AirPods Mic Not Working? (Do THIS First!)

Your AirPod’s mic not working can be incredibly frustrating as they’ve become one of the most popular accessories for making calls, participating in meetings, and speaking to loved ones.

You may be worried about having to repair or replace your AirPods, which may cost you hundreds of dollars. Fortunately, there are many solutions to fix it when your AirPods mic is not working.

We’ll go through all the possible reasons why your AirPods mic is not working and how to fix the problem. 

Now that you know why your AirPods mic is not working, let’s jump through the fixes.

1. Clean Your AirPods Microphone

Before doing anything special, check if your AirPods microphone is clean or not. Sometimes, dirt and debris block your sound, which can’t deliver to others.

You can use a cotton swab, microfiber cloth, or Q-tip tools to clean your AirPods. You can also use a soft brush to remove dirt and debris from microphones and speaker meshes. 

Sometimes, the AirPods mics are not working because they don’t have enough power. To check the battery percentage of your AirPods, open the Charging Case lid and hold it close to your iPhone.

A pop-up window appears and shows the battery level. Put your AirPods in their Charging Case, charge them for at least 30 minutes, and try again. 

Put your AirPods in their Charging Case, close the lid, wait at least 30 seconds, and put them back in your ears.

This process will reset the Bluetooth connection and make everything return to its typical performance. 

You can also specify in settings which earbud should always use the mic. Sometimes, settings may change without reason and cause the microphone to not work on AirPods.

You can check the settings to make sure everything is fine. To do this, put your AirPods on and:

1. Go to Settings. 

2. Open Bluetooth. 

3. Tap on “i” icon next to your AirPods name. 

4. Choose the Microphone section. 

5. Turn Automatically Switch AirPods on.

A software driver that allows the microphone to function with a specific app may be one of the reasons you must restart your device. 

If you need a refresher, check our guide on how to restart your iPhone, no matter which model you own. 

Forgetting the AirPods and repairing them with your iPhone will refresh all the connections as if they were brand new. 

1. Go to Settings. 

2. Open Bluetooth. 

3. Tap on the “i” icon next to your AirPods name. 

4. Select Forget This Device and confirm.

5. Put AirPods in their charging case and wait at least 60 seconds.
6. Open the lid, bring AirPods close to your iPhone and hold the connection button on the back of the Charging Case. 
7. A pop-up screen appears. Follow the instructions and pair AirPods once again.

Despite their resilience, AirPods are still fragile pieces of technology. Dropping them can cause wear and tear that finally causes damage.

You might want to speak with Apple’s customer support or bring your AirPods for repair to the nearest Apple Store.

Software and minor problems can be solved with DIY solutions. Still, if the AirPods microphone is not working due to physical damage or hardware problem, you have to contact Apple Support and let them repair or replace your AirPods. 

Let me know if this helped fix your AirPods mic not working problem. If you found success doing something else, leave me a comment down below!