One AirPod No Sound/Not Working (Causes and Fixes)

As an Apple AirPods owner, I was recently frustrated by one of my AirPods suddenly not producing any sound. After doing some research and testing, I’m here to share how I solved the issue and some of the other solutions I discovered. In this blog post, I’ll explain the causes and potential fixes for the One AirPod No Sound/Not Working issue.

Likely reasons why one of your AirPods has no sound are that it is out of power, you need to reset the AirPods, you need to reset the network settings on your device, the AirPod is broken or that you need to update the AirPods.

Cause	Description	Solution
No Power	The AirPod might not have power, or it isn’t charging fully due to dirt inside the case.	Check the AirPods’ battery level and clean the inside of the charging case.
Reset the AirPods	A bad connection between the AirPod and your devices might cause the issue.	Forget the AirPods from the Bluetooth settings on your devices, reset the AirPods, and reconnect them with your devices.
Reset Network Settings	Some users have found that they need to reset their network settings to resolve the issue.	Reset the network settings on your device (e.g., on an iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings).
Broken AirPod	A faulty AirPod could cause the issue, especially if it has been dropped or gotten wet, or if it has been malfunctioning in other ways.	Take the AirPods to an Apple store to be fixed or replaced.
Update the AirPods	Your AirPods might need a software update.	Put the AirPods in the case, charge the case, and place an iPhone, iPad, or Mac near the case to update the AirPods automatically.

Table of Contents

Why does one AirPod not have any sound/not work?

Below are likely reasons why one of your AirPods does not have any sound or does not work properly.

No power

It could be the case that the issue is that the AirPod does not have any power. To see how much power the AirPod has, put them both in the case then open the lid next to an iPad or iPhone. A popup should appear that shows how much charge is in both of the AirPods. You can also see how much charge is in the AirPods by clicking on the AirPods on the Bluetooth menu on a Mac.

The AirPod might not be getting charged fully due to dirt inside the charging case and it would help to clean the inside of the case.

You need to reset the AirPods

Another likely cause is that it is due to a bad connection between that AirPod and your devices. To fix this, it would help to try resetting the AirPods.

To do this, do the following:

Forget the AirPods from the Bluetooth settings on your devices
Put your AirPods in the case

Open the lid
Hold the button for 15 seconds until the light flashes orange then white
Reconnect your AirPods with your devices

You need to reset network settings

A number of users have found that it is necessary for them to reset their network settings. To do this on an iPhone, go to settings, then general, then reset, and then go through the steps to reset network settings.

Broken

If the issue is still happening, it could be due to a faulty AirPod. This would be more likely if it has started happening after you dropped the AirPod or it got wet. It would also be more likely if the AirPod has been malfunctioning in some other way as well.

You need to update the AirPods

AirPods do receive software updates and it might be the case that your AirPods need to be updated. To update your AirPods, you just need to put them in the case, charge the case, then put an iPhone, iPad or Mac near to the case and the AirPods should then automatically update.

If the AirPod is still not working properly, it would be worth taking them to an Apple store to be fixed or replaced.