AirPods Only Playing in One Ear (iOS 17.4) in 2024: Prefer this Solutions

Only one AirPods or AirPods Pro playing is bit spooky, however, don't worry it might not be hardware issue,left/right AirPods not working fix

I know the pain behind AirPods only playing in one ear, and it even gets worst when we are in the middle of our favorite song or watching a TV Show. It’s hard to know why all of a sudden One AirPod Stopped working. There are many reasons behind this error, though it’s difficult to take over each and search for solutions for it. That’s why we have prepared this tutorial for the owners of AirPods, who are currently dealing with only one airpod working at a time.

So don’t waste searching for specific solutions, this guide consists of all the common tricks that will help you to fix only one AirPods is playing. If any of the solutions didn’t help you, then make an appointment at the Apple store and get repaired.

Top 5 Ways to Resolve AirPods only playing in one ear

in case of having an issue that why is only one of my airpods playing music? One major issue is battery drain and the second is debris so won’t detect Airpods to charging case and as an audio device on your Phone. Please refer to our solutions carefully and you can also watch out for video troubleshooting on our youtube channelhowtoisolve”. Let’s dive to follow the below-mentioned solution.

Solution 1: Clean the Apple AirPods

From listening to music in the parks to watching a movie lying down in bed, our AirPods are used. So, it is useless to say AirPods will get dirty or your ear wax could also be a roadblock to AirPods functionality and result in only one AirPods is playing sound. You don’t need any specific tools to clean up dirt and debris of AirPods, a smooth dry cloth will do it.

Get your eyes on the AirPods grill and check if there is dirt stuck on it. A microfiber dry cloth will be the best option to clean the AirPods because it doesn’t leave any impression or cloth particles on the AirPods. Also, you could watch the following video tutorial on how to clean AirPods.

Solution 2: Check the Stereo Balance

The stereo balance is one of the best accessibility features of the iPhone. But when you don’t know how to use it, then it may give you a panic attack. Thus, it is recommended to know the background of the feature and then only make changes. Now, determine whether you have modified the Stereo Balance on iPhone or iPad.

On your iPhone & iPad,

  1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap “Accessibility”.
  3. Under the Hearing section Go with “Audio/Visual” Option, make sure the pointer is in the middle of L and R.set-audio-balance-on-iphone

Note: If the pointer is on L, then only left AirPods will play music and if the pointer is on R, then only right AirPods will play music.

Alternatively, you need to turn off the Mono Audio option located on the same page of Accessibility under the same Hearing section. Disable Mono Audio.

On your Mac,

  1. Click on the “Apple” menu and select “System Preferences”.
  2. Click Sound > Output.
  3. From the Menu, choose your connected AirPods.
  4. Now, drag the pointer in the middle of the left and right to balance stereo.

In macOS also, you have to disable Mono Audio,

  • Apple menu > System Preferences > Accessibility > Uncheck Mono Audio.

suppose your above two solutions are okay, however, AirPods Only Playing in One Ear, then go to the next workarounds.

Solution 3: Disconnect and Reconnect AirPods to iPhone

When you disconnect and reconnect AirPods to iPhone, the AirPods will reset. So indirectly you are resetting the AirPods. Periodically, disconnecting the AirPods from iPhone is helpful to avoid such future problems. Although if you switch AirPods to multiple devices, then it’s good. Here’s how to reset AirPods. [these steps fix AirPods will only play out of one ear]

  1. Go to the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap “Bluetooth”.
  3. Next to AirPods, tap on the info button.
  4. Select “Forget This Device”.
  5. Put the AirPods back in the charging case and do not close the lid.
  6. Now, turn the charging case, there you will see a button, press and hold it for 15 seconds until the Airpods case box lid flashes the amber light.
  7. This is it, you have successfully reset the AirPods.

We would recommend you restart the iPhone and then follow the procedure to pair AirPods.

Solution 4: Try another wireless headphone

An alternate way to make sure that the AirPods has only software issues and so only AirPods in playing only one ear is to try another wireless headphone. With this, you can make sure that the real culprit is AirPods or your iPhone. Borrow pair of AirPods or headphones from your siblings or colleagues to test them with your iPhone.

Also, get more solutions: Solved AirPods only Playing in One Ear

Solution 5: Contact Apple Support

As the guy said in Apple Communities, that after visiting the Apple Genius Bar, he got fixed the only one AirPods is playing issue. Apparently, he could have fixed the issue at home, if he would have followed the perfect steps to do so. Therefore, always read the troubleshoot line to line and then apply otherwise you will carry your silly issue to the Apple Support team to waste your time.

If you are sure that AirPods have some hardware issue or didn’t find what the real problem is, then visit Apple support and get it fixed.

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Karly Wood

Karly Wood, a Wellington-based journalist, excels in covering Apple and tech trends. With a diverse background in public safety, government, and education reporting, her insights bridge multiple disciplines, offering readers a well-rounded perspective on today's technological advancements. Contact Her Team:- [email protected] [OR] [email protected]

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