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Why Do My AirPods Sound Muffled (Try These 7 Fixes)

Imagine this: you are listening to music, trying to focus on the sound or talking to someone with your AirPods but you cannot enjoy any of it because your AirPods are producing a muffled sound. 

Users of AirPods have reported this problem, so that means you are not the only one this is happening to, which is good because we know what to do to fix this problem. If the muffled sound is the problem you are facing while using your AirPods, you have come to the right place. Keep reading to find the answer to the question “why do my AirPods sound muffled?” and look for a solution.

Table of Contents

Why Do My AirPods Sound Muffled?

There are several things that could cause the muffled sound problem you are facing. Those things are:

  • Dirty AirPods and charging case
  • Low battery
  • Dolby Atmos tracks in Apple music
  • Bluetooth connection
  • An outdated software of a device
  • Interference with the Bluetooth connection

Those are some of the most common things that could cause your AirPods to produce muffled sound. 

How To Fix The AirPods Sound Muffled Problem?

Now that we know what could be the reason your AirPods sound is muffled, let us look for a solution. The solutions are all fairly easy and quick to do.

Solution 1: Clean Your AirPods And Charging Case

Earwax, dirt and dust combined make an awful combination for your AirPods. All this gunk buildup can be the reason your AirPods sound is muffled. To fix this issue you need to clean your AirPods and their charging case. Cleaning the case helps prevent the dirt buildup in the AirPods. 

You need to get cotton swabs, isopropyl alcohol, lint free cloth and a toothbrush. If there are any bigger chunks of earwax, you can use the toothpick to remove them carefully.

The first thing you need to do is take the cotton swab, put a drop of isopropyl alcohol on it and clean the whole case. Be sure to clean the inside thoroughly. When you finish, take the lint free cloth and go over the case with it. 

The second thing you need to do is put a drop of isopropyl alcohol on the other side of the cotton swab (or take another one) and clean the AirPods. Don’t clean the speaker mesh with this wet cotton swab, leave that for later. For now, clean only the outside of the earbuds with this damp cotton swab. The next thing you should do is take the dry, clean and soft-bristled toothbrush to clean the speaker mesh (if you have ear tips, pop them off and clean them with the alcohol-damped swab).  Once you finish all that, take the dry cloth and go over the earbuds once again. 

Solution 2: Charge Your AirPods

If your AirPods have low battery, muffled sound can be the side effect of it. To solve this problem, put your AirPods in their charging case and leave them to charge.

Solution 3: Restart Your AirPods

Restarting your AirPods may fix the muffled sound issue. To restart your AirPods follow the steps below:

  1. Place both of the AirPods in the charging case
  2. Close the lid of the charging case
  3. Disconnect the AirPods from all the devices
  4. Press the setup button that is located on the back side of the charging case and hold it for about 10 seconds (or until the LED indicator light flashes white)
  5. Open the lid of the charging case and bring it close to your phone to reconnect them

After you finish following these steps, try listening to something through your AirPods to see if the sound is still muffled. 

Solution 4: Turn Off Dolby Atmos

Turn off Dolby Atmos

Dolby Atmos can create impressive audio if done correctly, but if not it can cause the muffled sound we want to get rid of. It only affects songs in Apple music, and if you think it might be the case in your situation, then turn off Dolby Atmos. Go to the Settings > Music > Dolby Atmos > Off

Solution 5: Check The Bluetooth Connection

If the Bluetooth connection is poor, your AirPods might act out and produce muffled sound. If you ask yourself “why do my AirPods sound muffled?” Bluetooth could be the answer. 

Interference and poor Bluetooth connection could be the reason the sound is muffled. You can try getting closer to the device your AirPods are paired with, to see if that fixes the issue. If it doesn’t work, try turning the Wi-Fi off, as it can also cause interference, also try getting out of the crowded area. 

Two more things you can try are turning the Bluetooth off and then on again, and unpairing all other Bluetooth devices except your AirPods.

If the Bluetooth was the one causing the issue, one of these fixes should help resolve the problem.

Solution 6: Update The Device’s Software

If your device’s software is outdated, it could be the reason you are having sound troubles, as the problem doesn’t always have to lie in the earbuds themselves. 

To update your software on an iPhone follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Tap General
  3. Tap Software Update option
  4. Click Download and Install
  5. Type in the Passcode of your device and click Install

All that is left to do is wait for your iPhone to update.

To update the software on an Android device follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Scroll all the way down until you see Software Update
  3. Click Download and Install
  4. Press Download

And then just wait until the process is over.

Connect your AirPods to the device and try playing an audio to see if the sound is still muffled. 

Solution 7: Visit Apple’s Store

If none of the solutions we provided you with worked in fixing the problem, you should visit the Apple store and have them take a look at your AirPods. We hope that they can fix the problem or replace them with new ones. Be sure to bring a proof of the purchase and a warranty if you have it. 

Conclusion

In this article we answered the question “why do my AirPods sound muffled?” We listed some of the main reasons this issue can occur and we didn’t leave you with just that, you can also try the solutions we listed as well, which will hopefully help you get rid of the problem.