Dust particles: Dust accumulated might block the mic. Not fully charged: Charge it to full and check again. Pairing issue: Forget and then reconnect the Airpods. Software bugs: Update AirPods and your devices to the latest version.
1. Put the Airpods in the case and try again
Sometimes, all we need is a bit of sleep, and that’s the case even for AirPods. Keep them back in the case and wait for around 30 seconds. To make sure to things end happily, turn off and then turn on the Bluetooth again. Then connect your AirPods. Now, check if the mic is working properly. If not, don’t worry, as we have got more fixes to aid you. Let’s look at it.
2. Clean the AirPods and microphone
The dust and dirt accumulated on the AirPods might prevent the mic from working properly. Here’s how you can clean your AirPods. Take a dry cotton swab and clean your microphone using it. Also, consider cleaning with a soft-bristled brush to remove debris, if any. I would suggest you do this with speaker meshes from time to time to ensure a seamless listening experience. Just remember to be gentle. If you are still not sure that the AirPods are not cleaned properly, we have already got a detailed guide on how to clean AirPods and Microphone.
3. Turn on/off Automatic Ear Detection on iPhone
The AirPods come with an automatic ear detection feature, and this might be causing the mic to not work when needed. Try to turn it on/off from Settings. You can do so by: If you are on iOS 16 or later, you can also access the Airpods settings by Settings → tap the AirPods banner. To ensure AirPods are working properly, you can reconnect and check after turning it off and then turning it on again.
4. Update AirPods Firmware
On some firmware, the mic may not be working on Airpods because of certain bugs. If noticed, Apple will push a fix as soon as possible. So if you feel that your AirPods have mic issues, you can update them to the latest firmware. Since you are in for updating your AirPods, you can also update your iPhone to the latest version. AirPods and iPhones will work the best if they are updated to their latest respective software versions.
5. Make sure your AirPods are charged
While we humans can still function even if we are dead inside, that’s not the case for AirPods. Check the battery levels on AirPods; if it’s on low battery, it’s time to charge. We have some cool suggestions for best wireless charging cases for AirPods and the best wireless chargers for AirPods. And if your AirPods are not charging, we also have a guide on the same. And while we are in for charging your AirPods, it’s better to charge it to full and then check again. Meanwhile, if your AirPods battery levels are draining, you can check our video tutorial to solve them.
6. Forget and reconnect your AirPods
Maybe it could be some cache data or something else causing the mic issue on your AirPods. The best fix is to reset your Airpods and reconnect AirPods to your devices. Now, see if the issue is still occurring. Yes? Then it’s time to look at the next fix.
7. Check the microphone settings
For the price that AirPods asks, it comes with a pretty good set of features, among which I like the ability to customize many options. You can also decide which AirPods microphone should be activated when needed. You can access them by doing the following: Try to play around with it and see if the microphone returns to life. You can also access the AirPods settings directly from the Settings page if you are connected already. But this feature is only available for iOS 16 and later.
8. Check Bluetooth settings on iPhone
Other than microphone settings, the mic issues might have also been caused by bad Bluetooth connectivity. For fixes, you can follow our guide to fixing Bluetooth issues on iPhones and Mac. And if the microphone of your AirPods, like your crush, is still not responding, then we need to move on (both from the person and this step).
9. Restart your devices
Now since all of these things haven’t given us the desired results, let’s restart the device to which your AirPods are connected. We have already made a guide on how you can restart your iPhone and iPad. And to restart a Mac, all you have to do is click the Apple icon and then select Restart. Since none of these methods are working for you, it’s time to reset the AirPods.
10. Reset your iPhone’s Network Settings
Bluetooth is also a network that connects with your iPhone; since all these methods haven’t solved the issue, it’s time to reset your iPhone’s network. Here’s how:
11. Contact Apple Support
Here’s the last resort! If none of the tips mentioned so far has helped you fix the microphone not working on AirPods issue: contact Apple Support. If you have Apple Care+, then you might even get a replacement easily. That’s it! These are all the fixes that I found to fix your AirPods mics that aren’t working. Was it helpful for you? You can ask in the comments if you still have any doubts, suggestions, or queries. Here are some more interesting reads for you to check out:
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