If you’re wondering why your AirPods keep cutting out, you’re not the only one. Fixing and preventing this problem is actually a lot easier than you might think.
The two main reasons Apple AirPods keep cutting out are Bluetooth signal interference and low battery. To solve the problem, make sure your AirPods are fully charged, then turn your audio device off and back on again or reset them.
Similar solutions can be used if one AirPod is louder than the other or when the sound on your AirPods is low. Does a reset of your wireless headphones still not solve the issue? Check if your software is updated to the latest version. Outdated versions of iOS can cause AirPods to disconnect randomly.
Also, make sure your device is still working as intended. A worn-down pair of AirPods is more likely to have a poor Bluetooth connection. Perhaps your wireless headphones are simply due for an upgrade, perhaps to the latest AirPods Pro?
How To Stop AirPods From Cutting Out
AirPods use a wireless Bluetooth signal to deliver those mellow tunes into your ears. Electronic interference can cause the Bluetooth signal or your headphones to become weaker, or can cause it to completely cut out.
That interference doesn’t always need to come from hardware problems. It can also be a software issue. You might have turned on a specific audio setting, for example. Let’s explore the most common solutions to stop your Apple AirPods from cutting out the audio.
1. Reset Your Bluetooth Connection
Solving wireless connection problems starts with the wireless connection itself. For Apple AirPods, a Bluetooth 4.2 connection is used. To reset the Bluetooth connection of your device, follow these simple steps:
- On your connected device, such as an iPhone, open the ‘Settings‘ app
- Tap ‘Bluetooth‘ and look for your AirPods on the list of paired devices
- Tap the More Info button ‘I‘ next to the name of your AirPods
- Choose ‘Forget this device‘ to un-pair your AirPods from the connected device
- Turn off and restart your connected device, such as iPhone
- Pair your AirPods with the connected device, such as iPhone
This should reconfigure the wireless Bluetooth connection automatically. If this didn’t help fix your problem, continue with the next possible solution. Your best bet is to do a hard reset of your AirPods instead.
2. Hard Reset Your Apple AirPods
The most effective solution to stop any type of interference issue with your AirPods, is to simply reset the AirPod devices themselves. A hard reset can be done by placing them back into their charging case.
According to Apple Support, properly resetting your AirPods should be done as follows:
- Place your AirPods in the charging case and close the lid;
- Wait 30 seconds;
- Continue by opening the lid of the charging case;
- Reset the Bluetooth connection as described in Solution #1 – Use your iPhone (or another connected device) to go to Settings > Bluetooth. Tap ‘More Info’ icon I next to your AirPods. Tap ‘Forget this device‘ and confirm;
- With the lid of the charging case open, press and hold the ‘Setup‘ button on the back of the charging case. Hold for 10 – 20 seconds until the light starts flashing from orange to white;
- With the charging case lid opened, reconnect your AirPods to the connected device (e.g. iPhone).
If the reset with the charging case did not help solve your problem, there are a few more things you can do. One of the solutions could be created by your iCloud connection.
3. Disconnect From Apple iCloud
This might seem like a weird solution, but sometimes it can stop your AirPods from cutting out the audio. To sign out from Apple iCloud, follow the simple steps below:
- Go to the ‘Settings‘ app on your iPhone or another connected device;
- Choose ‘Apple ID’, scroll down and tap on ‘Sign out of iCloud‘;
- If needed, enter your Apple ID;
- Choose ‘Sign out‘ and confirm;
- Restart your iPhone or another connected device and sign back into your iCloud again.
4. Disable Automatic Ear Detection
One of the neat features of AirPods is the ability of the wireless device to detect if it’s sitting in your ear. This feature is called ‘Automatic Ear Detection’, and it regulates when the devices are turned on or off. No technology is 100% perfect, and it could be that the detection sensor is not properly working.
This means the AirPods might not be able to properly detect when your AirPods are inside the ear, and when they’re not. This could result in the AirPods cutting out randomly.
Turning off the ‘Automatic Ear Detection’ feature could help solve any audio interference issues you might be experiencing. To turn the feature off, follow the steps described below:
- Go to ‘Settings‘ on your iPhone or another connected device;
- Navigate to ‘Bluetooth‘ and tap on it;
- Find your AirPods on the list of connected devices, and tap the ‘More Info‘ or ‘I‘ icon next to the AirPods;
- Turn off the ‘Automatic Ear Detection‘ setting by tapping on it once;
- Restart your iPhone (or another connected device) and check if the audio interference is solved.
5. Check Your Audio Input Device
In case your AirPods are connected to an iMac computer or laptop, make sure to check if your AirPods are properly connected. Do this by checking the audio input device and changing the main audio input to your AirPods.
To change your audio input device on a Mac, follow these simple steps:
- On your Mac, navigate to ‘Settings’ and choose ‘Sounds‘;
- Choose ‘Output‘ in the tab menu and click on your AirPods;
- Choose ‘Input‘ in the tab menu and click on your AirPods;
- Restart your device and test the audio on your Mac. Make sure Output and Input are still set to AirPods.
6. Thoroughly Clean Your AirPods
One last solution that a lot of people tend to overlook is especially important for older AirPods that have been used a lot. Thoroughly cleaning your AirPods will both improve the audio quality and connection strength of your wireless earbuds. It’s the same solution you can use if your AirPods microphone is not working properly.
To clean your AirPods the right way, follow the simple steps described below:
- Use a dry cotton swab (such as these ones) to remove any visible dirt from your wireless devices. You could even do this for your iPhone as well, in case the receiving end of the Bluetooth is not working;
- For maximum cleaning results, use a cotton swab with this type of alcohol solution to clean. This will remove even the dirtiest gunk from the devices;
- Also make sure to clean out the speakers, that way you can make sure the audio won’t sound muffled or distorted in any way due to the dirt buildup.
The optimal way to maintain your wireless devices is to keep cleaning them periodically. If you repeat this cleaning process every few months, you can be sure that there won’t be any dirt-related problems with the audio or connectivity. And it’s also a lot cleaner for your ears as well.
Let us know if any of the solutions described in this overview helped you solve your issue. If it didn’t help, also let us know so we can help each other solve the problem. Together we can fix this common issue and keep using our AirPods longer!
