As an AirPods owner, I know the frustration of having them connected but not being able to hear any sound. After hours of researching and testing, I’m here to share my experience and the solutions I discovered to solve this issue. In this blog post, I’ll explain why this happens and how to fix it.
Likely reasons why your AirPods are connected but there is no sound are that the volume is turned down on the device, you need to reset the AirPods, the AirPods are faulty or that there is a volume limit on your device.
| Issue | Possible Solution |
|---|---|
| Volume Turned Down | Check the volume on your device and increase it |
| Reconnect AirPods | Reset and reconnect your AirPods to your device (follow the steps provided) |
| iPhone in Low Power Mode | Disable Low Power Mode or charge your iPhone to a higher battery level |
| Dirty AirPods | Clean your AirPods using a cotton swab or gentle vacuuming |
| Broken AirPods | Take your AirPods to an Apple store for fixing or replacement |
| Need a Software Update | Update your AirPods firmware by following the steps provided above |
| Volume Limit on Device | Check and adjust volume limits on your device (if applicable) |
| General Fixes | 1. Reset and reconnect AirPods 2. Update AirPods 3. Clean the AirPods 4. Take AirPods to an Apple store for fixing or replacement |
Table of Contents
Why are my AirPods connected but there is no sound?
Below are likely reasons why your AirPods are connected but there is no sound.
Volume turned down on the device
It could just be as simple as the volume being turned down on your device. The first thing to check would be that the volume is not turned down on your device.
Need to reconnect the AirPods
It could be the case that something has caused the connection with your device to be faulty. It would help to try reconnecting your AirPods to your device.
To reset and reconnect your AirPods, do the following:
- Forget the AirPods on the device you are using
- Put your AirPods in the case
- Press the button on the case for 15 seconds until the light flashes amber then white
- Wait 30 seconds
- Open the lid and hold the button on the case
- Reconnect your AirPods to your device
If you are using an iPhone, other users who have faced this issue have had success by doing the following:
- While music is playing, turn the volume down to zero.
- Disconnect your AirPods from your iPhone’s Bluetooth (Without forgetting them)
- Play music from the iPhone and turn the volume down to zero
- Reconnect your AirPods and it should be working like normal.
iPhone is on low power mode
Even though the AirPods do not use up the iPhone’s battery, when the iPhone is on low power mode, it can cause the AirPods volume to be lowered.
Dirty AirPods
It might also be the case that your AirPods are dirty. This would be more likely if your AirPods have gradually become quieter and you have not cleaned them in a while. You can clean them by rubbing the speaker grills using a cotton swab. People also have success by literally sucking on the speaker grills, using your mouth, like a vacuum would.
Broken AirPods
Read more: One AirPod keeps disconnecting
It might be the case that your AirPods are faulty. This would be more likely if your AirPods will not go to max volume regardless of the device you are using. In this case, it would help to take your AirPods to an Apple store and to see if they can fix or replace the AirPods.
It would be more likely that they are faulty if only one AirPod does not go to full volume.
Need a software update
Read more: AirPods out of sync
AirPods do receive software updates and it could be the case that your AirPods need an update. To update your AirPods, you need to put them in the charging case, connect the charging case to a power source and move your Apple device (iPhone, iPad or MacBook) near to your AirPods.
To check the firmware version in your AirPods go “Settings” -> “General” -> “About” -> “AirPods” and you should see the firmware version there.
A volume limit on your device
As mentioned above, it could be the case that you have put a volume limit on your device. It would help to find out how to see if you have a volume limit for your particular device and to change it.
To fix this on iPhone, do the following:
- Settings
- Sounds and Haptics
- Headphone safety
- Turn off reduce loud sounds
How to fix AirPods connected but no sound
To fix your AirPods being connected but there not being any sound, do the following steps:
Reset the AirPods and reconnect them to your device
Update the AirPods
Check there is not a volume limit on your device
Clean the AirPods
Take the AirPods to an Apple store to be fixed or replaced
