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Why do my AirPods sound echoey?

As a frustrated AirPods owner, I recently encountered a problem that I had trouble solving. My AirPods were producing an echo-y sound and it was driving me crazy! After doing some research and testing, I’ve come up with a few solutions that have helped me and others. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned about why my AirPods sound echoey and how to fix it.

Likely reasons why your AirPods have an echo sound are that there is a problem with the device you are using, the AirPods are dirty, the AirPods have become damaged, or there is a poor connection with the device.

If your AirPods are making your voice sound echoey, the cause could be that you have the iPhone’s Live Listen turned on, you need to change the mic that is being used, the microphone grill is dirty, the AirPods are broken or there is a poor connection with the device.

Key Takeaways and Tips:
1. The most common reasons for echoey sound with AirPods are device issues, dirt, damage, or poor connection.
2. Cleaning AirPods, changing the mic, checking for enabled features, and reconnecting the AirPods may help fix the issue.

Why do my AirPods sound echoey?

If your AirPods sound quality sounds echoey or hollow, here are some likely causes and solutions:

Read more: Why do my AirPods make me sound like a robot?

A problem with the device you are using

It could be the case that there is actually a problem with the device you are using with your AirPods. It would help to try connecting your AirPods to a different device and to see if the problem persists.

If it does, it means the problem is with the AirPods, if it does not, it means that the problem is actually with the device.

If you are using Windows, this video shows you how to deal with one particular common problem.

Dirty AirPods

It could be the case that your AirPods speaker grill is dirty. It would help to try rubbing the speaker grill using a cotton swab. Alternatively, some people have a lot of success by simply sucking on the speaker grill since it can help to dislodge some of the dirt.

Poor connection

The issue could be that your AirPods have a poor connection with the device you are using. It would help to see if your AirPods still sound echoey when you connect them with a different device.

It could also be the case that you need to reconnect your AirPods and it would help to try reconnecting them to your iPhone.

To reset and reconnect your AirPods, do the following:

  1. Forget the AirPods on the device you are using
  2. Put your AirPods in the case
  3. Press the button on the case for 15 seconds, until the light flashes orange then white.
  4. Wait 30 seconds
  5. Open the lid and hold the button on the case
  6. Reconnect your AirPods to your device

They need updating

It could also be the case that your AirPods need updating. To update the AirPods, you need to put them in the case while the case is being charged, then put a connected Apple device near to the case.

A problem with the mic

A number of users have reported that the echo noise is due to a problem with the mic in their AirPods.

When you use the mic on the AirPods, it is actually the case that only one mic is being used. So, what you can do is switch the mic that is being used.

To fix this try the following:

  1. Go to settings
  2. Go to Bluetooth
  3. Click the “i” next to your AirPods
  4. Click “Microphone”
  5. Change it from “Always left” or “Always right”

You need to switch the mic to the internal mic

If the problem is only happening with FaceTime, Some users have found that for some reason when the AirPod’s mic is enabled on FaceTime, it results in the sound quality being bad.

To fix this, you need to switch to the internal mic on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

The reason for this is that when you are using the AirPod’s mic on FaceTime, the audio codec changes in both directions which is why you need to switch to the internal mic.

Water damage

It could also be the case that the issue is due to water damage. This would be more likely if your AirPods did get wet recently.

Broken

If your AirPods sound echoey regardless of the device you are connected to and all of the above has not helped, the best option would be to go to an Apple store and see if they can fix or replace your AirPods.

Read more: Why can’t I talk on the phone with my AirPods?

How to fix my AirPods sounding echoey?

To get your AirPods to stop having an echo sound, it would help to try the following:

  • See if the problem persists when connected to a different device
  • Clean the AirPods
  • Reconnect the AirPods to your device
  • Check that features such as “Live Listen” are not turned on

If none of that works, the best option would be to try taking your AirPods to an Apple store.

Why does my AirPods mic echo?

Below are possible reasons why your AirPods mic might be echoing.

A feature on your device

It might be the case that you have a feature on your device turned on that results in your voice being played back to you.

It would help to try connecting different headphones with a mic to your device and to see if they also result in your voice getting played back to you.

To tell if it is a feature on the device, try pairing your AirPods with a different device and see if the problem still persists.

You have live listen turned on

It could also be the case that you have your iPhone’s live listen turned on. Live Listen is where the iPhone sends the noise that its microphone can hear to your AirPods.

You can see if you have it turned on by swiping up on your iPhone, clicking the little ear icon, then making sure that it is turned off.

A connection problem

There are bugs that can appear when the AirPods have a weak connection with your device and the cause could be a weak connection.

This would be more likely if the issue only occurs when you are far away from the device you are using or there is a wall in the way.

Broken AirPods

It might 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.

To fix this try the following:

  1. Go to settings
  2. Go to Bluetooth
  3. Click the “i” next to your AirPods
  4. Click “Microphone”
  5. Change it from “Always left” or “Always right”

Dirty AirPods

It might 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:

  1. Get some Blu-Tack
  2. Firmly press it into the microphone grill several times

You need a software update

AirPods do receive software updates. It might be the case that your AirPods need to be updated. They do update automatically when you connect them to an Apple device.

AirPods
AirPods

How do I stop my AirPods mic sounding echoey?

Below are the options you have when dealing with the problem.

First, it would help to try cleaning the mic using the Blu-tac method mentioned above and to also change the mic that is being used as mentioned in the “Broken” section mentioned above.

Try connecting your AirPods to a different device

If you can connect your AirPods to a different device and they work fine, it would mean that it is actually a problem with the device you are using.

Whereas, if your AirPods still replay your voice regardless of the device, it would be more likely that there is a problem with the AirPods.

Turn off live listen

As mentioned above, if you have Live Listen turned on, it will replay your voice to you.

You can see if you have it turned on by swiping up on your iPhone, clicking the little ear icon, then making sure that it is turned off.

Reconnect your device

Another option would be to simply reconnect your AirPods to your device and to see if that solves the problem.

To reconnect your AirPods to your device, do the following:

  1. Forget the AirPods on the device you are using
  2. Put your AirPods in the case
  3. Wait 30 seconds
  4. Open the lid and hold the button on the case
  5. Reconnect your AirPods to your device

Take them to apple

If you are unable to get your AirPods working properly, your best option would be to take them to an Apple store to be fixed or replaced.