As a Mac user, I’ve been frustrated by my AirPods lately. After some investigation, I’m beginning to understand why my AirPods sound bad on my Mac. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing my experience of troubleshooting the issue and what solutions I discovered that can help improve the sound quality. So if you’ve ever wondered why your AirPods sound bad on Mac, read on!
Likely reasons why your AirPods sound bad on Mac are that you have the mic enabled, a bad connection, or that you have the volume turned down on the website or app you are using.
There are a number of possible reasons why your AirPods sound bad on Mac. If it is your mic that sounds bad, there are some possible reasons for that as well. However, there are a number of things you can do about it.
| Key Takeaways and Tips |
|---|
| – Your AirPods may sound bad on Mac due to different issues |
| – Try switching to the internal mic |
| – Reconnect your AirPods |
| – Clean the mic grill |
| – Make sure the volume is not too low |
Table of Contents
Why do my AirPods sound bad on Mac?
Below are likely reasons why your AirPods sound bad on Mac and what you can do about them.
You need to switch the mic to the internal mic
Some users have found that for some reason when the AirPod’s mic is enabled on Mac, it results in the sound quality being bad. To fix this, you need to switch to the internal mic on your Mac.
The reason for this is that when you are using the AirPod’s mic on Mac, the audio codec changes in both directions which is why you need to switch to the internal mic.
You can change the mic by going “System preferences” -> “Sound” -> “input”
You need to reconnect your AirPods
It could also be the case that you need to reconnect your AirPods and it would help to try reconnecting them to your Mac.
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
- Wait 30 seconds
- Open the lid and hold the button on the case
- Reconnect your AirPods to your Mac
Volume turned down
It could also be the case that you have the volume turned down on the websites or apps that you are using.
It would help to check that you do not have the volume turned way down (although, you should try and avoid listening to loud music to protect your hearing).
It should be noted that there are other possible causes if it is not only your Mac that your AirPods sound bad on. If your AirPods sound bad on other devices as well, it could be due to the AirPods being dirty or because they are broken.
Read more: How often to charge AirPods?
Why do my AirPod pros sound bad on Mac?
Your AirPod Pros might sound bad on your Mac for any of the same reasons why regular AirPods might sound bad on Mac as mentioned above.
The main thing to try would be to get your Mac to switch to the internal mic instead of using the mic on your AirPod Pros.
Read more: What happens if you accidentally wash AirPods?
Why do my AirPods mic sound bad on Mac?
If it is your mic that sounds bad on your Mac, below are a number of possible causes.
Your AirPods are muted on your Mac
It could just be the case that you have muted your AirPod’s mic on your Mac.
It would help to make sure that it is actually your mic that is being used when you are talking on your Mac.
You can do this by going to “System preferences” -> “Sound” -> “Input”
Broken AirPods
It could be the case that the mic on one of your AirPods is broken. However, only one mic is actually used at a time to record your voice. So, you could try using the other mic to see if it is due to a hardware fault.
You can change the mic that is being used on iPhone by doing the following:
- Go to settings
- Go to Bluetooth
- Click the “i” next to your AirPods
- Click “Microphone”
- Change it from “Always left” or “Always right”
However, it does not appear to be possible to switch which mic is being used on the Mac.
Dirty
It could be the case that your AirPods mic is dirty. The problem is that metal filings can easily get into the filing grill which can make it harder for the mic to hear your voice. To fix this do the following:
- Get some Blu-Tack
- Firmly press it into the microphone grill several times
Your AirPods need to be reset
Another possible cause is that your AirPods need to be reset and reconnected with the Mac you are using.
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
- Wait 30 seconds
- Open the lid and hold the button on the case
- Reconnect your AirPods to your device
A connection issue
It is also possible that there is an issue with the connection that your AirPods have with your Mac.
It would help to try connecting your AirPods to a different device and to see if the mic is still quiet when using that device.
It would also help to disconnect your AirPods from all the other devices that they have a connection with in case their connection has been interfering with your AirPods.
A software issue
AirPods do receive software updates. It might be the case that your AirPods need to be updated.
To update your AirPods, you need to put them in the charging case while it is being charged, then put a connected Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac) near the AirPods.
How to get my AirPod’s to sound better on Mac?
To get your AirPods to sound better on Mac, it would help to try the following:
- Switch the mic to the internal mic by going “System preferences” -> “Sound” -> “input”
- Clean your AirPods
- Reconnect your AirPods
- Check that the volume is not set very low on the apps and websites you use
How to get my AirPod’s mic to sound better on Mac?
Below are some things you can do to get the mic to sound better on Mac.
- Reconnect your AirPods to your device
- Clean your AirPod’s mic grill using the Blu-tack method as explained above
- Check what mic is being used by going “System preferences” -> “Sound” -> “input”
