Why Is My One AirPod Not Working? Best Fixes Ever

Isn’t it cool to play music on your AirPods, with both earbuds giving you the best hearing experience?. But, when you come across only one AirPod not working, you might encounter a disturbed hearing and this may cause inconvenience. If you’re undergoing this situation now, be aware that using one AirPod for a long time would leave harmful side effects on your ears. You must use both earbuds to enjoy a good music experience. And now, you might have a question: “How to fix one AirPod not working?” This write-up describes the possible causes and advanced fixes for AirPod not working on one side.

Highlights:

Why Is One AirPod Not Working?

• No Volume
• No Connection
• Not Charging

How to Fix One AirPod Not Working?: Unerring Methods

Charge your AirPods

• Indication Light
• See AirPods Charge Level on Your iPhone
• AirPods’ Battery status on your Mac

Update iOS

Know the Culprit

What if one AirPod is not working?

Balance the Audio

Clean the Devices

Reset AirPods

Restart Your Device

Remove and Reconnect your AirPods

Reset Device Network settings

Get Apple Support

Service requirements

Conclusion

Why Is One AirPod Not Working?

3 Common Reasons For One AirPod Not Working:

• No Volume: If one of the AirPods volume is too low or muted, check for the device volume on the settings. Furthermore, any filth settled on the earbud can make one AirPod not working.

• No Connection: Do you use AirPods as the audio output device for your iPhone? An error in the gadget’s firmware can influence the AirPod not working on one side. Any changes in the network settings also cause one AirPod not working.

• Not Charging: Check for the AirPods charging assembly; any faults in the adapter, cable, or wall socket will cause one AirPod not working. Besides, bugs in the firmware for device charging might be a reason for the AirPod not working on one side.  

How To Fix One AirPod Not Working? Unerring Methods

Previously, you would’ve got a precise idea of why one AirPod not working. You’ll find the potential fixes for your AirPods issue below. Knowing the reason before getting into a solution is mandatory to repair one AirPod not working. Get along with the following techniques, which probably fixes your AirPods!

Charge Your AirPods

When your iPhone runs out of battery, which might prevent the connection with your AirPods. Put your AirPods in the case & charge it to ensure its working condition. In particular, wait about 30 minutes to get a complete charge for your AirPods. 

Alert: Use only Apple – authorised chargers for your AirPods  

Look at the following aspects to figure out the charging issue of one AirPod not working:

• Indication Light: When an amber light glows on your AirPods, it signals that your device is charging. Remove your device from charging when the amber light turns green.

• See AirPods Charge Level On Your Iphone: To know the AirPods charge level, open the lid and get it closer to the connected devices (iPhone/iPad). You can view the device’s charge level on your Apple iPhone screen.

• AirPods’ Battery Status On Your Mac: Ensure whether the AirPods lid is open, then go to the Bluetooth option at the top corner of the MacBook home screen. The display shows the list of connected devices, and you can see the battery level next to your AirPods.

Update iOS

Bugs or errors are unavoidable in an outdated iOS and lessens the compatibility with your latest iPhone model. However, using an updated version on your iPhone is essential to prevent one AirPod not working. These are the iOS requirements for the different models and ensure using the perfect iOS for your AirPods. Otherwise, you have to update the latest OS on your iPhone to rectify one AirPod not working.

• For AirPods 3rd generation: iOS 15.1
• For AirPods Pro: iOS 13.2

To Update iOS:

• Go to iPhone settings
• Open the “General” menu
• Select the “Software Update” option
• Check for the latest updates
• Click to download the updates (if you find one)
• Wait a minute for an update to install successfully on your device

Then, restart your device, which establishes the update on your device. Once your device restarts, open your AirPods lid & get it in close contact with the iPhone. Now, play any track on your iPhone and check both the AirPods are working fine. 

Know The Culprit

It is essential to find which part of the audio gadget is causing one AirPod not working. Firstly, find the real cause for your AirPods issue, then go through the practical techniques to fix it. Below you can see the two-way method to find the baddie, which might be either your AirPods or your iOS device.

Use alternative AirPods for your iPhone and check whether the device is working correctly. If you find both the earbuds are functioning, it is evident that the iPhone is perfect. Connect your current AirPods to your friend’s iPad to check its functionality. If you find the AirPods not working yet, it double verifies that your AirPods are faulty. However, this trick shows no result for your AirPod not working on one side; continue reading the article to know more about it. 

What If One AirPod Is Not Working?

You need to disable the stereo balance if one of the AirPods is set to high stereo. In case you notice any dust blocking the AirPods speakers, clean the dirt to hear music on your AirPods. Still, worrying about one AirPod not working? Below, you can see the advanced techniques to fix one AirPod is not working.

Balance The Audio

You can set the audio balance for each AirPod, in which you can prefer high sound for either left or right AirPod. If you accidentally set any AirPod stereo balance to low, that results in the AirPod not working on one side.

Unless you disable the stereo balance, AirPods’ audio source chooses to play at high sound on any of the earbuds. For instance, if you move the pointer to the right of your stereo balance, the left AirPod operates with less or no audio. Pursue the simple steps below to disable the stereo balance of your AirPods on iPhone settings:

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone
• Click the “Accessibility.”
• Under the “hearing” division, click Audio & Visual
• Make sure the pointer on the stereo balance is in the middle.
• At the same time, disable “Mono Audio.”

Clean The Devices

Your AirPods Travel with you everywhere, welcoming dirt/dust from the surroundings. You can easily clean the visible filth deposited in the device, but removing debris that causes the AirPod not to work on one side is crucial. At first, dust can cover up the speaker openings of the AirPods, and then gradually wraps more portions of the speakers. It also influences the sensors involved in the device’s Bluetooth connection, which results in disconnecting the device from the audio source. Eventually, dirt settling on the lightning port prevents the AirPods from charging.

List of essentials that are needed for cleaning your AirPods:

• Soft cloth(lint-free)
• Cotton wipes
• Rubbing alcohol
• Cotton ear buds

How to clean your AirPods safely:

• Take the cotton buds and moisten them with isopropyl alcohol. Use the bud to clean the speaker hole where your fingers can’t reach. 

• Then, wipe out the AirPods with a dry cloth.
• Make sure that there are no residues left on the AirPods.

ProTip:

Apple suggests using Clorox wet wipes for cleaning its gadgets.

After thoroughly cleaning the AirPods you may still encounter an AirPod not working on one side. In the following methods, you can see the hard fixes such as reset, restart & removing AirPods connection on your device.  

Reset AirPods

If you’re not clear on what is causing the AirPod not working on one side, you must try to reset your device. Resetting your AirPods could fix any minor complaints, so it is known to be the one stop solution for all.

Resetting is not suggestable at all conditions because it might cause a risk of losing all the saved data of your AirPods. Anyways, this method would work efficiently on fixing one AirPod not working. The reset clears all the bugs and errors which causes the firmware issues on your AirPods. To reset your device, do the actions mentioned below

• Make sure the AirPods are connected to your iPhone
• Lay your AirPods in their case
• Open the device’s lid
• Find and locate the setup button on your AirPods(usually on the backside)
• Long press the button for up to 15 sec till the LED on the device glows amber
• Then, shut the case lid and reopen it 
• iPhone notifies to reconnect AirPods and now allow your device to connect with the audio device

Restart Your Device

When using your iPhone for a long time, you need to close some apps running in the background which induces the device’s processors to overload & create issues on your device. The reason behind this condition is the firmware error on your device when you have been storing temporary data for a long time. You might be triggered somewhere in between the process to find whether the issue is with the iPhone itself. The following steps will clear your doubts on a problematic iPhone

• Press & hold the power key till the power slider appears
• Drag the slider to switch off your iPhone
• Wait for 30 seconds to turn on the device
• Again, hold the side button until the logo pops up

Now your device gets restarted, and all the running tasks on your device will be cleared. Get the AirPods connected to your iPhone to check whether the AirPod not working on one side is fixed.

Remove And Reconnect Your Airpods

In particular, AirPods not working on one side drives low user engagement with the audio output device. Firstly, remove the AirPods connection to your iPhone and reconnect it to fix the issue. This method does not solve hardware issues but can significantly resolve minor errors. Moreover, trying this out is suitable for your AirPod not working on one side issue.

 Do the steps below to get rid of minor bugs

• Put your AirPods in their case
• Disconnect your device from any other audio sources
• Open the Settings app on your iPhone
• Go to Bluetooth
• Click the encircled “i” at the right of your AirPods
• Tap “Forget This Device.”
• Now, open the AirPods’ lid
• Press & hold the setup button for up to 15 seconds
• The LED on AirPods blinks amber light(device has been reset)
• Shut the AirPods lid
• Wait for 7 sec to reopen the lid
• Get the AirPods closer to your Apple device(iPhone/iPad)
• Tap the “Connect” button prompted on the iPhone screen to get the AirPods connected to your iPhone

Reset Device Network Settings

If your AirPods had previous connections, that device’s connection will be saved in your AirPods firmware. When you place your AirPods closer to the connected devices, an automatic connection might occur. To overcome this issue, reset your network settings, which could save and process all the memory when in need. Network settings are preferences modified on features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or even VPN usage(usually, they are stored as cache files). Unlike hard resetting, network settings changes will only eliminate the data related to the network or connections.

• Go to Settings on your iPhone
• Open the “General” tab
• Tap on Reset 
• In the reset options, select Reset Network Settings

Get Apple Support

When your AirPods hardware is defective, you can not rectify it by following the above techniques. Hardware issues are challenging to rectify alone, so contact the Apple store for your AirPods issue. It is not worthy to try any DIY fixes for one AirPod not working despite having the technical tools.

You can not fix the hardware on your AirPods all alone, if you are a newbie in technology & can’t handle professional tools. Apple experts follow more techniques in fixing the AirPod not working on one side. In addition, you can not use your product warranty when there are any signs of early openings. Hence, get support from Apple for fixing the AirPod not working on one side.

Service Requirements

Points To Remember

• Consultation: At first, experts from Apple Support will enquire about the one AirPod not working condition. Then, they quote the cost of repairing AirPods.

• Carry-in Repair:  Find your nearby Apple Service centre and take your AirPods straight to the experts.

• Mail-in Repair: You can use a mailing label or prepaid box from Apple to ship your AirPods to them. After the service gets over, Apple will resend it with your mailing address & will reach you safely. Hence, you need to follow some entities while boxing your AirPods into the prepaid box. Those entities are 1) Serial no 2)AirPods case

3) Purchase bill or product box

Your AirPods’ complaint status will determine the time required to resolve it. If you want a replacement, it takes a week to proceed with your delivery. Track your AirPods status via the support page on Apple.

Conclusion

You will not be ready to have one AirPod not working anymore as you have found ways of sorting the issue. AirPods are built for hands-free calls and to enjoy music, and only when you’re using a single AirPod, will you know the annoyance. Somehow, the effective fixes in this article show promising results for AirPod not working on one side. If you find an inoperative AirPod even after trying all the techniques, it is the right time for you to get a new one.