How to Fix: Why Do My AirPods Sound Muffled?
Ever since the AirPods rolled out, users have been reporting experiencing issues with them - one AirPod is louder than the other, AirPods not charging properly, and now - AirPods sounding muffled.
Apple’s products are always top-notch, and the price does all the talking. The design of the product is revolutionary, especially the motion sensors - which work perfectly, the music stops when you take one AirPod out of your ear, or the speech sensors - allowing you to give direct commands to Siri without needing to open your phone.
However, we have all gotten used to experiencing issues with Apple products, but luckily, most of them are fixable.
Due to the complexity of Apple’s AirPods, at times they can seem confusing.
On the other hand, creating a complex product does not mean experiencing technical issues should keep happening.
Therefore, we did some research so you wouldn’t have to, and we created a step-by-step guide with tips on how you can fix your AirPods sounding muffled, so keep reading to stop experiencing this issue.
Why is my AirPods sound muffled?
There are several reasons why your AirPods’ sound quality is not as high as it’s supposed to be.
The biggest issue according to users who experienced the same issue is due to ear wax or dirt getting built up in your AirPods, causing the issue you’re having.
Another possible reason is an unstable Bluetooth connection, when the connection is not good, a muffled sound might occur.
How do I fix my AirPods?
Cleaning the AirPods
The first thing you should do is clean your AirPods. If you’re using them on a daily basis, excess dirt and ear wax accumulated in your headphones, and it might be the cause of the issue you’re experiencing.
However, you’ll need to clean them carefully, since you wouldn’t want to cause permanent damage to the speakers.
Take a soft toothbrush, and brush softly over the speakers. This will slowly remove all dirt and ear wax from them.
Take a soft microfiber cloth, and clean the surface after you take out all the dirt and ear wax.
Another thing you can do is clean your AirPods using alcohol, however, make sure it’s isopropyl alcohol since this type is the one that evaporates the quickest.
However, if these tricks don’t seem to work, you can use compressed air if you own a compressed air canister. This can help remove everything that stayed in your earbuds after cleaning them with a toothbrush and alcohol.
Cleaning the Charging Case
Cleaning your charging case is extremely important, since it’s where you keep your earbuds. Since you’re using your AirPods on a daily basis - you’re also using the charging case, and if you take a look, a lot of the dirt that gets into the AirPods transfers into the case.
To clean the case, take a Q-tip, and take a screen cleaning spray. Spray the cleaning substance on the Q-tip, and carefully clean the inside of the case. Remove everything that comes out of the case using a cloth or paper towels, but do it carefully.
If anything stays in the case that you can’t seem to remove, you can use a toothpick to get everything out.
After finishing these steps, give your earbuds a try to check the sound from your AirPods. If they are still making muffled sounds, we have a few other tips as well.
Checking the Bluetooth connection
Bluetooth connections are usually stable, as long as you’re not outside the allowed radius. Connecting products to one another via Bluetooth is optimal since it doesn’t waste too much of your battery.
However, an unstable Bluetooth connection might be causing the problem.
There are a couple of possible reasons as to why your AirPods’ connection might be unstable.
- Too many devices have Bluetooth activated
A fair share of technology we use in our household have Bluetooth connections. All printers, speakers, TVs, and laptops run with Bluetooth. Try turning off the devices’ Bluetooth, so it doesn’t interfere with your AirPods connecting to your phone.
- Turning Bluetooth off and on again on your device
Bluetooth connections can drop and trigger issues such as the one you’re experiencing. Turn the Bluetooth off and on again from your phone Settings, and reconnect your pair of AirPods.
After turning the Bluetooth off, make sure to wait for about 10-15 seconds before turning it on again.
If none of these fixes are solving the issue, you can try resetting your AirPods completely and reconnecting them to your phone.
Resetting your AirPods
If none of the above-mentioned tips worked for you, you can try resetting your AirPods. To reset them, follow these steps:
- Press and hold the button on the back of the AirPods case.
- The light is supposed to flash amber a couple of times, wait until it flashes white.
- After the white flash shows up, your AirPods will be reset. Reconnect them to your device to check if the muffled sound is gone.
For those users who didn’t manage to fix their AirPods with these tips, you might need to repair or replace your AirPods.
However, make sure to take your AirPods to an Apple authorized repair shop, or directly to an Apple store.
Explore also how to remove AirPods Pro ear tips to clean them or replace them.
You might also find these articles interesting:
