Airpods Microphone delay

Hi, I have EXACTLY the same problem! did you got any solution?

And I confirm that changing the mike from automatic to always left fixes the issue. It appears that - for the fourth time since I own AirPods - the right microphone is failing. The unwelcome consequence of this setup is unbalanced battery drain, which means that, after a year, you have unequal battery life between both AirPods and this shortened usability. Extremely disappointed.

I have exactly the same issue. It began recently; I had no microphone problems for the first 8 or 9 months with these AirPods.

Resetting the AirPods did not fix the issue. Experimenting with just one AirPod in at a time, however, I learned that only the right microphone is faulty. I had them set to automatically switch the microphone, and I always put the right one in first (no reason, just habit). So that microphone was always being chosen as the active microphone.

I changed the setting so it always uses the left AirPod for the mic. It now seems to be working properly.

It's rare that I use the microphone without both AirPods in, so this shouldn't really affect me much. But it's super frustrating that these are failing after just 10 months. And now that the right one has failed, who knows how long the left one will last?

My next pair of bluetooth headphones will not be made by Apple.

I too have been hunting for a solution for this since I am on my phone constantly for work and am usually in a speaking role. The AirPods worked great for a few months and then started cutting off the first 2 seconds. One solution that I have seen a few times was setting the microphone to one side or the other. This would be ok but I really need to be able to hot swap pods on longer calls and sometimes it is not easy to be able to open the settings and switch to the other side. Though the battery life on these seems good, they aren't great enough to last through a morning full of calls.

I really don't understand why they worked fine for about 8 months and then recently (June/July timeframe) started cutting off the first couple of seconds. Very annoying

I have the exact same problem. Worked seamlessly for a few months and now this microphone issue. I experienced a microphone failure on my first pair and thought all was good with the second generation but I suppose I am going to have to go through the same process. This is extremely frustrating, since I use these things professionally and now can’t rely on them to operate adequately. Again...

Hello, rifeman.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities! I understand that you're having trouble with a microphone delay on your AirPods. I'm happy to provide you with a few steps to try.

Check your microphone settings: Adjust the settings of your AirPods - Apple Support

If that doesn't help, try a reset: Reset your AirPods - Apple Support

Let us know what happens! Take care.

I went in to the Apple Store a couple weeks ago and made a Genius Bar appointment. Once the guy confirmed the issue with the right AirPod, they replaced it. He scanned a few codes and opened up a replacement right AirPod, put it in my case and tried to connect it. Didn't connect at first, so he plugged in the case and said to wait ten minutes for a firmware update. Ten minutes later, everything was working fine.

The battery in the left one (the old one) drains faster and recharges slower, but I only know that because I happened to see the percentages when I popped them back in the case the other day.

I don't know if the Genius Bar will work for you if you have the issue with both AirPods, but it's worth a shot.

Hi,

I think it is a patented setup that disables microphones when not in use.

The phenomenon is hard wired with AirPods that they do not record till you speak, to conserve battery.