Hello Less,
i have cleaned them as per the apple instructions, i have completely reset them and i do not have this issue with any other Bluetooth headset i have.
i have tested the air pods on my dads iphone 11 and the left airpod still has at lest a 2 second delay before it starts picking up sound.
i have read and and done everything that has been suggested to fix this problem and no luck at all.
bottom line the left air pod has a delay or im thinking that the mic might be shutting off automatically for some reason. I think this because i have tested this a bunch of times. If i call someone and why it’s ringing i make a so noise the mic responds right away when the person picks up but if i call them and stay quite in till they pic up there ends up being a delay. I have no idea if this helps but i hope they do. I just switched to apple fully and love all the products other then these airpods im having way to many issues with them for what they cost. Thank you for all your help