One AirPod louder than another can be annoying as it completely changes the way you experience music. AirPods owners have reported this issue multiple times; some claim to have been doing it for years.
Why is one AirPod louder than the other? One AirPod can be louder than another for various reasons.
List several possible causes: outdated firmware, unclean AirPods, earwax buildup, faulty AirPods, settings app, and faulty AirPods.
Luckily, a quick fix should fix most issues as one AirPods is louder than the other.
A little walk around Airpods
Apple AirPods are a pair of Bluetooth-enabled wireless headphones. They were originally introduced with the iPhone 7. In just two years, they quickly became Apple’s most popular accessory.
Auto-stopping music when removing AirPods is made possible by built-in accelerometers and optical sensors that detect tapping, pinching and placement in the ear.
The second-generation AirPods were introduced by Apple on March 20, 2019 and include the H1 processor, longer talk time, and the “Hey Siri”hands-free calling feature. An AirPods wireless charging case is also available at an additional cost.
On October 26, 2021, Apple introduced third-generation AirPods with shorter stems, spatial audio, IPX4 water resistance, longer battery life, and charging capability.
While basic features such as automatic device switching are only available through iCloud on Apple devices, AirPods are compatible with any device that supports Bluetooth 4.0 or higher, including Android and Windows smartphones.
One Airpod is louder than the other, why?
Earwax, dirt, dust and sweat have accumulated and formed a film on the speaker in the headphones, making one AirPods louder than the other.
Your AirPods will immediately become louder if you carefully wipe dirt off them with a clean, dry brush or Q-tip.
The volume of AirPods drops sharply when wax and dirt build up. Things can get so serious that you won’t even hear it!
The only solution is to properly clean your AirPods for some time.
Sometimes one AirPod can sound louder than another due to hardware issues such as poor Bluetooth connection and software glitches.
The problem can also be caused by a bad AirPod, a connection issue, or an audio balance issue.
Fixed: One Airpod louder than another
Knowing why one AirPod is louder than another should help you identify the problem and decide on the best solution. Let’s start now.
- Clean AirPods
- airpod suck
- Checking the sound volume balance slider
- Turn off all nearby devices
- Try charging your AirPods
- Uncheck the box for automatic ear detection
- Check the sound settings app
- iOS software update
- Reset iPhone
- Reset AirPods
- Pair your AirPods with another device
- iPhone and AirPods Sound Calibration
- Restart your iPhone
- Go to Apple or call Apple Support.
1. Clean your AirPods
Believe it or not, earwax, sand, and dirt build up on the AirPod speaker and inside the charging port is most likely the reason why one AirPod sounds louder than the other. Gross!
Even a thin layer of earwax can make a big difference in the sound quality of your AirPods.
Moisture can also cause moisture to build up if you work out with your AirPods or use them in the rain. Your sweat will leave salt in your AirPods, which will degrade the sound quality.
Also, AirPods that are damp from sweat or rain can attract dust as they dry. AirPods Pro’s rubber tips pose a particular challenge as they attract dirt, sweat, and earwax like no other.
So, if the volume and sound quality of your AirPods Pro have suddenly dropped, check to see if any nasty stuff has accumulated inside the earbuds.
Watch attentively! It can become so heavily smeared that it is barely noticeable at first.
It’s easy to remove debris and dirt from your AirPods. However, since you are working with fragile devices, you must be sure to clean them properly.
- Use a nice dry toothbrush or similar to gently remove dirt from your AirPod speakers. In the same way you clear your physical ears; You can also use a Q-tip to clean your AirPods.
- Don’t forget to clean your AirPods charging tips and the inside of your charging case!
- To get a good scrub, you can apply a little isopropyl alcohol to the end of a Q-tip if needed. Not to be afraid, Apple says YES. You can also use a Q-tip, but be careful as you may remove fibers that you didn’t intend to.
- Just be careful not to use water or detergents as this will only aggravate the obstruction and put the speakers in danger of permanent damage.
You’re likely to find a permanent solution to this problem if you make it a habit to keep your charging ports clean and your AirPod speaker and sensors clean of debris.
2. airfield sucking
This works because AirPods collect earwax, which drowns out all external sounds. We appreciate the person who mentioned this technique in the Apple Support Communities thread.
Note. This option should only be used as a last resort if you’ve already tried cleaning them as suggested above and one AirPod still sounds louder than the other.
The wax has a sticky feel when it dries. It can only be removed after prolonged immersion in water.
- Only do this when your AirPods are still damp and make sure you have good suction.
- Do this on both of your AirPods so that one is not louder than the other.
- To prevent wax inhalation, be careful using your tongue as a barrier.
- With the speaker facing the ground, turn it to face into your mouth.
- This allows the removal of residual water and paraffin by gravity.
- It’s important to avoid taking too deep breaths, as moisture can damage the AirPods’ internal components.
Now determine if the volume of your AirPods matches.
3. Checking the volume balance slider
One side of your headphones will sound louder than the other if you tilt the balance to the left or right.
A lot of people wear headphones these days, and it can be frustrating if the volume of the music is inconsistent.
AirPods now play the same volume by changing this setting, ensuring that the sound is balanced and not reduced to an absolute minimum.
Check again that all settings are correct, as shown below:
- Open the settings app on your iOS device.
- Select General by scrolling down.
- Select Availability.
- The slider should display the letters R and L, representing the left and right channels, respectively. Place the slider in the center to ensure even sound transmission.
4. Turn off all nearby devices.
Turning off all nearby Bluetooth devices is another potential solution to this problem. This entails their complete shutdown.
Interference may occur if other phones, headphones, mice, keyboards, etc. are nearby.
By disabling all these devices, you will surely avoid this.
Alternatively, for each of these Bluetooth devices, go to your iPhone and select Forget This Device. This ensures that there is no “foreign interference”.
5. Try charging your AirPods.
One AirPod may have run out of battery while the other was still charging. One AirPod can be quieter when the battery is low.
AirPods are likely to be damaged if one of them doesn’t charge properly. It will need to be replaced with new AirPods or repaired.
- Place the charging case on two AirPods after connecting them to the original Apple Lightning cable.
- Charge them for at least 30 minutes so that there are no charging problems.
- To view the battery percentage of your AirPods, you must install the widget on your iPhone home screen.
- On the home screen, press and hold the space bar.
- Select the Airpods charging widget by clicking the add button in the top left corner.
- You can now see if they are evenly charged by swiping left on the home screen.
6. Uncheck “Automatic ear detection”.
To tell when they’re in your ear, AirPods are equipped with technology by default. When it is confirmed, your device’s audio output will be received.
While the technology is impressive, the headphones can experience intermittent sounds and an incomplete or neutral connection if something goes wrong during this procedure.
To determine if this is the problem, I would just turn off automatic ear detection at the beginning.
Remember that once you turn this off, your AirPods will continue to play even if you take them out of your ears.
Here’s how to turn off automatic ear detection:
- Access to settings
- Next, select Bluetooth.
- Next to your AirPods, click the Info button.
- Disable automatic ear detection by swiping down.
7. Check the sound settings app.
Your AirPods may not sound as loud as they should because you’ve changed your audio settings.
This method is only useful for people who use Apple Music, but you can still get some important tips if you use Spotify or other third-party music services.
This can be a problem if your sound is quiet on both Airpods instead of just one. Several options in the equalizer settings can be used to soften the sound of music.
An equalizer changes how sound is transmitted to your ears by adjusting the sound quality.
Several settings are available, including base gain and echo. If you leave it at the default settings, you won’t have any problems adjusting the sound.
This setting can change the volume of your AirPods, although that’s not the reason one AirPods sound louder than others.
- First, select the “Settings”tab.
- Scroll down and select Music.
- At this point, press the EQ button.
- Make sure Off is selected.
8. iOS software update
One AirPod may sound louder than another if you are using outdated or old software, which could be causing your AirPod’s Bluetooth connection issue.
Try to update your phone as often as possible. I advise you to turn on automatic updates so that your phone schedules these updates for the hours you sleep at night.
- Access to settings
- General below.
- Select Software Update from the top menu.
- Next, select Automatic Updates.
- Enable downloading and installing iOS updates.
- Select Back to check for available updates.
- If an update is available, select Install Now.
9. Reset iPhone
To make sure your AirPods are really defective, connect them to another device such as a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc. After connecting your AirPods, play a movie or song to hear how good it sounds.
You may need to reset your primary smartphone if your AirPods work properly on your secondary device.
Here’s how to reset app preferences on your iPhone or iPad:
- Go to the settings app on your iOS device.
- Select General by scrolling down.
- Select Reset.
- Select Reset All Controls.
Removing or resetting network settings/Wi-Fi passwords, keyboard dictionary, home screen layout, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards are all part of the “reset all settings”process.
10. Reset Airpods
If all else fails, try resetting your AirPods. Hold down the “Setup”button on the charging case while your AirPods are inside until the status light flashes amber and then white.
- Place your AirPods in the charging case, then close the lid.
- Open the charging case cover after waiting 30 seconds.
- Access to settings
- Next, select Bluetooth.
- Next to your AirPods, tap the More info icon.
- Select Forget This Device.
That’s all. You must connect your AirPods to your device since they have been reset.
Resetting your AirPods should have fixed any software issues that could cause one AirPod to be louder than another.
11. Pair your AirPods with another device
If the above steps didn’t resolve the issue, try to determine if the issue is related to your smartphone or AirPods.
To do this, connect your AirPods to another smartphone or tablet. Then use that device to play something with sound and determine which AirPod is louder.
12. Calibrate the sound of iPhone and AirPods
If none of the above work, you need to calibrate the sound on your AirPods to turn up the volume.
Environmental Sound Adjustment will calibrate the sound between the two devices. Your iPhone and AirPods will now have the same sound quality.
This means that if you change the volume, the effect will be heard immediately after changing the sound level.
If one AirPods seems to be louder than the other, sound calibration should make both AirPods the same volume.
- Turn down the volume completely.
- Disable AirPods in Bluetooth settings.
- Make sure your AirPods are in the correct place in your ear.
- Use iPhone speakers to play music.
- Turn down the volume on your iPhone completely.
- Connect your AirPods again.
- To check if it works, turn up the volume again.
13. Restart your iPhone
Restarting mobile devices or their peripherals is one of the most popular methods for fixing small problems.
Despite being a quick, easy, and effective solution to a few minor problems, this activity is often taken for granted. Follow the steps below to restart your iPhone:
- Go to the “Settings”section.
- Select the General tab.
- Tap the Turn off option when you get to the bottom of the page.
- To turn off your phone, move the slider to the right when it appears.
- Then, to turn your phone on automatically, either press and hold the power button until the Apple logo appears, or simply plug it into a charger.
14. Go to Apple or call Apple Support.
Last but not least, there may be hardware issues with your AirPods. Find out if you qualify for a replacement pair by visiting your local Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.
Reach out to them for help so you can do a mail order repair if you don’t want to waste time driving to the store and then chatting with them and prefer an online alternative.
Conclusion
We’ve come to the end by researching and learning all possible fixes and hacks for one Airpod louder than another.
We hope that by now both of your Airpods are delivering the same audio frequency on each side.
And even if the sound is still unbalanced, consider throwing your Airpods in the trash and buying new ones.
FAQ
Why is one of my AirPods quieter than the other?
Explore the speaker and microphone grid on each AirPod. Use the instructions in this article to clean your AirPods if you see any debris and then check if the issue is resolved. Make sure the balance is centered by going to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Video > Balance.
How to make one AirPod louder than the other?
Try “sucking out”the biggest speaker on your AirPod as one of the best ways to solve the problem of one of your AirPods being louder than the other (which you hear as quiet). Until you notice improvements in your AirPods, keep sucking on them and checking the sound again.
Why is one AirPod suddenly louder than the other?
One side of your headphones will sound louder than the other if your iPhone’s audio balance is set to left or right. A lot of people wear headphones these days, which can be exacerbated if the audio volume changes.
Why do I hear one Airpod louder than the other?
Earwax, dirt and sweat accumulated and formed a film on the speaker in the headphones, which caused one AirPods to be louder than the other. Your AirPods will immediately become louder if you carefully wipe dirt off them with a clean, dry toothbrush or Q-tip.