AirPods are connected but no sound? Try these fixes

AirPods fail to output sound even though they are connected to your device? this mainly occurs because of connection problems, issues when syncing audio with the application, Bluetooth problems, and even issues with the software or firmware of the device itself. 

This is a very common problem that can usually be fixed by reinitializing the connection. In some rare cases, some additional steps are required to fix the issue. 

Common Scenarios

• The issue has been observed across various models and generations of Airpods, even with brand-new ones.
• The problem has been reported on a range of devices, including Apple products (iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs) and non-Apple devices (Android phones, TVs, Windows/Linux systems).
• Device or Airpods firmware updates can trigger the audio problem.
• The issue occurs during various activities like media playback, calls, and specific app usage (Spotify, Apple Music).
• Interestingly, the problem may be specific to a particular app.
• There can be cases where one AirPod works while the other does not.

Troubleshooting Prerequisites

• Make sure the Airpods are clean as accumulated dust can prevent the pods from producing any sound.
• Put the AirPods in your ears and then check for sound.
• Ensure that the balance for Airpods is set to center.

How to Fix Airpods Producing No Sound

Firstly, we will try to get the AirPods to produce sound using less invasive methods. However, if things do not go well, we will move on to more specific device-related troubleshooting. These devices may include iPhones, iPads, TVs, Android, or Windows-based devices.

1. Reconnect the Airpods with Your Device

If the communication modules of both devices are in an error state, you won’t experience any audio output from the connected AirPods. Simply resolve this issue by re-connecting your device with the AirPods.

Put the Airpods into Their Case

1. Remove the AirPods from your ears and put them into their case.

   

2. Wait for a minute and put the AirPods back into your ears. See if the problem is solved.
3. If not, put the AirPods into their case and connect the case to the charger.
4. Wait for a minute and put the AirPods into your ears. Check if the sound issue is cleared.

Disconnect from the Device Menu

For the Samsung TV:

1. Go to TV Settings and go to Sound > Sound Output > Bluetooth Speaker List.
2. Disconnect AirPods and reconnect Airpods. Check if the sound is coming from the AirPods.

   

Connect Through Control Panel (Windows Only)

1. Open Control Panel and go to Hardware and Sounds > Devices and Printers.
2. Double-click on the Airpods, and near the right of the Music and Sound option, click on Connect. Confirm if the problem is rectified.

   

2. Restart the Problematic Device and Other Connected Devices

The AirPods will fail to output any sound due to issues in the output modules of your device (like an iPhone) or as a result of interference from another connected device (such as an Apple Watch). Restarting the devices will solve the problem. To do this with an iPhone:

1. If the issue occurs with a particular app (e.g., Spotify), force close the app, relaunch it, and check if that solves the problem.
2. If not, power off the iPhone and wait for a minute. 

   

3. Power on the iPhone and connect it to the AirPods. See if the issue is resolved.
4. If this does not work, power off other connected devices (e.g., your Apple Watch) and check if that makes the sound work on Airpods. You can also enable Airplane Mode on the connected device if you do not want to power it off.

3. Update the Problematic App, Device, and AirPods

You will not get any sound from the AirPods if the problematic app (such as the Tiles app), OS of the device (e.g., iPhone), and the firmware of the AirPods are outdated. This will make these incompatible with each other.

To overcome this, update the problematic app, device, and Airpods.

Update the Problematic App

1. Launch the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and search for the problematic app (such as the Tiles app). In the case of another device (e.g., a Windows PC), update the application through the web.

   

2. Update the app and restart the device.
3. Connect the device with Airpods and verify if the sound issue is resolved.

Update the Device’s OS or Firmware

To update an iPhone:

1. Fully charge the iPhone, create a backup of its data, and connect the phone to a Wi-Fi network.
2. Navigate to the iPhone Settings > General > Software Update.

   

3. Update the phone’s iOS and restart the phone.
4. Connect to the Airpods and check if the sound is working correctly on the Airpods.

Update the Airpods’ Firmware

1. Connect the AirPods with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
2. Put the Airpods in the charging case and connect the case to a charger.

   

3. Wait for a few minutes and check if the sound issue is resolved.

4. Change the Output Device in the Problematic App

If your device’s output is set to Airpods but the app (e.g., Apple Music) does not have Airpods as its output device, you will get no sound from the Airpods for that app. Here, changing the output device in the app to the AirPods will solve the problem.

1. Open the Control Center and tap/hold the Music tab.
2. Select Airpods in the dropdown shown and check if this solves the problem.

   

3. If not, select another output device in the Music tab and switch back to Airpods. See if that resolves the issue.
4. If this does not work, uninstall the Tiles app and see if that solves the problem.

5. Re-enable Bluetooth on the Problematic Device or Forget AirPods

AirPods use Bluetooth to connect to other devices. If the Bluetooth modules of the problematic device are in an error state, the pods will not output any sound.

To fix this, disable and enable Bluetooth on the problematic device or forget them in the device settings. To do so on an iPhone:

Disable and Enable Bluetooth

1. Launch the iPhone Settings and go to Bluetooth.
2. Disable Bluetooth, and wait for a minute.

   

3. Enable Bluetooth and connect to the AirPods. Check if the problem is cleared.
4. If not, disable Bluetooth on other paired devices (such as Apple Watch) and see if this resolves the issue.

Forget All Bluetooth Devices

1. Launch the iPhone Settings and go to Bluetooth.
2. Tap on the info icon for a paired device and select Forget This Device.

   

3. Confirm to forget the device and repeat the same for all the paired Bluetooth devices.
4. Restart the iPhone and pair it back with the AirPods. Verify if the sound is coming from both Airpods.
5. If this does not work, disable Wi-Fi on the phone and see if this gets the job done.

6. Change the Audio Settings of the Airpods 

If the audio settings of the AirPods don’t match the required device settings, they won’t produce any sound, even when connected. To fix this issue, adjust the audio settings of the AirPods.

Increase the Volume of the TV

1. After connecting your AirPods to the TV, stroke the stem of the pods upward or double-tap it.

   

2. See if the volume is increasing and the sound is coming from the AirPods. This serves as a safety precaution when AirPods are connected to a non-Apple device, as the maximum volume might be excessively loud and could potentially harm your ears, thus the volume defaults to zero.
3. If not, lower the AirPods volume to zero and then increase. Confirm it the problem is solved.
4. If this does not work, reduce the TV’s volume to zero and then raise it to the maximum. Verify if the issue is resolved.

Disable Automatic Ear Detection

1. Launch the iPhone Settings and open the Airpods.
2. Disable Automatic Ear Detection and check if the sound problem is solved. You can also disable Automatic Ear Detection by going to Settings > Bluetooth > Airpods > Automatic Ear Detection.

   

Disable Noise Cancelation

1. Launch the iPhone Setting and open Bluetooth.
2. Tap on the Info icon for the problematic Airpods and tap on Off for the Noise Control. See if the sound is correctly outputting through the AirPods.

   

3. If not, set the Noise Control to Transparency and verify if this resolves the issue.

Increase the Volume Limit Level on the Airpods

1. Launch the iPhone Settings and go to Music.
2. Open the Volume Limit and increase the audible level to the maximum or turn the feature off.

   

3. See if the problem is solved. If so, decrease the audible level a bit and keep trying till an adequate level is found.

7. Disable Absolute Volume (Android Only)

Absolute Bluetooth Volume is a feature that allows you to control the volume of both your devices (i.e., your phone and the connected Bluetooth device). If you increase or decrease the volume of your phone, the same will take effect on the connected Bluetooth device, such as AirPods.

If the implementation of this feature is not proper on the phone or AirPods, the pods will fail to output any audio. To solve this, disable Absolute Volume on your Android device.

1. Launch the Android device Settings and go to Developer Options. In some cases, you may need to enable viewing of Developer Options.
2. Scroll to the Networking section and disable Absolute Volume.

   

3. Forget Airpods in the device’s Bluetooth settings (discussed earlier).
4. Pair back the Airpods with the phone and verify if the Airpods are correctly outputting sound.

8. Change the Audio Settings of the TV (TV Only)

If the audio settings of your TV are not correct, the AirPods will not output any sound although connected to the TV. In this case, changing the audio settings of the TV will solve the problem.

Change the Audio Format

To do so on a Samsung TV:

1. Launch the Samsung TV Settings and go to Sound > Expert Settings > Digital Output Audio Format.
2. Select PCM and see if the sound is coming from the AirPods.

   

Change Audio Output

For a Samsung TV:

1. Launch the TV Settings and go to Sound > Sound Output.
2. Select another device (such as the TV’s speakers) and switch back to AirPods. Check if this does the trick.

   

Increase Headphone Volume in the TV Settings

To do so on a Hi-Sense TV:

1. Launch the TV Settings and go to Sound > Advanced Settings > Headphone Mode > Headphone Volume.

   

2. Increase the volume to the maximum and check if the issue is resolved.
3. If not, decrease the volume to zero and then increase to the maximum. See if this clears the problem.

Disable Anynet+

On Samsung TVs, it will be labeled as Anynet+ but on other TV models, this may be labeled differently.

1. Launch the Samsung TV Settings and go to General > External Device Manager.
2. Disable Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) and check if that clears the issue.

   

9. Set the AirPods as the Default Audio Output Device (Windows Only)

If your Windows system does not have the AirPods as the default audio output device, you won’t receive any sound from the pods. To resolve this, set the pods as the default audio output device.

1. Right-click Windows and open Sound Settings.
2. Scroll to the bottom and click on More Sound Settings.
3. Switch to the Playback tab and right-click on AirPods Hands-Free AG Audio.

   

4. Select Set as a Default Device and click on OK.
5. Repeat the same in the Recording tab and verify if the issue is resolved.
6. If not, disable AirPods Hands-Free AG Audio in the Playback and Recording tabs of the sound properties.
7. Set the Airpods Stereo as the default device and confirm if the sound problem is cleared.

10. Reset the Airpods to the Factory Defaults

The Airpods will not output any sound if their firmware is damaged. This might have occurred when the latest firmware update could not replace the outdated firmware modules. To solve this, reset the Airpods to the factory defaults.

1. Close the case’s lid after putting the Airpods in it and wait for 30 seconds.
2. Open the case’s lid and put the AirPods in your ears.
3. On the iPhone, go to Settings > Bluetooth.
4. Tap on the info icon for the Airpods and select Forget This Device.
5. Confirm to forget the pods and restart the iPhone.
6. Put back the pods into their case but keep the lid open.
7. Press and hold the Setup button of the AirPods.

   

8. Wait (it may take around 15 seconds) till the status light of the case blinks amber and then white.
9. Pair the AirPods with your iPhone and check if that clears the sound issue.

11. Reset the Problematic Device to the Factory Defaults

The sound output of the Airpods won’t function if the output components of the faulty device are in a malfunctioning loop after being damaged. This can be solved by resetting the problematic device to the factory defaults.

To reset an iPhone:

1. Create a backup of the iPhone’s data and fully charge it.
2. Unpair the Airpods from the iPhone (as discussed earlier).
3. Launch the iPhone Settings and go to General > Reset.
4. Tap on Erase All Content and Settings.

   

5. Confirm to initiate the reset process and once done, set up the iPhone as per your requirements but as a new device (without restoring from a backup).
6. Pair the iPhone with the Airpods and hopefully, their sound issue would be resolved.

If the case of a Windows PC or Mac, you may need to reinstall OS. For other devices, such as a TV, you may need to reset it to its factory default settings.

If the Airpods are still not producing any sound, contact Apple Support and request a replacement of the Airpods (if under warranty). If the issue is occurring with a single device (e.g., an iPhone), get the device replaced (if under warranty) or repaired. Additionally, you may need to use a Bluetooth dongle with some desktop systems to make the AirPods produce any sound with those systems.