.

2. Check Bluetooth Connection

If cleaning didn’t help, a connectivity issue—precisely a Bluetooth connection issue—is most likely to be the cause. But fear not—everything Bluetooth-related is covered in this section. Just take after me. Here is how you can check and fix the Bluetooth connection:

A. Disable Nearby Bluetooth Devices

Other devices may interfere with the Bluetooth connection of the AirPods and muffle sounds if they are connected to the device that is playing the music. Disconnect all other gadgets from the device and double-check that just the AirPods are plugged in.

B. Turn Bluetooth on and off Again

There are instances when problems can be miraculously resolved by turning something off and back on. Nobody is aware of how it functions; it just does. Check whether the issue is resolved by disabling Bluetooth on your smartphone and reenabling it after around 10 seconds.

3. Reset the AirPods

Resetting the AirPods will resolve the issue if the muddled audio is caused by a short-term fault or defect. Here’s how to restart your AirPods:

Close the charging case’s lid and continue to use the AirPods within.
30 seconds later, lift the lid.
On your device, go to Settings > Bluetooth.
The More Information icon should be selected next to your AirPods.
Then select Forget This Device.
When the lid is open, press and hold the setup button on the case for around 15 seconds until the status light blinks and becomes white.

Keep your AirPods close to your device so they can reconnect. If the issue is still present, take a look at the following.

4. Update iOS

Running outdated operating systems can have many detrimental effects on your device, and using AirPods can result in muted sound. Try to regularly check for updates. Here’s how to see if iOS has any updates:

Wi-Fi the gadget by connecting it.
Access Software Update by going to Settings and than go to General.
If an update is available, select Download and Install.
Download-and-install

You can enable automatic updates to save yourself the trouble of manually checking for updates. To activate automatic updates on iOS, follow these steps:

Activate Automatic Updates by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Turn on iOS Updates Download.
Install iOS Updates must be enabled.
turn-on-updates
As soon as a new update becomes available, it will be downloaded, installed, and you’ll be informed about it.

5. Contact Apple Support

The only options left are to contact Apple support or visit your local Apple shop for AirPods troubleshooting if none of those earlier fixes worked.

If your AirPods break while they are still covered by your warranty, Apple will repair them for no charge, or if you have AppleCare+, the replacement cost will be lower.

6. Turn Off Dolby Atmos on Apple Music

If you’re an Apple Music subscriber, you may already know that the service presents music in Dolby Atmos spatial audio. Dolby Atmos is not supported by all iPhones and iDevices, though. If you own a pair of AirPods from the first or second generation, Dolby Atmos can make the sound muffled. You can turn off this function and check to see if the issue has been resolved or not.

Open Settings.
Select Music.
Select Dolby Atmos from the Audio menu.
Select Off, Automatic, or Always On.

7. Calibrate AirPods

Because one or both devices may interpret the term “full volume” differently, your iPhone and AirPods may occasionally need to be adjusted. Your AirPods might not be utilizing all available audio as a result, and the sound would be muddled. Although it may not seem very simple, fixing it is simple! The steps are as follows:

Play some music after inserting your AirPods.
Using the volume down button, down the sound level all the way.
Toggle Bluetooth off by simply touching on its symbol in the top-right corner of the iPhone’s screen.
Keep your AirPods in place and start listening to music on your iPhone.
Use the volume down button to reduce the volume.
Enable Bluetooth on Control Center to reconnect your AirPods to your iPhone or connect manually in Settings > Bluetooth.
Restart the music, then change the volume.

How to Fix AirPods Sound Muffled on Mac?

Often, the sound quality degrades while using AirPods with a Mac. It reminds me of Walmart’s $2 earbuds. However, other times it can take hours before the quality is restored.

Apple hasn’t offered a fix for this issue, but there is a workaround. Change your microphone from the AirPods to Mac’s internal microphone when the AirPods start to sound poor on the computer. The difficulty is in that. Here is how you can switch to the internal microphone:

Click on the Apple icon.
Select System Preferences.
Go to sound and then Input.
Switch the input sound from the AirPods microphone to the Internal Microphone.

The audio should be back to normal at this point. This is only a short-term fix, as I’ve already stated. Simply repeat the instructions above if you run into this issue again.

How to Fix AirPods Sound Muffled on PC?

Although you can use your AirPods with a Windows PC, the sound is terrible. It occurs because Windows lacks sufficient Bluetooth bandwidth to simultaneously deliver high-quality audio to the speakers and microphone.

Windows produces a Headset device with poor sound quality and a Headphones device with high sound quality when you attach AirPods to the computer. You must prevent the Headset device from being chosen.

To uncheck the headset mode, follow these instructions:

Connect the AirPods to your PC.
Open Control Panel.
Go to Hardware and Sound icon.
Then, go to View Devices.
Sound > AirPods.
Select the Services tab.
Untick Handsfree Telephony and click on Apply.

FAQs

Why does my AirPods sound so distorted?

If there is a Bluetooth connection issue, AirPods may create a distorted sound. Avoid using the AirPods close to a microwave or refrigerator; keep the audio-playing device nearby instead.

How do I fix AirPod sound quality?

Method 1: Cleaning AirPods
Method 2: Charging AirPods
Method 3: Unpair Next, pair your AirPods.
Method 4: Reset your AirPods.
Method 5: Disable Audio Transparency.
Method 6: Check your stereo settings.
Method 7: Update to the latest version.
Method 8: Connect other Bluetooth headphones.
Method 9: Contact Apple Support.

How do you clear a muffled AirPod?

Take a lint-free microfiber cloth and gently wipe the case as well as the AirPods. After using them, try to consistently do this.
Utilizing a cotton swab with optic cleaner or rubbing alcohol, gently brush the AirPods. With it, clean the speaker grills. Take it easy. Remember not to apply excessive pressure to the mesh grills.
Use a toothpick to remove the extra filth that the cotton swab could not remove. Remove the wax by getting into every crevice. Since the alcohol would have melted the wax, it shouldn’t be hard.
One final time, slowly wipe the AirPods with a microfiber cloth or a soft towel.
Don’t use the AirPods right after cleaning them. The alcohol or the optic cleaner has to dry for at least 30 minutes on a desk. Keep the speaker facing down so any moisture within the AirPods may escape and prevent internal component damage.

Why is my AirPods MIC muffled?

When something is blocking the AirPods’ MIC, it may sound muffled. Use a cotton swab to clean the microphone and a soft brush to remove any remaining dust.

Final Thoughts

Even the most costly, cutting-edge technology will get dirty if it isn’t maintained. As a result, issues will become apparent, such as how filthy AirPods cause muted audio.

I’ve explained how to clean every atom of your AirPods in this article. Additional alternatives will also guarantee that the AirPods always provide high-quality audio. I hope this article proved fruitful for you!