Not being able to connect, cracking sound to a permanent echo: it is very annoying when you have problems with your AirPods (Pro). With these tips you prevent all kinds of inconveniences.
AirPods problems with sound? That’s how you solve them
Complaints regularly crop up online from AirPods owners who occasionally hear a crackling sound when trying to play music with AirPods or Beats headphones. Usually this has to do with the bluetooth connection. Your iPhone uses this technique to send music to the AirPods, but the connection can be disrupted.
The problems can be persistent, but usually you solve it quite easily. In any case, try out the tips below.
1. Check if your iPhone is running the most recent iOS version
Before we restart devices, we recommend that you first make sure that your iPhone and AirPods are running on the most recent software version. With every update, Apple fixes problems, so it could just be that this fixes yours too. To check this for your AirPods, go through the following steps.
- Put the AirPods in your ears;
- Open the Settings app;
- Tap on ‘General’;
- Now choose ‘Info’;
- There you can check the software version of your iPhone and the AirPods.
2. Turn off other Bluetooth devices in your area
If you often hear a crackling sound when you turn on the AirPods, this could be due to an abundance of Bluetooth devices in your area. These create noise on the line, causing the sound quality to deteriorate noticeably. Disabling Bluetooth accessories that you are not currently using may solve the problem in one go. Consider, for example, a wireless keyboard for a PC that you are not using.
3. Restart your AirPods or headphones
When AirPods problems surfaced for users, Apple suggested restarting the earbuds. This would fix the battery problem, and the same might also be true for AirPods audio problems. You restart the AirPods by pressing the button on the case for 15 seconds. Keep in mind that you will have to pair the AirPods again after this. In this tip you can read how this works.
4. Turn bluetooth off and on
Turning the bluetooth connection on and off can also be enough to make the connection stable again. We also regularly do this with ‘old-fashioned’ Bluetooth headphones that sometimes no longer respond properly. Rebooting Bluetooth is very simple: you open the Control Panel, tap the bluetooth icon and do this again to re-enable the wireless connection.
5. Reset your AirPods to factory settings
It is often unclear exactly what caused this, but when you reset the AirPods to factory settings and pair again with your iPhone, they often work fine again. You do this as follows:
- Settings app
Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and go to ‘Bluetooth’;
- More information
At ‘My devices’, tap the ‘i’ behind your AirPods and then choose ‘Forget this device’;
- To hold
Place your AirPods in the charging case and press the button on the back. Hold the button for at least 15 seconds;
- Reset
You see that light of the box blinks white and then orange. This means that the AirPods will be reset;
- Pair again
After this, you can reconnect the AirPods to your iPhone or iPad by opening the box and tapping ‘Connect’ on the screen of your device.
6. Contact Apple Support
If these five solutions to AirPods problems do not work, the problem seems to be in the AirPods themselves. In that case, we recommend that you contact us with Apple Support.