Is your left AirPod not working?
In this article, we’re going to cover different ways to fix your left AirPod not working.
- See if Your AirPods Have Battery Life
- Re-pair Your AirPods With Your Apple Device
- Restart Your Bluetooth
- Reset Your Network Services
- Clean Your AirPods
- Try Pairing Your AirPods With A Different Device
- See Where Your Stereo Balance Is At
- Reboot Your Apple Device
When it comes to wireless technology, Bluetooth connection, software issues, battery problems, dirt, and more can be reasons for common problems for a faulty left AirPod.
Let’s look at these nine helpful suggestions instead.
Quick And Easy Fix For A Left Airpod That Is Not Working
Apple’s AirPods are typically excellent and trouble-free. Still, now and then, you may have a peculiar situation in which the left AirPod stops operating, and at the same time, the right continues to function well.
These kinds of connection difficulties are uncommon, but they do occur. Therefore, this guide is projected to help you troubleshoot and fix your left AirPod that isn’t working.
We usually get it with the AirPod we put in our ears first, by coincidence. However, we know the problem has returned since we don’t hear the switched-on chime until we insert the other AirPod.
Fortunately, in most circumstances, there are simple fixes for this. So, starting with the battery life of your AirPods, let’s take a look at how to fix this.
1. See If Your AirPods Have Battery Life
You should make sure that your AirPods have enough power before you begin.
For example, one of the AirPods’ batteries may be below functioning capacity. So check the battery charge on the AirPod that isn’t operating right away.
Next, place your AirPods in the charging case, open the lid, and hold it near your iPhone or iPad to see if they’re adequately charged.
As a result, this will display the battery percentage for your AirPods, or you may check the battery under the Bluetooth settings for your AirPods on an Apple device.
Furthermore, your left AirPod may deplete faster than your right. This problem is often found with an older set of AirPods.
It could happen for various reasons like you’re just utilizing one AirPod for voice calls, or the noise cancellation option is turned on for the left AirPod. To check the battery of your AirPods, follow the steps below.
- Step 1: Access the iOS Control Center by swiping down from the top-right side of your screen.
- Step 2: Go to the Music card panel and tap the symbol found in the top-right corner of the music panel.
- Step 3: You’ll be able to see your AirPods battery % right here. Only the battery percentage of the other AirPod will be displayed if one of the AirPods stops operating due to a low battery.
Replace both AirPods in the charging case and check that the case still has enough charge. If it doesn’t work, plug it in for an hour, and then try listening to music with your AirPods to see if it works.
2. Re-pair Your AirPods With Your Apple Device
Sometimes our iPhones may become a bit faulty when too many things are being done at once, requiring us to un-pair and re-pair our AirPods.
As a result, the steps below will guide you on how to delete the linked AirPods from your iPhone or iPad’s list of Bluetooth devices.
- Step 1: On your iOS device, go to Settings -> Bluetooth and press the “(i)” symbol next to your linked AirPods, under “My Devices.”
- Step 2: As you enter your AirPods settings, scroll down until you see “Forget This Device” and tap on it.
After you’ve finished, you may re-pair your AirPods. To enter pairing mode, place both AirPods back in the charging case, open the lid, then press and then hold the physical button on the back of the case for a few seconds. Your AirPods will appear in the list of Bluetooth devices accessible.
This process also helps reset your AirPods back to their standard settings, which ensures that if there were any services that your iOS software has not been successfully launching, it might just launch correctly now.
Next, check whether the left and right AirPods are now working correctly.
3. Restart Your Bluetooth
AirPods are known for having Bluetooth difficulties. Simply turn off Bluetooth on your smartphone, wait a minute, and enable it again. Next, reconnect your iPhone or iPad to the AirPods.
In addition, wireless devices and Wi-Fi are two common causes of weak Bluetooth signal strength. For example, Wi-Fi routers frequently share bandwidth with Bluetooth devices, producing signal problems. Other Bluetooth gadgets might also make it difficult to connect.
As a result, check if you are not in a zone that may be causing interference with your AirPods Bluetooth connectivity.
4. Reset Your Network Services
In certain circumstances, basic networking faults with your iPhone or iPad may cause a connectivity problem with one of your AirPods. On the other hand, resetting your network settings is a simple solution.
Remember that resetting these settings will lose your stored Bluetooth connections, Wi-Fi networks, and passwords.
But it may be the solution to fixing your faulty left AirPod!
The following steps will allow you to reset your network settings.
- Step 1: Start by opening your iPhone or iPad Settings app and selecting General.
- Step 2: Next, navigate down to the bottom of the list and select Reset.
- Step3: Next, Reset Network Settings should be selected. If prompted, enter your passcode, then hit Reset Network Settings to confirm your selection.
Once completed, reconnect your AirPods to your iPhone or iPad and test if the left AirPod works again.
5. Clean Your AirPods
A muck buildup can muffle or even silence an AirPod.
Make sure to clean both AirPods since dust and grime can collect on the speakers, causing an obstruction. When cleaning your AirPods, use extreme caution.
To clean your AirPods, use a soft-bristled toothbrush or a damp cleaning wipe. Water can damage your AirPods, so make sure to keep them dry.
Once you gave them an excellent clean, try connecting them again and see if that did the trick. That said, always try to keep your AirPods clean to avoid this from happening in the future.
6. Try Pairing Your AirPods With A Different Device
Connecting your Airpods to an Android smartphone or tablet or any other pairable device is another approach to figuring out what’s wrong.
If the AirPods themselves are operating correctly, the problem is most likely with the software that prevents you from pairing the left AirPods to the iPhone or iPad, in which you may skip to the next step.
On the other hand, if the Airpod still doesn’t function, there’s likely a problem with the earbud itself, and you’ll either need to send it in for restoration or buy a new left earbud.
Remember that you may still have a warranty on them; all hope might not be lost entirely. (just maybe some time getting it done.) Worst case scenario, you may have just to replace the left AirPod – it still beats buying a new set!
7. See Where Your Stereo Balance Is At
A stereo balance issue is another typical reason why one AirPod ceased operating. Unless you disable the setting, each Apple device allows you to move the sound to the right/left AirPod.
Unfortunately, you may have mistakenly moved the stereo balance slider to the right, causing the left AirPod to stop operating. Fortunately, this is a simple problem to crack. Here’s how to get to your stereo settings:
- Step 1: Head to Accessibility > Accessibility Settings.
- Step 2: Check the stereo balance slider under Hearing > Audio/Visual — it should be halfway between left (L) and right (R).
- Step 3: If required, adjust the slider.
- Step 4: Finally, turn off Mono Audio to guarantee that both AirPods play the same material.
8. Reboot Your Apple Device
If none of the preceding approaches worked, the problem might be with your iPhone or iPad rather than the AirPods. So the last thing you’d want to do is restart your iPhone or iPad. That said, this may be accomplished by just turning your smartphone off and on again.
Hold the side and volume up buttons together to reach the shutdown menu on an iPhone or iPad without a physical home button. You only need to hold the power button if you’re using an iPhone or iPad with a physical home button.
A famous saying among mobile technicians is asking, “Have you tried switching it off and back on again?”
Restarting your device helps refresh the operating system and helps ensure that all apps and services function correctly upon rebooting. So, once it is off, switch it back on and reconnect your AirPods to your iPhone, and hopefully, this resolves the issue with your left Airpod.
Finally, if none of these methods worked in your case, the problem is likely hardware-related. You might, however, inspect each AirPod’s microphone and speaker meshes for dirt and clean them if required. Examine the area for any evidence of physical harm.
Water damage might also be the cause if you dropped your AirPods in the pool or recently listened to music while walking in the rain. If you have any hardware-related concerns, don’t hesitate to contact Apple support for assistance.
Conclusion
It’s aggravating when you can’t receive a clean 360-degree sound, especially when you need it the most. That’s when the solutions listed above come in helpful.
Before diving into the technical side of a defective left AirPod bud, re-pair your AirPods, disconnect and reconnect your Bluetooth, restart your smartphone, and verify that your AirPods are adequately charged is the first line of defense. Additionally, Apple recommends cleaning the speaker grills on the AirPods.
Finally, look at the speaker from time to time since it might grow dirty and clogged with earwax. If everything else fails, contact Apple support for more assistance, or it may be time to replace your left AirPod.