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scaramoosh

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
851
930
I have three pairs of AirPods and have used them on a handful of iPhones now, I always have the same issue. That is when you take them out, one will work and the other will not, you have to put it back in the case for it to work. So many times I've left the house to walk the dogs, left the case at home and then put on music to discover it isn't working. Now I've asked so many people in real life who own them and they've all said it happens to them too. I've asked around on the internet and I get lots of people saying it happens to them.

Seems to be a major flaw that no one ever talks about.
 
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ApplesAreSweet&Sour

macrumors 68020
Sep 18, 2018
2,290
4,237
I don't know what you're referring to when you say "not working"? Do you mean that it wasn't charged because it didn't snap into place when you put it in after use?
 

scaramoosh

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
851
930
I don't know what you're referring to when you say "not working"? Do you mean that it wasn't charged because it didn't snap into place when you put it in after use?
No you'd take it out of the case and sound is only coming from one bud. You then have to put it in the case and out again to get it to work. It's so annoying that you need the case for this, often I'll go out with them and leave the case at home..... oh only one working.

I use them every day three times a day to walk the dog, and it happens to all three pairs 50 percent of the time. So now I just take them out, put them back in and take them out again and they'll both work.

I don't want AirPods Pros as I don't like the rubber in my ears and I want to hear what is going on around me.
 

One2Grift

Cancelled
Jun 1, 2021
609
547
You have this problem with all three Airpods (across all of your iPhones), why would someone keep buying them?

A quick review of other posts in conjunction with 3 successive purchases of a constantly specific defect on the Airpod product, IMHO Apple may not be the right personal electronics purchasing solution for you. Check into Google pixel buds, that product has some fair reviews.
 

nicho

macrumors 601
Feb 15, 2008
4,250
3,250
No you'd take it out of the case and sound is only coming from one bud. You then have to put it in the case and out again to get it to work. It's so annoying that you need the case for this, often I'll go out with them and leave the case at home..... oh only one working.

I use them every day three times a day to walk the dog, and it happens to all three pairs 50 percent of the time. So now I just take them out, put them back in and take them out again and they'll both work.

I don't want AirPods Pros as I don't like the rubber in my ears and I want to hear what is going on around me.

Are you accidentally mixing your pairs somehow?

The logical conclusion if everyone is ignoring a problem that you are having, is that only you are having it...
 

Ralfi

macrumors 601
Dec 22, 2016
4,373
3,101
Australia
I’ve had stints of this happen over the years. Maybe 2-3 of them which eventually passed in short time. Now it only happens once in a blue moon.
 

LeeW

macrumors 601
Feb 5, 2017
4,342
9,446
Over here
when you take them out, one will work and the other will not, you have to put it back in the case for it to work.

Yup happens to mine also. I bought a set at launch and it happened to them often. To me, it seemed to happen more often when I answered a call using the phone first then took them out of the case, always the right one did not work and needed to put both back in the case and take them out.

Bought a new set last month and it does not happen at all. Well, so far.
 
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nmeed

macrumors 6502a
Dec 1, 2014
543
214
My issue is that they don’t always connect. I mainly use only the right one, and half the time I’m taking it out and putting it back in the case. I feel like the initial firmware it came with (2 releases ago?) was a lot better for connectivity. When I switched from the AirPods 1 to the 2s, I was like okay, this is how it’s supposed to be (connectivity wise) as it would just connect right away. Now however it’s a crapshoot. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Now whenever I put them in I’m ready to start messing with the output devices and turning Bluetooth off and on. Probably reset them 40 times as of yet. Must be just me though because nobody else has this complaint. Though I must say this spans an iPhone 7 Plus and 12 Pro Max along with two different sets of AirPods.
 

mavis

macrumors 601
Jul 30, 2007
4,771
1,541
Tokyo, Japan
I have three pairs of AirPods and have used them on a handful of iPhones now, I always have the same issue. That is when you take them out, one will work and the other will not, you have to put it back in the case for it to work. So many times I've left the house to walk the dogs, left the case at home and then put on music to discover it isn't working. Now I've asked so many people in real life who own them and they've all said it happens to them too. I've asked around on the internet and I get lots of people saying it happens to them.

Seems to be a major flaw that no one ever talks about.
It happens to me about once a month, maybe more. I always have the case with me though, so it's just the annoyance of having to fumble with it, especially if my hands are full. It's really annoying.

Then again, the same thing has already happened with my WF-1000XM4s, and I've only had them for about two weeks. So I wouldn't read too much into it.
 

Mainsail

macrumors 68020
Sep 19, 2010
2,430
3,235
I have experienced this problem too. Usually, it is the right earbud that doesn’t work for me. Sometimes, I have to disconnect and pair the buds to the device again to get it working. It can be annoying for sure.
 

johntw

macrumors regular
May 29, 2016
210
239
I can barely remember the last time this happened to me. Using them multiple times per day across devices.
 

zachz

macrumors 6502
Jun 18, 2012
272
889
Exact same thing happens to me sometimes — just today when I took my dog out to walk the left one wasn’t working until I put it back in the case. It happens maybe once a week for me, although I do not use my AirPods Pro often.

I also have issues sometimes with charging the left one. It will be inserted in the charger correctly and then stop charging after a minute or two. I have to remove the tip and rotate it which seems to fix it for the time being. Apple said they would replace it but for the amount I use them, I figured I’d just keep them with their issues until they completely die or I upgrade to whatever comes next.

edit: I use them across multiple devices too, but the issue of the left not working only seems to happen on my iPhone 12 mini.
 

akidokraja

macrumors 6502
Jan 19, 2013
418
491
This happens one in a blue moon on 2 regular and 1 pro pairs of AirPods but happens almost all the time on two pairs of PowerBeats Pro.
 

millerj123

macrumors 68030
Mar 6, 2008
2,607
2,725
I'm on my second pair of original AirPods. The batteries on the first don't last long at all, but on both pairs I've had this happen, even the first time putting both in my ears.
 

bigshot

macrumors 6502
May 7, 2021
285
149
This happens one in a blue moon on 2 regular and 1 pro pairs of AirPods but happens almost all the time on two pairs of PowerBeats Pro.

Is it possible it doesn't like having links to more than one of the same model of device?
 
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