AirPods - NEITHER left or right mic works

[Brian Y]

Hi All,

Weird issue with my AirPods (Apple are refusing to help as they're a couple of months past the warranty - as is their service these days).

The Mic on my AirPods has stopped working - but it's both sides (if I manually choose a side, they still don't work). Also having one in doesn't help.

Since they're independent - I'm assuming something else is wrong other than just a bad mic - any ideas?

 

[44267547]

Hi All,

Weird issue with my AirPods (Apple are refusing to help as they're a couple of months past the warranty - as is their service these days).

The Mic on my AirPods has stopped working - but it's both sides (if I manually choose a side, they still don't work). Also having one in doesn't help.

Since they're independent - I'm assuming something else is wrong other than just a bad mic - any ideas?

Did Apple give you any troubleshooting steps? This appears software related. What I would do is make sure the software is up-to-date, also disconnect the AirPods from your iPhone, then re-pair them back to your iPhone. But I don’t think this is hardware related, because it seems to coincidental that both microphones would not work on both sides of AirPods.

 

[Brian Y]

Did Apple give you any troubleshooting steps? This appears software related. What I would do is make sure the software is up-to-date, also disconnect the AirPods from your iPhone, then re-pair them back to your iPhone. But I don’t think this is hardware related, because it seems to coincidental that both microphones would not work on both sides of AirPods.

That's what I thought - no, apple didn't offer anything than unpair and re-pair (which I've tried). Also tried them on the Mac which didn't help either

 

[44267547]

That's what I thought - no, apple didn't offer anything than unpair and re-pair (which I've tried). Also tried them on the Mac which didn't help either

I did some thinking on your issue. You mentioned both microphones are not operational, have your AirPods been exposed to water or any type of moisture? If it’s not software related, it’s just so random that both Microphones failed, which then it has to be hardware.

 

[Brian Y]

I did some thinking on your issue. You mentioned both microphones are not operational, have your AirPods been exposed to water or any type of moisture? If it’s not software related, it’s just so random that both Microphones failed, which then it has to be hardware.

Nope, they've never gotten wet. And yes, that's what makes me believe it's software/firmware.

It's currently with customer relations as Apple have left me in a catch 22 (between wanting more than they cost to repair them, but not being able to give me the report I would need to make a valid consumer law claim).

 

[44267547]

Nope, they've never gotten wet. And yes, that's what makes me believe it's software/firmware.

It's currently with customer relations as Apple have left me in a catch 22 (between wanting more than they cost to repair them, but not being able to give me the report I would need to make a valid consumer law claim).

The AirPods really can’t be repaired, because how small they are and the housing needs to be replaced due to the adhesive. It’s cheaper to replace them.

Anyways, I have never heard of your situation with two failing microphones. Have you tried pairing them with a different iPhone to see if they function normally?