Why Is One Airpod Louder Than The Other One: 14 Easy Fixes

One AirPod louder than the other can be annoying since it entirely changes the experience of how you listen to music. Owners of AirPods have reported this issue in innumerable instances; some claim they have been dealing with it for years.

Why is one AirPod louder than the other one? One AirPod may be louder than the other for a variety of reasons.

Mention a few potential causes: out-of-date firmware, unclean AirPods, ear wax buildup, malfunctioning AirPods, the settings app, and defective AirPods.

Fortunately, a quick solution should take care of most issues, with one AirPod being louder than the other.

A Little Walk Through of Airpods

Apple’s AirPods are a pair of Bluetooth-enabled wireless earphones. They were initially introduced alongside the iPhone 7. They quickly became Apple’s most well-liked accessory in just two years. 

Automatic music ceasing when the AirPods are removed is made possible by integrated accelerometers and optical sensors that detect taps, pinches, and placement within the ear. 

The second-generation AirPods were revealed by Apple on March 20, 2019, and include the H1 processor, a longer talk time, and a hands-free “Hey Siri” function. A wireless charging case for the AirPods is also offered at an extra cost.

Apple introduced the third-generation AirPods on October 26, 2021, with shorter stems, spatial audio, IPX4 water resistance, a longer battery life, and charging capabilities.

Although essential functions like automatic device switching are only accessible via iCloud on Apple devices, AirPods are compatible with any device that supports Bluetooth 4.0 or above, including Android and Windows smartphones.

One Airpod Is Louder Than The Other, Why?

Earwax, grime, dust, and perspiration have accumulated and created a film over the speaker within your headphones, making one AirPod louder than the other.

Your AirPods will get louder immediately if you carefully wipe the dirt off them with a clean, dry brush or Q-Tip.

The loudness dramatically drops off in your AirPods when earwax and dirt accumulate. Things may grow so severe that you would not even hear!

The only solution is to clean your AirPods for some time properly.

One AirPod may occasionally sound louder than the other due to hardware problems such as a poor Bluetooth connection and software glitches.

The problem may also be brought on by a bad AirPod, a connection problem, or a problem with the audio balance.

Fix: One Airpod Louder Than The Other One

Knowing the cause of one AirPod’s greater volume than the other should help you identify the issue and choose the best solution. Let us start now.

1. Clean AirPods
2. AirPod sucking
3. Checking the audio volume balance slider
4. Turn off any neighboring devices
5. Try charging the AirPods
6. Uncheck the box for Automatic Ear Detection
7. Check the sound settings app
8. iOS software update
9. Resetting iPhone
10. Resetting Airpods
11. Pair AirPods to a Different Device
12. Calibrate the iPhone and AirPods’ audio
13. Restart your iPhone
14. Go to Apple or call Apple Support

1. Clean AirPods

Believe it or not, the earwax, grit, and filth accumulated on your AirPod speaker and within the charging port are most likely the cause of one AirPod sounding louder than the other. Gross!

Even a thin covering of earwax might significantly alter the sound quality of your AirPods.

Moisture can also cause accumulation if you exercise while wearing your AirPods or using them in the rain. Your sweat will leave salt behind in the AirPods, degrading the audio.

Also, AirPods damp from perspiration or rain may attract dust when they dry off. The rubber tips of the AirPods Pro are particularly problematic since they attract dirt, perspiration, and earwax like nobody’s business.

So, if the loudness and sound quality of your AirPods Pro have suddenly diminished, inspect whether any muck has accumulated inside the tips.

Look carefully! It might become so heavily smudged that it is hardly visible at first.

It is easy to remove debris and crud from your AirPods. However, since you are working with delicate devices, you must be sure you are cleaning them properly.

1. Use a nice, dry toothbrush or similar item to clean dirt and grime off your AirPod speakers gently. In the same way, you would clean out your physical ears; you can also use a Q-Tip to cleanse your AirPods.
2. Do not forget to clean the AirPods’ charging tips and the inside of the charging case!
3. To procure a good scrub, you can, if necessary, apply some isopropyl alcohol to the end of the Q-tip. Not to fear, Apple says YES to it. You might also use a cotton swab, but be careful since you might remove fibers you did not mean to.
4. Just be careful not to use any water or detergent since doing so would simply exacerbate the obstruction and put the speakers in danger of being irreversibly harmed.

You will probably find a permanent solution to this problem if you make it a habit to keep the charging connection ports spotless and the AirPod speaker and sensors clear of debris.

2. airpod sucking

This works because the AirPods collect ear wax, which muffles all external sound. We appreciate the person who mentioned this technique in the topic on the Apple Support Communities. 

Note: You should only use this as a last option if you have already tried cleaning them as suggested above and one AirPod still sounds louder than the other.

The wax has an adhesive-like feel when it has dried. It can only be taken off after being submerged in water for a long period.

1. Only do this while the AirPods are still moist, and make sure you have a lot of suction.
2. Do this on both of your AirPods to stop one from being louder than the other. 
3. To prevent inhaling wax, be careful to use your tongue as a barrier. 
4. With the speaker towards the ground, face them into your mouth. 
5. This enables the leftover water and wax to be removed with the help of gravity. 
6. It is important to avoid inhaling too deeply into them since moisture can damage the internal components of the AirPods.

Now determine whether the volume of your AirPods is consistent.

3. Checking the audio volume balance slider

One side of your headphones will sound louder than the other if you tilt the balance to the left or right.

These days, many individuals wear earbuds, and it might be bothersome if the music volume is inconsistent.

The AirPods now emit the same loudness thanks to the change in this setting, ensuring that the sound is balanced and not reduced to the absolute minimum.

Verify again that all of the settings are appropriate, as follows:

1. Open the settings app on your iOS device.
2. Select General by scrolling down.
3. Select Accessibility.
4. A slider should display the letters R and L, representing the left and right channels, respectively. Place the slider in the center to guarantee that the sound is delivered uniformly.

4. Turn off any neighboring devices.

Turning off all neighboring Bluetooth devices is another potential solution to this problem. This entails shutting them off completely.

There may be interference if other phones, headphones, mice, keyboards, etc., are in the vicinity.

By turning off all of those devices, you may be certain to avoid this.

Alternately, for every one of these Bluetooth devices, go to your iPhone and select “Forget This Device.” Doing this ensures there is no ‘foreign interference.’

5. Try charging the AirPods.

It is possible that one AirPod’s battery died while the other was still charging. One AirPod may be quieter when the battery is running low.

The AirPods may probably be damaged if one of them does not charge correctly. It would need to be replaced with new AirPods or fixed. 

1. Place the charging case over the two AirPods after connecting them to a genuine Apple lightning cable. 
2. Charge them for at least 30 minutes to ensure no charging issue. 
3. To view the battery percentage of your AirPods, you must install a widget on your iPhone’s home screen. 
4. On your home screen, start by touching and holding space.
5. Select the Airpods charging widget by clicking the add button in the top left corner. 
6. You can now see if they are evenly charged by sliding to the left on your home screen.

6. Uncheck the box for Automatic Ear Detection

To detect when they are in your ear, AirPods come equipped by default with technology. When this is confirmed, your device’s audio output will be received.

Although the technology is impressive, your headphones may experience intermittent sound and an incomplete or neutral connection if anything goes wrong during this procedure.

To determine whether that is the problem, I would just switch off Automatic Ear Detection at the beginning.

Remember that once you disable this, your AirPods will continue to play even when you remove them from your ears.

Here’s how to switch off Automatic Ear Detection:

1. Access Settings
2. Choose Bluetooth next.
3. Next to your AirPods, tap the Info button.
4. Turn off automatic ear detection by navigating to the bottom.

7. Check the sound settings app.

Your AirPods might not sound as loud as they should because you altered your sound settings.

This method is only helpful for people who use Apple Music, but you can still pick up a few important tips if you use Spotify or other third-party music services.

This can be the problem if your audio is quiet on both Airpods and not just one. Several options in the EQ settings may be used to soften the sound of music.

Equalization modifies how sound is transmitted to your ears by adjusting the sound quality.

There are several settings available, including basic boost and echo. If you keep it on its default setting, you will not experience any sound setting issues.

This setting can change how loud your AirPods are, even though it is not the reason why one AirPod’s audio is louder than the others.

1. First, choose the Settings tab.
2. Scroll down and select Music.
3. At this point, hit the EQ button.
4. Make sure Off is chosen.

8. iOS software update

One AirPod may sound louder than the other if you are using outdated or old software, which might be the root of the problem with your AirPod’s Bluetooth connection.

When you can, try to upgrade your phone as frequently as possible. I advise you to enable Automatic Updates so that your phone will schedule these updates during the hours that you are sleeping at night.

1. Access Settings
2. ‘General’ is down at the bottom.
3. Select Software Update in the top menu.
4. Next, choose Automatic Updates.
5. Turn both iOS update download and installation on.
6. Select Back to check if there are any updates available.
7. If an update is available, choose Install Now.

9. Resetting iPhone

To see if your AirPods are genuinely faulty, connect them to another one of your devices, such as your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc. Once the AirPods are linked, play a movie or song to hear how good they sound.

You might need to reset the settings on your primary smartphone if the AirPods work properly on the backup device.

Here’s how to reset the settings app on your iPhone or iPad:

1. Go to the settings app on your iOS device.
2. Select General by scrolling down.
3. Choose Reset.
4. Choose Reset all controls.

Removing or resetting your network settings/Wi-Fi passwords, the keyboard dictionary, the Home screen layout, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards are all part of the “reset all settings” process.

10. Reset Airpods

If everything else fails, you may try resetting your AirPods. Hold the Setup button on the charging case while the AirPods are inside until the status light flashes amber and then white.

1. Place your AirPods inside the charging case, then snap the cover shut.
2. Open the charging case’s cover after waiting 30 seconds.
3. Access Settings
4. Choose Bluetooth next.
5. Next to your AirPods, tap the More details icon.
6. Select “Forget This Device.”

That is it. You must connect your AirPods with your device since they have been reset.

Resetting your AirPods should have resolved any software issues that may have caused one AirPod to be louder than the other.

11. Pair AirPods to a Different Device

If the steps above did not solve the problem, attempt to determine whether the problem is with your smartphone or your AirPods.

To accomplish this, pair your AirPods with a different smartphone or tablet. Then, use that device to play anything with sound and determine which AirPod is louder.

12. Calibrate the iPhone and AirPods’ audio

If none of those mentioned above works, you will need to calibrate the sound in your AirPods to increase the loudness. 

Adjusting the sound to consider environmental factors will calibrate the sound between the two devices. Your iPhone and AirPods will now have the same audio quality.

This implies that if you change the volume, the effect will be audible immediately as the sound level changes.

If it seems like one AirPod is louder than the other, calibrating the sound should make both AirPods’ loudness equal.

1. Reduce the sound level all the way.
2. Turn off your AirPods under Bluetooth Settings.
3. Make sure your AirPods are in the right place in your ear.
4. Utilize the iPhone’s speakers to play music.
5. Completely down the volume on your iPhone.
6. Once again, connect the AirPods.
7. To test whether it works, turn up the volume one more time.

13. Restart your iPhone

Restarting mobile devices or their peripherals is one of the most popular techniques to resolve small problems.

Despite being quick, simple, and effective in solving several minor issues, this activity is often taken for granted. Take the actions listed below to restart an iPhone:

1. Go to the Settings section.
2. Select the General tab.
3. Tap the Shut Down option when you reach the bottom of the page.
4. To turn the phone off, move the slider to the right when it displays.
5. Then, to turn your phone on automatically, either press and hold the power button until the Apple logo shows, or just connect it to a charger.

14. Go to Apple or call Apple Support.

Last but not least, there can be hardware issues with your AirPods. Find out if you are qualified for a replacement of a new pair by visiting your local Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. 

Contact them for assistance, so you may do a mail-in repair if you do not want to waste time traveling to the shop and then speaking with them and would rather have an online alternative.

Conclusion

We have reached the end of the line by undermining and scrutinizing all the possible fixes and hacks for one Airpod louder than the other.

We hope by now, both your Airpods provide you with the same audible sound frequency on each side.

And even if the sound is still not balanced, consider throwing your Airpods into the trash and getting new ones.

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