AirPods microphone incredibly quiet

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Level 1

11 points

AirPods microphone incredibly quiet

My AirPods were working fine until a few weeks ago when people started complaining that my audio was very quiet. This happens when they are connected to my MacBook Pro, or my iPhone SE 2020, in both the phone and Voice Memos app. In Voice Memos, if I use the phone's built in speaker, the audio files are easily 2-3x louder.

I tried following karina184's advice in https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251665063?answerId=251665063021#251665063021 and was able to do all of the following, but still have the same low volume issue:

Have the Microphone set to "Automatic"
Have the Microphone set to "Always Left AirPod"
Have the Microphone set to "Always Right AirPod"
Reset your AirPods

But the issue still persists. The microphone does pick up some sound, it is just very quiet.

Any other ideas of what I can do next?

Model Number: A2031

Version: 3E751

Posted on Aug 3, 2021 9:17 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

m14t Author

Level 1

11 points

Aug 6, 2021 4:49 PM in response to bryanr14

After Contacting Support over chat, they recommended try "to suck air through your AirPods speaker until you feel air coming from it and after that clean them with a lint cloth and try using it"...

It sounded crazy, but it definitely helped!

To visualize the improvement, I made an audio recording using QuickTime on my laptop.

The first row is the recording using the AirPods initially before the fix, the second is after trying this "sucking trick" and the 3rd is using the laptop's built-in microphone.

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Answer 2

bryanr14

Community Specialist

Aug 4, 2021 3:29 PM in response to m14t

Hi m14t,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. We understand the microphone on your AirPods is picking up low sound. We'll be happy to help.

Excellent job with the troubleshooting steps that were performed. Our recommendation is to have your AirPods physically inspected for service. You can contact Apple Support to review the best available service options in your region. Here's the link: Get Support

Best regards.

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