AirPods Randomly Pause (Causes and How to Fix)

As an AirPods user, I know all too well the frustration of hearing that ‘pop’ sound signaling my music or podcast had suddenly paused. After doing some research and testing, I’m here to share with you the causes of AirPods randomly pausing and how to fix them. From simple solutions like checking the battery level, to turning off automatic switching, I’ll explain all the possible fixes for this issue. I’m hopeful that this post will help you, the AirPods user, find the solution that works best for you!

Issues with the Bluetooth connection, built-in features, low battery, and device software could be why AirPods randomly pause. It can be frustrating to pinpoint but don’t worry, we’ll go over these potential causes and how to fix them in this post.

Key Takeaway	Issue / Cause	Solution
Battery Level	Running on Low Battery	Charge AirPods in their case and monitor battery levels on connected devices.
Device Proximity	AirPods Too Far Away From Device	Stay within 30-60 feet of the connected device and minimize interference from other devices.
Device Pairing Management	Paired With Too Many Devices	Unpair AirPods from unused devices to reduce interference.
Automatic Ear Detection	Automatic Ear Detection is Being Triggered	Disable Automatic Ear Detection in the device settings.
Double-Tap Action Detection	Double-Tap Action is Detected	Change the double-tap action settings in the device settings.
Resetting AirPods	Connectivity issues persist	Reset AirPods and reconnect them to the device.

Table of Contents

Running on Low Battery

One of the most common reasons for your AirPods randomly pausing could be that they are low on battery. If your AirPods are low on battery, they will automatically pause your music to conserve power.

How to Fix

To fix this, simply charge your AirPods in their case. Here’s how:

First, open the lid of the case and make sure no dirt or debris may have settled inside.
Next, slide the AirPods into their respective slots. No need to shut them down as they automatically do so once in their case.

Close the lid, and you should be able to check the charging progress of your AirPods by holding the case near your iPhone or other connected devices.
Finally, once the AirPods are fully charged, take them out of the case and slip them back on.

AirPods Too Far Away From Device

When your AirPods are connected to your iPhone or iPad, they use Bluetooth connectivity to communicate. However, if your device is too far away from your AirPods, the Bluetooth signal can be interrupted, causing your AirPods to pause randomly.

How to Fix

You have a few options with your AirPods to prevent it from pausing:

Hold your AirPods next to your device when connecting.
Once connected, always stay in a range of 30–60 feet from the connected device, depending on the Bluetooth version.

Check for any interference from other Bluetooth devices or other electronic devices in the same area and network connection.

Paired With Too Many Devices

AirPods still pausing even when you’re in range? It could be that AirPods are paired with too many devices. If your AirPods are connected to multiple iPhones, iPads, and other Bluetooth devices, it can cause problems with playback.

How to Fix

For this issue, the fix is to unpair your AirPods from devices you are no longer using. You can get rid of interference from too many paired devices by following the steps below:

Select the device you want to unpair with your AirPods.
Then, go to the “Settings” menu on your device, and tap the “Bluetooth” option. You should be able to see your AirPods on the list of Bluetooth pairings.
Next to the name of your AirPods, tap the “i” icon, and lastly, tap “Forget This Device.”

You may want to repeat this process for any other devices you want to unpair with your AirPods, especially devices on the same network connection.

Automatic Ear Detection is Being Triggered

Another possibility is that the Automatic Ear Detection feature in the AirPods is getting triggered, which causes them to pause.

This is a feature that was introduced with the release of the AirPods Pro and is designed to pause your audio when you remove either one or both AirPods from your ear.

This can not only help conserve battery life when you’re not using them but also provide a seamless transition between use.

The bad news, however, is that some users have found that this feature can be buggy and cause the AirPods to pause even when they’re still in your ears.

How to fix

There’s a simple fix for this, and it involves turning off the Automatic Ear Detection setting. Here’s how to do it:

First, connect the AirPods to your device. Then, go to “Settings.”
If you don’t see the name of your AirPods on the top of the menu, proceed to the “Bluetooth” menu.

Afterward, look for your AirPods, and tap the “i” button next to it.
You should see the “Automatic Ear Detection” setting. Tap the toggle to turn it off.

Double-Tap Action is Detected

How to Fix

If you’re experiencing this issue, you may want to change the double-tap action of your AirPods.

To do this, go to the “Settings” of your connected device. Next, tap on the “i” icon of your AirPods.
Go to the Double Tap option and change both Left and Right settings from “Play/Pause” to another action of your choice

You need to reset the AirPods

It would help to try completely resetting your AirPods. To do this, do the following.

Forget the AirPods from your devices
Put your AirPods in the case

Open the lid
Hold the button on the case, for 15 seconds, until the light flashes amber then white
Reconnect your AirPods to your device

Conclusion

Fixing connectivity issues can be a bit of a hassle, but it’s worth it to enjoy the seamless AirPods experience you were promised.

Hopefully, we were able to help you find out why your AirPods randomly pause and troubleshoot these issues without having to reset your devices.