This article is a detailed explanation of Why Do my Airpods Sound Muffled?
AirPods are popular now because they are wireless Bluetooth earbuds, but because they are ultra-compact and offer great sound.
Even though AirPods are state-of-the-art Bluetooth headphones, but still they can face problems like cutting out, no sound, or becoming muffled or distorted.
What is the reason for Airpods to sound muffled? With the passage of time, ear wax from your ear canal can block the speakers or make them dirty and that material can build over time to cause the AirPods to sound muffled. Sometimes the Bluetooth interference can cause the AirPods to sound muff, which is the sign that your Airpods need to be reset.
Let’s read this guide about troubleshooting and fixing is the muffled or distorted sound of Apple Airpods.
Apple Airpods
Apple said “ Apple AirPods are Bluetooth headphones reimagined” and AirPods use optical sensors and motion accelerometers to detect when they are in your ears.” Similarly, the voice detection feature of Airpods uses” speech-detecting accelerometer that works with beamforming microphones to eliminate external noise and focus on the sound of your voice.”
Apple Airpods offer you long battery life and if you are using the AirPods for calls and meetings, you can get a battery life of around 3 hours and when you are using the AirPods for entertainment you can get the battery life for 5 hours the Airpods are charged, the casing starts to charge, and you can charge the AirPods 4-5 times once the casing is fully charged. Rs. The best part is that they can charge in less than 15 minutes and you will be able to use them for 3 hours of entertainment and listening to songs and 2 hours of talk time.
Airpods sound
Apple Airpods deliver high-quality sound that is free if mid-tones and can be used for podcasts and your desired songs. Fully functional AirPods are much more reliable and durable and they can keep offering high-quality sound for a long time. Make sure to purchase Airpods from the official apple store to prevent buying fake AirPods as they are not up to the mark aou will end up getting muffled or distorted sound.
Among all the complaints about the Airpods, the most people complained that the Airpods sound quality is muffled or sound is decreased. The biggest reason for Airpods to sound distorted is the dirt stuck in them.
Therefore, it is suggested when buying AirPods that keep your AirPods properly or clean them regularly because dirt, ear wax or pocket lint can accumulate in the open crevices of the AirPods impacting the sound quality of AirPods.
Cleaning your Airpods
There is not a hard and fast rule for cleaning duration but regularly check your AirPods and instantly remove any kind of ear war of dirt collected in them. A weekly or monthly check can help you maintain good sound quality with your AirPods. Other than that, cleaning will extend the life of AirPods as well.
Therefore, you should do regular AirPods maintenance rather than trying other methods like cleaning AirPods with solutions or resetting them.
Wipe Down Exterior with a Microfibre Cloth
The first step is to clean the exterior of the AirPods from any loose particles for basic cleaning and once this is done, now you should move towards deep cleaning of AirPods.
Keep in mind to repeat this practice on daily basis to keep your AirPods tidy up from the external dirt and grime. Even if you do not use the AirPods property, the dirt can build up and can cause the sound to distort.
Clean the speaker ports
The next step is to clean the crevice, remove one build-up up around the speak’s, ears and make sure to use the right form. This purpose because speakers are the sensitive parts of the AirPods and you can damage them while cleaning.
These are the tools you can use for cleaning the AirPods crevices:
Microfibre cloth
Q-tip
Toothpick
Paper towel
Screen cleaner
Rubbing alcohol as an alternative to screen cleaner
Compressed air or small air pump
Make sure to collect all these tools before starting the deep cleaning process of Airpods. Start with an earbud and repeat the process for the same AirPods.
Spray screen cleaner/rubbing alcohol on one end of the Q-tip: Hard wax is difficult to remove and spraying the cleaner or solution will soften the wax and it will be easier to remove it. Rubbing alcohol will sanitize the unit as well.
Spread the cleaner on the grill: Put the solution on the Q-tip and start cleaning the mesh grille from where the sound comes out. Dirt can affect the areas more and gently put some pressure to remove the gunky buildup to prevent damage the delicate mesh screen.
Let the alcohol do its work: wait for a while and let the alcohol soften the wax and dirt.
Use the toothpick to remove the buildup: Now, gently remove the buildup using the toothpick and clean the crevices. Now, use the paper town to remove the gunk.
Wipe again with a microfibre cloth: Remove the buildup and eliminate all the remains of the gunk through the cloth. You can put some more cleaner solution on the cloth for better cleaning.
Use compressed air for added effect: Compressed air can be of a lot of help for air spraying the device and use it on the dry earbud for effective cleaning of the grill it is not important to use this but it is an option for you.
Let them dry thoroughly: After cleaning the entire AirPod, Clean each unit one by one and use them when they are dry. Put them facing downwards so that the dirt and grime can fall on the ground. This will bring all the dirt, grime, and liquid you used to migrate outward to prevent damaging the inner working of the earbud.
Repeat this with the second earbud: Do the same process to completely clean the entire pair of earbuds for effective cleaning.
Clear the charging case
Done cleaning the earbuds? Let’s now clear away the collected dirt and pocket lint from the case as well because there will surely be some war and dirt stuck in the case which can again affect the performance of AirPods. So, before using your newly scrubbed headphones back into the case, make sure to clean them.
Let’s take a look at the process of how to clean the AirPods case.
Spray screen cleaner on Q-tip: You can spray the entire case with relaxation as this is not the most sensitive part for AirPods.
Use the toothpickTherere are no crevices, the case cleaning process will be much easier. Just use the toothpick in the long tunnel of the case to unstuck the ear wax or dirt.
Wipe with a microfibre cloth: Use the microfibre cloth to lift the dirt or put the case facing down to let the dirt come out.
Use the compressed air: The compressed air can do the job efficiently to suck up the remaining dirt out of the parts.
Now, the AirPods are cleaner and fresh to use again for listening to your favorite songs and tunes.
Make Sure You have a stable Bluetooth connection
If cleaning is done and you are still facing the same problem with your AirPods, that means there is some other issue. Make cleaning your regular habit just in case the dirt won’t be able to cause the problem anymore. Let’s see how to fix the airport sound muffled issue with another process.
Airpods use short-range Bluetooth technology for data transmission that works on battery and it takes little to no battery that’s why it is best for third-party tools like Airpods.
If the Bluetooth connection is not stable, you can experience the distorted or crackly sounds of AirPods. And, there is no other method available to connect your AirPods with your smartphone mobile so you have to deal with it. It is very important for the connection to keep functioning as there is no alternative for connectivity. If this is not the problem then the Bluetooth interference might be causing the problem for you ( Thant happens when Bluetooth waves are interfered with by radio waves because of the same frequency channel they travel ).
So, let’s understand how to fix this issue.
Disable Nearby Bluetooth Devices
Times have changed, almost every device has Bluetooth connectivity that definitely makes sense why every gadget in our homes from printer to speaker, keyboards, mouse, and everything is running on Bluetooth technology for connectivity. When you are around such devices, make sure they are either disconnected or turned off.
If the problem still persists, then worry not, there are other methods to fix the problem.
Toggle Bluetooth Off and Back on
Bluetooth is a wireless radio frequency and therefore restarting the connection on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad can make things better for that:
to of your smartphone or your last settings op and turn the Bluetooth off for around 10 seconds and turn it back on.
Most of the time this will sort the problem and will help restore your Bluetooth connection.
If the problem still exists, then let’s try some other method.
Bluetooth Issues on Macs
If you are using the Airpods with the Macbook, then age and version of Mac could be causing the problem and Mac could also be the culprit.
Let’s see how to repair the Bluetooth on Mac
Turn the Bluetooth off and On Again: For a quick fix, try this one more time.
Remove any USB Devices: Bluetooth can be unreason. That happens when there is a USB connection with your system and just removing the USB can resolve the Bluetooth issues. The manufacturers claim this as.
Remove Corrupted files: There can be some corrupted files in your system causing the Bluetooth error. If you can fix or delete those files and refresh the MacOS to create these files again, the problem will be resolved.
Restore your Mac’s Bluetooth module nothing is resolved: If all the above is resolved, figure your Bluetooth device and not AirPods, and the problem will be resolved.
Reset your Airpods
Resetting AirPods can be another successful method to remove the AirPods muffling issue. It not only fix the sound quality but also the battery issue as well.
Reset the AirPods completely and then pair them with your iPhone, Mac, or any other device that you want to connect with.
Reset Using the Setup Button: Keep the setup button pressed for around 15 seconds.
Watch for a flashing white LED: Once you see the white indicator light flashing, the AirPods have been reset.
Pair Airpods with device: Once the white light is flashing, that’s time to pair the AirPods with your device
Listen to something problem will probably be solved, and the sound issue will be resolved after this. If not, check your iOS device for updates.
IOS Device Update
Make sure your device has the latest iOS installed. Sometimes the update can cause a problem like this.
The earlier version won’t work with AirPods. You have to make sure that you are using the latest version of iOS to run apple products smoothly.
Airpods are also updated with the current iOS version and that is why you should check your iOS version.
To do this for your iPhone, iPod, or iPad:
Open Settings > General > About > Check the version number
If the device has not installed the latest version, go to the notification saying update the device. If you don’t want to update, consult with Apple support for this problem.
If you think AirPods was working great on the earlier version, you are not getting the most out of the latest fixes Apphasave released for headphones directly. That’s why updates are pushed regularly for running of device smooth and you should also update your headset with that.
If you have a device with a jailbreak or any older device, the iOS update will resolve all your software-related issues.
Are Airpods still muffled?
Cleaning or reconnecting AirPods to Bluetooth can lower or increase the muffle. The method is to suck on the AirPods to clear up the stuck residue in the speakers to clear the residual loss of sound. This is a nasty process to be done by mouth, but it is surely worth it. Let’s look at an alternative method for AirPods enthusiasts.
Apple’s AirPods are wireless earbuds that have swiftly gained popularity compact size, wireless capabilities, and excellent quality of sound. But no matter how premium your earbuds are, even the most advanced Bluetooth headphones can fail, causing audio to become muffled or distorted.
Apple’s AirPods are not just built for ease of use, but also for high-quality sound. The sound produced by AirPods is clean in the mid-tones and is ideal for listening to podcasts and most music. AirPods should preserve this great sound quality for the duration of their life, so if you notice that the sound is muffled or distorted, you may need to change it using one of the solutions listed below.
Many Apple customers may be wondering why their AirPods sound muffled or have a decrease in audio quality with time. The most obvious reasons may be that your AirPods have gotten dirty with time and the speaker vents might be clogged.
If you’re wondering how and where the dirt got into your AirPods then keep in mind since AirPods sit directly within the ear canal, earwax and other debris can accumulate over time, diminishing the sound quality. Other possibilities include Bluetooth interference or the need to reset your AirPods.
Having said that, the most typical reason for muted sound is an accumulation of undesirable dirt and filth on the speaker grills. It’s not pleasant to imagine, but everyone’s ears create earwax, and there’s nothing to be embarrassed of.
Just remember to be cautious when cleaning your AirPods, as it’s all too easy to add to the problem by diving in with a sharp item or violently wiping the dirt away.
To clean this dirt and debris getting stuck in your AirPods, you can clean the outsides of the AirPods with a micro-fiber cloth. You can do this after every use to maintain the sound quality of your AirPods for a longer time and increase the life span of your AirPods overall.
This is the first method that you should try before you move on to other fixes as this usually fixes the problem for the majority of the users.
Cleaning your AirPods case may also help with keeping your AirPods performing just fine as sometimes dirt and lint from pockets might get into the casing, but this too can be cleaned with a micro-fiber cloth to remove all the excess buildup.
Dirt and loose particles may not be the case with your AirPods sometimes, as the AirPods use Bluetooth technology which is used to transmit data across short distances and since Bluetooth has a relatively low battery usage, it is an excellent choice for exclusive and third-party accessories like as Apple’s AirPods.
Bluetooth is a wireless radio band that, like Wi-Fi, can have connection issues. Sometimes restarting the connection on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is all that is required.
In most cases, an unstable Bluetooth connection results in muffled or crackly sound. Because this is the only method AirPods will connect to your device, the connection must work properly. If it isn’t, it’s most likely due to Bluetooth interference, especially if other Bluetooth devices are close.
One method of cleaning out your AirPods is by literally sucking on them. While it might sound gross, it has fixed the problem for a lot of users in the past and has a pretty high success rate. Just make sure your AirPods are clean before you try this fix, you wouldn’t want any ear wax or dirt getting into your mouth.
Another method that you should check on before you move on to other options like resetting your AirPods is to check the iOS version on your AirPods and your Apple devices and to check if there are any new updates available for your devices.
If you’re having trouble connecting to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod, it’s possible that you don’t have the most recent iOS installed on your device. Apple releases significant upgrades to iOS on a regular basis, which generally includes a new version of its operating software. The most recent major iOS version, iOS 15, was released in September of 2021.
If you are using an earlier version, you must upgrade your smartphone to guarantee that you are always running the most recent version of iOS; this is especially important if you use several other Apple products.
No matter how well your AirPods performed in a prior version of iOS, if you aren’t running the most recent version of iOS or macOS, you are losing out on the most recent fixes.
If even this does not seem to help solve your problem, then another method you can try is to reset your AirPods. Resetting your AirPods might assist you with a variety of headphone problems. In addition to a possible sound quality improvement, it is said to have resolved battery difficulties in early versions.
Keep in mind that after your AirPods have been entirely reset, they will need to be repaired to your iPhone, Mac, or another device and as discussed above, rebooting gadgets works surprisingly frequently, and AirPods are no exception to it.
To save time, first, test your AirPods on a device other than the one with which you originally encountered issues. You should have done this as part of your Bluetooth troubleshooting, but if you haven’t, connect your AirPods to a completely new device and listen to something other than what you were listening to before. The objective here is to make sure that no external factors may be influencing the overall sound quality of your AirPods.
Ideally, you should clean your AirPods after every 2 or 3 uses but even after trying all the above methods and still not coming to a solution to your problem, then you may consider contacting Apple’s customer service helpline or taking your AirPods to an Apple service center. If your product is still under warranty, Apple may be able to repair or replace a faulty item for free or at a reasonable price.
Still Not solved?
Everyone wants great sun din the AirPods. No one likes to experience this issue and if the problem persists, then visit professionals. I have done everything in my power to help you fix the AirPods sound muffled issue. You can go to the Apple store for further troubleshooting.
If AirPods are still in warranty, you can get a replacement from Apple at a low cost.
Robert Smith is a technology lover and loves to write about laptops, monitors, printers, tablets, Apple products and anything that's related to computers and games. He is passionate enough that he maintains this blog regarding tech updates on a daily basis.
Robert Smith is a technology lover and loves to write about laptops, monitors, printers, tablets, Apple products and anything that's related to computers and games. He is passionate enough that he maintains this blog regarding tech updates on a daily basis.
