As someone who recently purchased a pair of AirPods, I was frustrated when I couldn’t get them working in one ear. After doing some research, I wanted to share what I learned so that others who are in the same situation can benefit from my experience. In this blog post, I’ll explain whether or not AirPods can work in just one ear and provide some tips and tricks to help make it possible.
It is not possible to have both AirPods in while one plays sound in one ear and the other does not play any sound. However, you can use one AirPod by leaving the other one in the case.
AirPods are designed with most people’s use cases in mind. With that being the case, AirPods are designed to do certain things well by default and are not designed to accommodate less common use cases.
With that being the case, AirPods are meant to work together at the same time, while they are both connected. Since most users don’t want to have one AirPod connected while the other is doing nothing despite being in the ear, it is not a feature that is built in.
| Key Takeaways and Tips |
|---|
| – AirPods cannot play sound in only one ear unless |
| the other one is out of power. |
| – AirPods are not designed to accommodate less common |
| use cases. |
| – To use just one AirPod, take one out of the case |
| while leaving the other in the case. |
| – If you lose an AirPod, you cannot use the other |
| AirPod with new devices. |
| – It is not possible to pair each AirPod to a |
| different device. |
| – Consider looking for other Bluetooth headphones |
| from manufacturers that can connect to multiple |
| devices at the same time. |
Table of Contents
How to make AirPods work in one ear
Read more: How do I turn off AirPods?
Below is how to use just one AirPod
Just remove one from the case
Once your AirPods have been paired to a device, to use just one AirPod, all you have to do is to take one out of the case while leaving the other one in the case.
Take them both out of your ears and put just one back in
If you are listening to something and want to only use one AirPod, while also having the automatic ear detection feature turned on, you can also remove both of the AirPods and then put the one you want to use back into your ear.
When you take the AirPods out, the audio will stop playing because of ear detection but will continue when you put one of the AirPods back in.
It won’t be possible for you to remove just one AirPod because that will cause the audio to pause which is why you will need to remove both of them. However, you can fix this by turning off automatic ear detection. Go to “Settings” -> “Bluetooth” -> Click the “i” next to the AirPods then turn off automatic ear detection.
What if you lose one AirPod? Can you just use the other?
If you lose an AirPod, it will not be possible to only use the other AirPod with new devices. This is because you need both AirPods in order to connect to a new device. However, you will be able to use that AirPod with devices that the AirPods were already connected to.
It also won’t be possible to have both of your AirPods in your ears and have only one of the AirPods play audio unless one of them is out of power.
Read more: Can you wear AirPods in the bath?
How to use one AirPod if I lost the other?
If you lose one of your AirPods, you can only use the other AirPod with devices that your AirPods were already connected to. It is not possible to pair just one AirPod to a new device. This is because you need both AirPods to be in the case to pair them with new devices.
How to use one AirPod as a Mic?
To use one AirPod as a Mic, Go Settings -> Bluetooth -> Click the “i” next to your AirPods -> scroll down until you find “Microphone” -> select the AirPod that you want to use as a Mic.
Can airpods work in one ear?
It is possible to use one AirPod at a time by taking only one AirPod out of the case and connecting that AirPod to whatever device you want to use.
However, it won’t be possible to have both AirPods in the ears and have only one of them play audio.
With that being said, some users have reported that happening to them, but that is usually the result of a fault with their AirPods or because one of them is actually out of battery.
Can I pair each AirPod to a different device?
It is not possible to have one AirPod connected to one device and the other AirPod connected to a different device.
If you want to be able to have one AirPod connected to one device and the other connected to a different device, it would be necessary for you to have two different sets of AirPods.
If both of the devices are Apple devices such as iPad, iPhone, or Mac, it will be possible for you to very quickly switch between each of them but you will not be able to listen to multiple of them concurrently.
When you connect your AirPods to a new device, it unpairs from the previously connected device.
You can take steps to make pairing with different devices easier, but they will still only work with one of those devices at a time.
There are some other manufacturers who produce Bluetooth headphones that can connect to multiple devices at the same time, but the feature is an unnecessary capability for most users.
Pros of Using AirPods in one ear
- It is easy to use one AirPod at a time.
- It is possible to use one AirPod as a microphone.
- It is possible to switch between two devices without both AirPods.
Cons of Using AirPods in one ear
- It is not possible to pair each AirPod to a different device.
- It is not possible to have both AirPods in the ears and have only one of them play audio.
- If you lose an AirPod, it will not be possible to only use the other AirPod with new devices.
