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AirPods are one of the best Bluetooth earbuds available in the market nowadays. They are convenient, compact, and, most importantly, deliver exceptional sound quality. However, many users complain that sometimes the AirPods may sound too quiet. So how can you make AirPods louder?
First, we must understand that there are a number of different reasons which might be causing your AirPods to perform under the desired volume level. Sometimes the solution can be as simple as cleaning the earbuds since ear wax and dust may collect with time and block the sound passage.
Or, perhaps you might need to adjust the settings on your music app. Most of these issues can be easily solved, and we will explain how in our article.
So, if you want to learn how to make AirPods louder and get the best listening experience from your Apple earbuds, stick to our guide to learn how.
Also Read: Top 7 Smallest Bluetooth Earbuds
Table of Contents
How to Make Your AirPods Louder: Best Way
The best, foolproof way to make your AirPods louder is to check the sound settings on your iPhone. These settings are often overlooked and, in the majority of cases, are the reason your AirPods are underperforming and not delivering the desired volume you need.
The first setting you should check is the volume slider. Swipe down and check if the volume slider is set right. It might sound silly and obvious, but the best solution to a problem is often the easiest, right? So it won’t hurt to double-check the volume.
If that didn’t solve the problem, here is the following most frequent reason AirPods sound too low: Volume Limiter. This setting is useful to protect your hearing, but sometimes it can do more harm than good. The Volume Limiter won’t let you increase the volume past a certain point.
The solution is simple. Head to your “Settings” app, then go to “Sound and Haptics.” There, go to “Headphone Safety” and check if the Volume Limiter is on. Turn it off or adjust it until you’re satisfied with the volume.
If these two basic solutions didn’t solve the problem, in the list below, we will go through other methods you can use to make your AirPods louder since there could be many possible reasons as to why your Apple earbuds are sounding quieter than usual.
Other Methods to Make Your AirPods Louder
1. Clean your AirPods Frequently
This might sound obvious but cleaning your AirPods frequently is extremely necessary to make sure the earbuds deliver you a good listening experience.
Many, if not most, users overlook and understate the effects that a good physical cleaning on your AirPods can do. Every earbud is prone to collecting wax and dust over time, and with the Apple ones, it is no different.
If your AirPods are clogged with wax, then it will greatly impact sound. You should clean it regularly with a toothbrush, cotton heads, and a tiny bit of isopropyl alcohol. Remember to also check if there is any debris inside the case, as that might cause problems as well.
2. Reset your AirPods
Sometimes resetting the connection between your AirPods and your iPhone is everything you need to make it sound right. That can be easily done with a few steps.
- Put your AirPods inside the charging case and open the lid.
- On your iPhone, go to the “Settings” app and to “Bluetooth.”
- There, find your AirPods and click the I icon.
- Select “Forget Device” and then “Confirm.”
- Press and hold the setup button on your AirPods for about 15 seconds to reset it.
- Reconnect your AirPods with your iPhone again.
Also Read: Airpods Won’t Connect? Here’s What You Do to Fix It!
3. Set the Right/Left Balance Right
Another often overlooked setting is the balance between the left and right channels. Sometimes we think the balance is set to be in the middle, but improperly balanced sound settings could easily be the problem when one of the earbuds is sounding louder than the other, for example.
Solving this is quite simple. First, go to your “Settings” app and then “Accessibility.” Scroll down until you find “Audio/Visual” and select it. Now, you should find a “Balance” setting. Set the balance slider to the middle so that the sound is evenly balanced between both sides of your Apple AirPods.
4. Check your Music App Settings
Most music app settings have their own settings. For example, Spotify has several settings that can impact your listening experience. The process will depend on which music app you’re using, of course, but you should check things such as Audio Dynamics, EQ settings, etc.
Using Spotify as an example again, the app lets you choose between 3 different normalization settings. Normalization will bring all the music in the app to a similar volume, so you don’t have inconsistencies in your listening experience.
You can use the mentioned feature to make your music louder by selecting the loudest setting available there.
5. Try Different Equalizer Settings
Our ears perceive certain frequencies as being louder than others, so sometimes getting the volume right is more a question of frequency balance than of volume.
The easiest tweak to try is to increase the midrange frequencies gradually. These are the frequencies that are perceived to be the loudest by our human hearing.
However, be careful when doing this since the other frequencies must be balanced as well. It is a matter of making gradual adjustments while listening to the results.
You can find the equalizer settings easily inside most music apps. If you’re using Apple Music, the equalizer is at your iPhone’s default “Settings” app.
6. Update your iPhone
Sometimes firmware issues may be the cause of low-sounding earbuds. Updating your iPhone to the latest available version may make your AirPods louder if that’s the case.
You can update your iPhone inside the “Settings” app. Just be sure to back up your data before you do so, just for safety.
7. Turn Off Low Power Mode
When the iPhone is in low power mode, several features might behave differently to help the smartphone save battery. This could potentially make your earbuds sound quieter since the sound output isn’t being treated as a priority when you have low power mode turned on.
To solve this is quite simple. You just need to go to your “Settings” app, “Battery,” and then turn off the low power mode. If that doesn’t solve the problem, try fully charging your iPhone as well.
8. Ear Tip Fit Test (AirPods Pro)
The ear tip fit test is a feature of the AirPods, which will tell you if your Apple earbuds are fitting properly inside your ear canal. A poor fit between the AirPods and your ear canal will cause a lot of the sound output content to leak and will negatively impair your listening experience.
This method is especially useful if you feel your AirPods are sounding muffled. Try adjusting them inside your ears or swapping the silicone ear tips.
Reasons Why Your AirPods’ Volume is So Low
As we mentioned, the list of reasons that may make a pair of AirPods sound too low is extensive. The reason could be anything from faulty settings to wax and dust build-up on the earbuds.
Here is a list of the most common reasons why your AirPods’ volume is so low:
- The volume crown wasn’t adjusted (in the case of the AirPods Pro Max).
- Your AirPods haven’t been cleaned lately, and there is wax and dust build-up in the earbuds.
- The left/right balance isn’t set right.
- There are conflicting settings on your music app.
- Firmware issues.
- Bluetooth connection issues.
- Equalizer settings.
- Low power mode is turned on.
- Poor fit between the AirPods and your ear canal.
When judging why your AirPods are sounding quieter than usual, we recommend going from the most simple solution to the most complex. Sometimes all you gotta do is tweak some settings in your iPhone or simply reset your Apple earbuds for them to work properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
My AirPods are connected, but there is no sound, how do I fix this?
The first thing we recommend is going on the Bluetooth settings on your iPhone and resetting the connection. If this simple step didn’t work, then we suggest connecting your AirPods to other devices to make sure the problem isn’t with your iPhone. You can even connect it to your laptop.
If none of these solutions work, then it is best to take your AirPods to a Genius Bar since most probably the issue is with the Apple earbuds themselves.
Why Does One Airpod Earbud Sound Louder than the Other?
This is, most of the time, a simple matter of going into your iPhone settings and fixing the balance between the left and right channels. You can find the balance slider under Accessibility settings.
If the balance is already in the middle, you can also try resetting your AirPods, that is, disconnecting and connecting them again to your iPhone.
How Do I Connect My AirPods?
When you buy a new pair of AirPods, it should show up on your iPhone as soon as you press the setting button and open the lid near your smartphone, but make sure you have Bluetooth turned on before doing so.
If your AirPods aren’t automatically pairing with your iPhone, then you can go to “Settings” and check under “Bluetooth.” There, you will most certainly find your AirPods ready to be manually paired. If you have any issues, make sure to follow the resetting instructions we gave in the article.
How Do I Boost the Bass on My AirPods Pro?
You can tweak the equalizer settings and boost everything under 120 to 150Hz. If you use Apple Music, you can find the equalizer on your “Settings” app. If you use Spotify or another music app, then it is most likely that the equalizer settings are located inside the app.
Also Read: How to Increase Bass on AirPods? Complete Guide
Conclusion
There are a lot of possible reasons why a pair of earbuds may be sounding quieter than usual, but, as we discussed in the article, it is quite easy to make your AirPods louder by following a few easy steps such as checking the audio settings in your iPhone and cleaning your Apple earbuds frequently.
If, after doing all these steps, you’re still experiencing problems with the volume of your AirPods, we recommend you take them to a Genius Bar or a certified Apple repair place, where the professionals have the necessary experience to assist you in your particular case.
We hope our article on how to make AirPods louder was helpful. If you liked the guide and it was useful to you, please consider sharing it with a friend!
Hello, my name is James Longman.
I’m a writer and editor at AudioReputation. I disassembled my first portable AM/FM radio when I was only 8. At the age of 11, I burned the circuit board on my old boombox cassette player. I’m not going to explain how but it was reckless and stupid.
Since then, I have become much more careful around radios, boomboxes, and other audio devices (at least, I like to think so) but I have never lost the passion for audio equipment. Throughout 20 years of my professional career, I’ve been working for various audio equipment manufacturers and even started building speakers on my own in my little workshop.
I love the work we do here at AudioReputation. Testing, comparing, and evaluating all kinds of audio devices (speakers, soundbars, headphones, home theater systems, etc.) is something I truly enjoy. I try to be unbiased and give you my honest opinion on every piece of equipment I test. Still, you should take my reviews with a pinch of salt and always be just a little bit skeptical. The fact that I liked some speaker or soundbar doesn’t mean that you are going to love it. If you have the opportunity, you should test it/hear it before buying it.