Apple’s AirPods have quickly become one of the most popular earbuds in the world. These highly versatile devices are well suited to a range of applications, such as listening to music, making calls, or the hands-free operation of an iPhone.
Are your AirPods too quiet? Here’s why.
The most common causes of Airpods becoming too quiet include dust or earwax getting inside them and blocking the speakers, your iPhone being low power mode due to a lack of charge, or finally, you may have a volume limit set on your device.
In addition to these three main causes, there are various other potential reasons that your AirPods may be too quiet.
This can be a frustrating experience, as AirPods are quite expensive compared to other earbuds, so you want to ensure you’re getting adequate volume levels to use them to their fullest potential.
In the following guide, we’ll cover this topic in detail so that you can rectify the problem quickly.
Why Are Your AirPods Too Quiet?
If your AirPods seem too quiet, you need to do some troubleshooting to identify the cause of this issue.
Thankfully, although quiet AirPods are frustrating, there are a few highly likely reasons that this problem is occurring, each of which can be rectified by following some simple instructions.
The first thing you should do is check the volume on your iPhone, or another device that is connected to the AirPods via Bluetooth.
Simply turn the volume up on the device, and check the visual meter on the screen to determine whether it is set to a low level.
If the volume is high on your iPhone or another device, you know that this isn’t the reason that the AirPods are playing audio too quietly.
- This brings us to the second step, which is to check whether your iPhone is operating in Low Power Mode.
When an iPhone battery drops below a certain point, it automatically goes into Low Power Mode if this setting is active. This mode changes certain settings to preserve battery life, which can include:
- Lowering default volume level
- Lowering screen brightness
- Pausing background processes
- Disabling mail fetching
- Disabling Siri
If your iPhone is in Low Power Mode, this is likely causing your AirPods to be too quiet. You can turn low power mode off in Settings > Battery, or simply charge your device until it deactivates automatically.
Once you’ve turned off Low Power Mode, test your AirPods to see whether the volume has increased. If it hasn’t, you need to move on to the next step.
- AirPods work best when they are fully charged. If they have a very low battery, this may cause them to malfunction as they don’t have the required power to work to their maximum potential.
To assess whether the low battery is causing your AirPods to be quiet, charge them for a couple of hours, then test them to see if the problem has been solved.
One of the three steps I’ve outlined so far will likely solve the problem of your AirPods being too quiet. However, if you’re still having issues with their volume, you may need to take some further measures to identify the cause of the issue.
Airpods Pro is now available, I have written a comprehensive guide to help you decide if you should choose AirPods or AirPods Pro. There are various pros and cons to both.
This guide will help you decide if AirPods Pro is worth it for your circumstances and needs.
EQ Settings & Volume Limits
If you’ve tried the methods we’ve listed so far but your AirPods still seem too quiet, there are some additional steps you can take to try and solve this problem.
Whether you’re using your AirPods with an Apple device such as an iPhone or iPad, or you’re using a device from another manufacturer, there may be certain EQ settings applied which are making the audio seem quieter.
EQ stands for equalization, which essentially means the practice of tailoring the output of certain sound frequency bands. EQ can be done manually or by choosing presets for certain styles of music or acoustic environments.
The reason that EQ settings could be making your AirPods quieter is that they may be reducing the prominence of the bass, mid-range, or treble frequencies in the output.
Here’s a video from YouTube that shows how to check the EQ on your Apple device.
AirPods, and similar small earbuds, don’t produce a large number of bass frequencies. This is because low-end frequencies require larger and more powerful speakers.
Therefore, you should check the mid and treble settings in the EQ menu.
If either of these frequency bands is turned down, it will make the overall volume of the audio playing through the AirPods seems significantly quieter.
iPhones also include a feature called Volume Limit, which is designed to protect the lister’s ears. It places a cap on the maximum volume that the device can produce to avoid sudden spikes or accidental loud volumes.
If your device has the Volume Limit feature turned on, this may be what is making your AirPods incapable of playing at a desirable volume. You can simply turn this feature off in the settings menu to see if it is causing the problem.
It’s important to be careful when the Volume Limit feature is turned off, as it allows the audio to be played at levels that could potentially harm your ears.
Cleaning the Mesh in Your AirPods
AirPods are positioned tightly in your ears, so there’s a good chance that after they’ve been used for a while earwax may make its way onto the mesh. Other forms of dirt could also be transferred into the AirPods over time.
It’s important to inspect the AirPods now and then to see whether there has been a build-up that could be affecting their volume and sound quality.
If you suspect that dirt or wax has gotten onto the mesh in the AirPods, the best way to clean them is by gently using a dry cotton wool swab. You should avoid using anything hard, as this may damage the inner components or push the dirt in further.
Simply rub the cotton swab across the mesh, trying to gently prize out any dirt or wax. You can then use a soft brush to remove anything that the swab can’t get to, as this will help to release the debris.
Here’s a popular YouTube video that shows the Airpods cleaning process.
Once you’ve cleaned the mesh you can play some audio through your AirPods to see whether this has solved the problem of them being too quiet. If it hasn’t, move on to the next section to find other potential causes and solutions.
Other Potential Causes Of Low Airpods Volume
When using AirPods with an iPhone, there is a setting that can change the individual volumes of each earbud. If you are experiencing one earbud being quieter than the other, you may have accidentally changed this setting.
- To check this setting on your iPhone, you need to go into the setting, select Accessibility, then go to Audio/Visual. There should be a slider, which will be moved over to one side of the settings that have been changed. Pull the slider back into a central position and check if this has solved the problem.
Sometimes, Bluetooth devices need to be re-paired with an iPhone for them to work properly. The reason for this is unknown, but it’s worth a try if your AirPods are still too quiet.
You can disconnect the AirPods from your device and turn off the Bluetooth, then re-connect them. You’ll need to forget the AirPods in your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings to complete this process.
Finally, if all of the methods outlined in this guide have failed to solve to problem of your AirPods being too quiet, they may have been damaged. Perhaps they’ve gotten wet at some point, or been stepped on.
AirPods Pro is rated IPX water-resistant. This means that they should survive being splashed with water, but they will likely break if they are submerged in water.
Earlier AirPods are less resistant to water, so there’s a chance that if they’ve been accidentally exposed to moisture this could be causing the reduction in volume.
If you suspect that your AirPods may have been damaged by water, you should take them to an Apple repair store and ask for their advice. You may be able to get them fixed, or they may need replacing.
Related Questions
Can reset Airpods Be Tracked?
I have written a separate article on this subject. You can read it here.
Do AirPods work with Android?
Although AirPods are designed to work best with Apple devices, they can also be used with any other mobile device that has Bluetooth connectivity. Android devices can be paired with AirPods in the same way that any other Bluetooth headphones can be.
How do I make AirPods louder on Android?
To increase the volume of your AirPods on Andriod, you’ll need to go to the settings on your device. Then, find Sound and Vibration. In this menu, you should find a Volume menu that presents a series of sliders for controlling loudness.
Is the AirPods microphone any good?
As far as earbuds go, AirPods have a pretty good microphone installed in them. When designing the AirPods, Apple chose to include a microphone on both sides, located at the end of each stem. The mics offer good noise reduction and are ideal for making phone calls.