What to do when One Side of the Airpod is not working?

You just bought a new pair of airpods and you realize that one side of the airpod is not working – could be the left side or the right side. This could happen when you are using the airpods with the ios or android devices. Fortunately, there are several potential explanations and solutions that we’ll cover in this article.

​Solution 1: Check the Bluetooth Connection

One possible reason for one side of your airpod not working is that the AirPod might be disconnected from your device.

You can check to see if your AirPods are connected by opening the Bluetooth menu on your device. If you see your AirPods listed under devices, then they are connected. If you do not see your AirPods listed under devices, then they may be disconnected. In order to reconnect your AirPods, hold down the button on the back of one of the AirPods until you see the white light flash. This means that the AirPod is now connecting to your device.

​Solution 2: Unpair and Re-pair AirPods

Another reason one side of your airpod may not be working is that one of the AirPods has been unpaired from its device. This can happen if one of the devices paired with your AirPods has been reset, causing one AirPod to become unpaired. To solve this problem you will need to un-pair and re-pair your AirPods: First, go into the Bluetooth settings on your device and select “Forget this Device” in order to unpair one AirPod from one device. Next, go back to the Bluetooth menu and add your AirPods as a new device by following the steps outlined above in the [Check the Bluetooth Connection] section. After you have added one side back as a new device, you will then need to unpair the other side from its original device. Finally, re-pair both AirPods with your devices by following the steps in the “Check the Bluetooth Connection” section. This should help you solve the problem.

​Solution 3: Check AirPod Battery Life

If one side of your Airpod is not working, it’s possible that the battery might be low. You can check the battery life of your AirPods by opening the lid of the charging case and looking at the LED light on the back of the case. If one or both of your AirPods has a red light, it means that the battery is low and needs to be charged. To charge your AirPods, place them in the charging case with the lid open. The LEDs on the front of the charging case will turn white when your AirPods are charging.

​Solution 4: Restart Your Device

If one side of your airpod is not working but is charged, then another reason could be that one of the AirPods is faulty and needs to be reset. To do this, first, disconnect the AirPod from your device by holding down the back button. Then, press and hold the setup button for at least 15 seconds. The white light on one (or both) of your AirPods will start flashing after about 5 seconds indicating that one (or both) has been reset. Reconnect one of your AirPods to your device and see if it works properly now. If you still have issues with one side of your airpods not working, then proceed to our next solution below.

​Solution 5: Check Your Device’s Settings

If one side of your airpod is still not working, then there could be a problem with the settings on your device. This can often be fixed by going into the settings on your device and turning off Bluetooth Sharing. To do this, open up the Settings app on your device and tap on Bluetooth. Underneath where it says “Enabled,” you will see a switch that says “Bluetooth Sharing.” Turn this off and then try connecting your AirPods again. If they are still not working, proceed to our next solution below.

​Solution 6: Restart Your Device

Another reason one side of your airpod may not be working could be that one of the AirPods is faulty and needs to be reset. To do this, first, disconnect the AirPod from your device by holding down the back button. Then, press and hold the setup button for at least 15 seconds. The white light on one (or both) of your AirPods will start flashing after about 5 seconds indicating that one (or both) has been reset. Reconnect one of your AirPods to your device and see if it works properly now. If you still have issues with one side of your airpods not working, then proceed to our next solution below.

​Solution 7: Checking your Device Network Settings

If one side of your airpod is not working and it is not disconnected from your device and it is not a problem with the charger or the AirPod itself, then there might be a problem with your device. In order to troubleshoot, try one of the following:

Troubleshoot your device by turning it on and off, resetting your network settings, or restoring your device as new. Follow these steps by first going to the Settings → General → Reset → Reset Network Settings.

​Solution 8: Check Stereo Balance

A lot of times one side of AirPods not working is due to the stereo balance on the device. If one (or both) of the AirPods are not detected because they are out of balance, then the sound will only come out of one side. You can try to adjust the stereo balance on your device by following these steps:

1. Go to the Settings app and tap on General

2. Tap on Accessibility

3. Tap on Hearing

4. Tap on Mono Audio

5. Turn off Stereo Separation (or, if that doesn’t work) turn Stereo Balance to one side (i.e., left).

If one of your AirPods is still not working after checking the settings on your device, then move on to the next solution.

​Solution 9: Clean the AirPods

If one side of your airpod is still not working, other possible reason for this could be that one of the AirPod’s sensors is blocked. This can often be fixed by cleaning the AirPods. To do this, remove the AirPods from the charging case and use a dry, soft cloth to clean the mesh on the front and back of the AirPods. Make sure not to get any liquid inside of the AirPods or the charging case.

​Solution 10: Use the one-tap reset function

Since one side of your airpod might not be working because one sensor is blocked by dust or other particles, one way to resolve this problem is by using the one-tap reset function on your airpods. To do this, you will need to use a paper clip (or any small metal object) and insert it into the tiny hole in your charging case. This will cause one of the sides on your case to blink three times; after doing this, both sides of one AirPod should start working.

​Solution 11: Replacing the Charger

If your one airpod is not working even after reset then another way to solve this is to place the AirPod into another charger. If the AirPod starts working when it is placed into a different charger, then the problem is with the charger and you will need to replace it. If the AirPod does not start working when it is placed into a different charger, then the problem might be with the AirPod itself and you will need to replace it.

​Solution 12: Replace the Battery

If one side of your airpod is not working and all of the previous solutions have failed, then one of the AirPods might need a new battery. Unfortunately, if this is the case, you will need to replace the AirPod. You can purchase replacement AirPods batteries from Apple or an authorized Apple retailer.

​If nothing works – Other Possible Solutions

If one of the sides still doesn’t work and nothing that was mentioned above has worked either, then there might be a problem with the W1 chip in the AirPod itself. In order to have one side of an AirPod replaced, you will need to go to an Apple Store and have them look at it.

There are also chances that you may have a faulty airpod and will need to replace one of them.

Hopefully one of the solutions in this article helped you to resolve the problem with one side of your airpod not working. If not, then you might need to take your device in for repair or replacement. Let us know in the comments which Solution helped you solve your issue. Thanks for reading!