Airpods Generation 2 - Mic not working!

[Rohen Wijeyesekera]

Hi all!

I bought the Generation 2 AirPods with Charging Case on the 4th of January 2020, and everything was fine. Worked like a charm, and I was happy to fatten the bottom line of APPL. This was actually my second purchase of AirPods since the first ones (Gen 1 - bought in 2018 just literally stopped connecting to any device - separate thread on this)

After about 5 months of using this beautiful product, the problem started. It started with my Right Airpod. I noticed that when I began answering incoming phone call with my Right AirPods (I usually wear one AirPod at a time), I could very clearly hear the person on the other end, but whenever I tried to say anything, my voice was not heard. The callers would complain that they couldn't hear a word that I was saying. I investigated the issue and tried the below troubleshoots

> Clicked on "forget device" and reconnected
> Carefully cleaned the AirPods and the inside of the Charging Case
> Reset Network Settings
> Actually factory reset my iPhone and booted from scratch
> Toggled on/off "Automatic Ear Detection"
> Toggled Left/Right for Microphone

I thought that it might be an issue with the Firmware of the AirPods so when I watched some Youtube videos which wanted me to go into Settings>General>About>AirPods and check the firmware version: Mine says Firmware Version: 2D15

Initially it was my Right AirPods that had issues of the Mic, and now it's spread to the Left AirPod as well. I even tried pairing it with my wife's phone, but the same issue persists. Siri doesn't seem to recognise anything I say and doesn't even notice any sound I think.

I ordered the AirPods from online from the US Apple store, so they're genuine (I have the order details etc to prove this). Also I live in Sri Lanka (which is a long way from America!), so although I still do Apple Care (for 1 year from purchase I think!) it's going to cost me an arm and a leg to ship it to the US and back.

I could use a corner shop repair shop to meddle with the hardware, but that sounds insanely risky!

Really hate the fact that a company I love, has let me down twice within 2 years, and although I'm probably going to get the new version of the AirPods Pro - I'd at least like to do so with a smile on my face!

Do hope anyone out there can help me!

thank you!
Rohen

 

[one more]

I ordered the AirPods from online from the US Apple store, so they're genuine (I have the order details etc to prove this). Also I live in Sri Lanka (which is a long way from America!), so although I still do Apple Care (for 1 year from purchase I think!) it's going to cost me an arm and a leg to ship it to the US and back.

I could use a corner shop repair shop to meddle with the hardware, but that sounds insanely risky!

Really hate the fact that a company I love, has let me down twice within 2 years, and although I'm probably going to get the new version of the AirPods Pro - I'd at least like to do so with a smile on my face!

It’s hard to tell what might be wrong with them, but I would contact Apple directly and hear what they have to say. Your AP2 are still well within their warranty period, so if Apple shipped them from their US site to Sri Lanka, they might have a similar channel back to the US for returns/repairs? Do check with the official Apple Support section on their site.

I would avoid local repair corner shops as meddling with your AP in any way will instantly void your warranty.

I would also not be so excited about AP Pro being a solution - check the sheer number of threads on these forums of people complaining about them for several reasons (the fit, rattlegate, etc.). When they fit well your specific ear anatomy they can be great, if not - too bad. If I were you I would not buy them without trying them first.

Talk to Apple and see what they say. ?

 

[Rohen Wijeyesekera]

It’s hard to tell what might be wrong with them, but I would contact Apple directly and hear what they have to say. Your AP2 are still well within their warranty period, so if Apple shipped them from their US site to Sri Lanka, they might have a similar channel back to the US for returns/repairs? Do check with the official Apple Support section on their site.

I would avoid local repair corner shops as meddling with your AP in any way will instantly void your warranty.

I would also not be so excited about AP Pro being a solution - check the sheer number of threads on these forums of people complaining about them for several reasons (the fit, rattlegate, etc.). When they fit well your specific ear anatomy they can be great, if not - too bad. If I were you I would not buy them without trying them first.

Talk to Apple and see what they say. ?

thank you so much for coming back to me! I do think it’s a hardware issue so I will have no choice but to send it back to Apple.
Only think is it costs like $60 dollars to send them one way back to the states.

bummer.

 

[one more]

Only think is it costs like $60 dollars to send them one way back to the states.

bummer.

Not necessarily. If you had a free delivery when you bought them from Apple and they are still in warranty (which yours are), Apple might have a mechanism in place for free returns/exchanges. Ask them directly.

 

[Rohen Wijeyesekera]

Not necessarily. If you had a free delivery when you bought them from Apple and they are still in warranty (which yours are), Apple might have a mechanism in place for free returns/exchanges. Ask them directly.

ok I’ll get in touch with them directly! Thank you!

 

[awg25cornell]

Hi.. not sure if this is what you’ve experiencedI had an issue where one day, all of a sudden the microphone for both left and right AirPods stopped working. Upon testing, it would only pick up after the first second or two of me talking. Tried everything, went to the Apple store, told the warranty was up and I had to replace them.

SOLVED: I turned off the Listen for “Hey Siri” option in the Siri menu and voila, microphones working 100%.

Let me know if this works for you.