One of the main reasons for this is the Automatic Ear Detection feature not working right, which can pause the audio if your AirPods aren’t correctly detected in your ears. Other possible reasons include old firmware, wrong sound settings, or a quick Bluetooth problem.
Troubleshooting Prerequisites
Make sure your AirPods are clean—dust or debris can block the sound output.Put both AirPods in your ears before testing the sound.Check that audio balance is set to the center position for your AirPods.
We’ll start with simple solutions before moving on to fixes specific to your device (iPhone, iPad, TV, Android, or Windows computers).
1. Reconnect the AirPods with Your Device
If your AirPods and device are out of sync, you may not get any sound. Simply re-connecting often fixes this.
1.1. Put the AirPods into Their Case
1.2. Disconnect from the Device Menu
For Samsung TV:
1.3. Connect Through Control Panel (Windows Only)
2. Restart the Problematic Device and Other Connected Devices
Sometimes, an error on your device (like your iPhone) or interference from other connected devices (such as an Apple Watch) can cause this problem. Try restarting everything.
3. Update the Problematic App, Device, and AirPods
If your app, device, or AirPods firmware is out of date, they may not work well together. Make sure everything is up to date.
3.1. Update the Problematic App
3.2. Update the Device’s OS or Firmware
3.3. Update AirPods’ Firmware
4. Change the Output Device in the App
Sometimes, your device’s audio is set to AirPods, but the app is sending sound elsewhere. Make sure you select AirPods as the output within the app.
5. Re-enable Bluetooth or ‘Forget’ AirPods
AirPods rely on Bluetooth, so if Bluetooth isn’t working right, the sound won’t play. To fix this, turn Bluetooth off and on, or remove (“forget”) the AirPods from your device and pair them again. On iPhone:
5.1. Disable and Re-enable Bluetooth
5.2. Forget All Bluetooth Devices
6. Change Audio Settings for AirPods
When your AirPods settings don’t match your device, you may not get any sound. Adjust these settings as follows.
6.1. Increase the Volume on the TV
6.2. Disable Automatic Ear Detection
6.3. Disable Noise Cancellation
6.4. Increase Volume Limit Level on AirPods
7. Disable Absolute Volume (Android Only)
The Absolute Bluetooth Volume feature can sometimes cause trouble with AirPods on Android. Turning this feature off may restore sound.
8. Change the Audio Settings of the TV (TV Only)
Incorrect TV audio settings can stop your AirPods from outputting sound even when connected. Adjust the TV audio settings as follows.
8.1. Change the Audio Format
For Samsung TVs:
8.2. Change Audio Output
For Samsung TVs:
8.3. Increase Headphone Volume in TV Settings
On Hi-Sense TV:
8.4. Disable Anynet+
On Samsung TVs (may be labeled as Anynet+ or something similar on other brands):
9. Set AirPods as the Default Audio Output Device (Windows Only)
If AirPods aren’t your default playback device on Windows, you might not hear any sound.
10. Reset AirPods to Factory Defaults
If there’s corrupted firmware, resetting your AirPods can fix sound output issues.
11. Reset the Problematic Device to Factory Defaults
If your device itself is stuck in a malfunctioning loop (for example, after a failed update), restoring its factory settings may solve the sound problem. For Windows PCs or Macs, you may need to reinstall the operating system. For TVs or other devices, follow the instructions to reset to factory defaults.
