AirPods automatic ear detection changed or bugged

[SmallDane]

Automatic ear detection on my AirPods suddenly stopped working the way it did before. If I take one earbud out, sound keeps playing. It doesn't matter if it's the left or the right. If I take both earbuds out, they disconnect from my iPhone even before placing them in the charging case.

This is definitely a change from how it used to work (and should work). Previously, if I took just one earbud out, sound would pause. If I took both earbuds out, they would stay connected for a while and then disconnect. When I placed both earbuds in the charging case, they would disconnect immediately.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

I should say that everything else seems to work correctly including automatic ear detection when connecting the AirPods. I have tried both repairing and switching automatic ear detection off and on again.

Hardware/software in use is:

• iPhone 8
• iOS 13.7
• AirPods 2. gen (A2031)
• Firmware 3A283

 

[itsmilo]

also happens to me running iOS 14 and the latest firmware on my AirPod Pro. Noticed it yesterday on the train. I took one out while I got my ticket checked but the music kept playing in my other ear

 

[matrix07]

Just trying right now. Pull one off and my iPad is paused.

 

[SmallDane]

Just trying right now. Pull one off and my iPad is paused.

Do you have the latest firmware?

 

[iamasmith]

Try restarting your iOS devices sounds like some hand-off service issue and you can't restart those services without restarting the device.

 

[SmallDane]

Try restarting your iOS devices sounds like some hand-off service issue and you can't restart those services without restarting the device.

Thanks! That seemed to do the trick. I actually have hand-off turned off on all devices. So maybe it was something else.

 

[iamasmith]

It's a BSD Unix system under all the Apple stuff so there are several daemons that run and handle various services. Worth a restart if things like hand-off don't work.

 

[matrix07]

Do you have the latest firmware?

Suppose so because mine also auto switches.

 

[Fatyank]

When you remove an AirPod from your ear and your finger covers the sensor that detects when it is inserted in the ear, the AirPod thinks it is back in your ear and resumes playing music. I found that out while walking. I stopped to talk with my neighbor, took the right AirPod out, music stopped but I held the AirPod between two fingers, it moved slightly and music started playing again in my left ear and the other AirPod.

 

[Tozovac]

Both my AirPods 2 and Pros 2nd gen have stopped pausing when I remove one from an ear. What the heck. Used to be very reliable.

 

[CClarkK]

This happened to me too, but I didn't know why at that time.

 

[scrane]

Clogged sensors?