Why Are My Powerbeats Pro Connected but No Sound Is Coming Out?

As an owner of the Powerbeats Pro, I was incredibly frustrated when I realized that my headphones were connected but no sound was coming out. After doing some research and testing, I’m here to share my experience and the solutions I discovered in case anyone else is facing the same issue.

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Tips

Powerbeats Pro can experience a recurring issue where users find one or both of the earbuds connected but no sound is coming out.
The problem might be due to the firmware running on your Powerbeats Pro being old, the volume being turned down, the audio balance shifted to one earbud, a random software hiccup, or a hardware issue.

To fix the issue, update the firmware, check the volume and audio balance, check your PC or Mac Bluetooth settings, and if all else fails, go to the Apple Store.

Why Are My Powerbeats Pro Connected but No Sound Is Coming Out?

Powerbeats Pro are pretty high-end earbuds that retail for over $200. Nevertheless, there seems to be a recurring issue where users find one or both of the earbuds connected but no sound is coming out.

If you’re facing this problem, you’re not alone! There are multiple Apple support forum threads of people complaining about the same thing. So let’s go over the possible reasons why this happens:

Powerbeats Pro Are Running Old Firmware

Firmware is a type of software that controls and addresses issues related to the specific device it’s running on. Manufacturers regularly issue updates for the firmware of their devices to improve performance or fix bugs

When the firmware running on your Powerbeats Pro is old, you might experience a few bugs that get addressed in newer versions of the firmware.

Volume is Turned Down

This might sound like a dumb thing to miss, but unfortunately, we’ve all been there. Some of us a few times, too. It just seems far-fetched that you wouldn’t notice the volume on your Powerbeats Pro is zero, while the phone is playing music as if nothing is wrong.

Well, it happens. And for this reason, you should always check to see whether the volume on either earbud is at zero before assuming there’s something wrong with them.

Audio Balance is Shifted to One Earbud

Audio balance is one of the accessibility controls that some people with disabilities use to make their lives a little easier. It shifts the audio output, that’s supposed to come out of both earbuds, to be more predominant in one ear.

If only one earbud is working, the balance might be shifted so that all audio output is coming from the other earbud.

Random Software Hiccup

Sometimes the problem isn’t coming from the earbuds, but from the device they’re connected to. Software issues can stop a device from recognizing the earbuds, or connecting to them but still playing no music.

This seems to happen more for Android and Windows-run devices than iOS or Mac devices.

Hardware Issues

Last but not least, the issue could be stemming from a hardware failure in the earbuds themselves. The speaker portion of the earbuds could have a faulty connection that prevents sound from coming through.

This is plausible if the Powerbeats Pro earbuds were slammed against something, whether they were inside their charging case or not. It could also be the product of a badly-fixed refurbished set, or just a dud from the factory that made its way to you.

How to Fix the Powerbeats Pro “Connected but No Sound” Problem

Now that we’ve gone over the possible reasons why your Powerbeats aren’t playing any sound, let’s see how to troubleshoot the issue and fix it.

Update the Firmware

If you have an iPhone or iPad, make sure the operating system is updated to the latest version. Then, the device will download the firmware updates and implement them automatically.

If your Powerbeats Pro are connected to an Android device, download the Beats App from the Play Store and check for any firmware updates.

An important note: when you’re updating firmware, keep the Powerbeats Pro inside their charging case and keep the case plugged in the whole time. Sometimes, the firmware update lags or causes trouble if it sees the battery life left in your earbuds or case is insufficient.

Check the Volume and Audio Balance

Make sure the volume on both earbuds is loud enough, and if the problem is in one earbud only, you can adjust the audio balance.

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual> Scroll down to Balance and adjust the slider to the middle.

Check your PC or Mac Bluetooth Settings

If your device sees the Powerbeats Pro as connected, go to Bluetooth settings and check to see if the Powerbeats Pro are set as the current speaker output. More often than not, it’s the laptop’s speaker that’s set as default.

Go to the Apple Store

If all the previous fixes fail, there’s probably something wrong with the hardware of your Powerbeats Pro. It’s best to check with someone at the Apple Store or contact Apple Support to know what to do next.

Conclusion

If you have your Powerbeats Pro connected but no sound is being played, it can either be a firmware, software, or hardware issue. Just go through the troubleshooting steps above and hopefully, the issue will be fixed.