If one AirPod is louder than the other

And this method is still working,had very low sound out of right pod it appeared clean as I regularly clean with surgical spirit but obviously wasn’t and a deep sucking on it ( I know it sounds disgusting ) but it’s fixed my AirPods which are back to excellent sound

Hopefully someone will have a diagram of some kind of the inner plumbing of the first and second GEN AirPods so we know what’s going on, and why this does work. I suspect it is a bass reflect system with tiny ports for air movement and the diaphragm to move, and if this is clogged movement is prevented and And that’s a decrease in volume. Other type of speaker systems use a infinite baffle system, Which require more power for the same volume level but a tighter response and sound. What I think is going on is changing a base reflect system tour infinite baffle, which would explain what’s going on. But if anyone has a diagram of the inner workings and plumbing please post it.

To resolve the issue I used a toothbrush and gently rubbed the toothbrush back and forth over the speaker ports and it freed all the ear wax and my right AirPod that was not very loud was back to normal volume level. Hope this helps. I also saw others that used this method.

Strangely enough this helped with my airpod pros . 3 years later same remedy to fix my left headphone which was not playing as loud as my right headphone now it’s fixed .saved me a trip to the store TY EDIT: EVEN IF YOUR AIR POD PRO ARE BRAND NEW TRY THIS BECAUSE MINES ARE AND I HAD THE ISSUE I THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH SPEAKER BEING PUSHED IN OR OR OUT AND THATS WHAT IS BEING FIXED BY THE SUCKING .

At first I thought this was some sort of a joke. Then, having the only perspective of spending £60 for another AirPod, I thought I had nothing to lose, so tried to suck the air out of the bigger speaker, as suggested above. It has worked for me, too! I can't believe this! The quiet AirPod is now working as before. Thank you for suggesting this!

It worked!!!! For all these months I have been depressed and was planning to buy news Airpods. This solved this dumb issue in seconds. I remember the store guy telling me to shell out $100 for a single Airpod (R) or $250 for a new set as it is a tech problem.

I guess I will have to revisit this guy and tell him to suck up the offer!!!! This is crazy...Thank you, MC.

my airpod levels were in the middle, and I was having this issue. I proceeded to suck on the quiet airpod ( large hole) and to my surprise when I played music the clarity came back to the quiet airpod like brand new.

I tried adjusting the volume on the settings and nothing....then I tried the sucking of the AirPod that was quieter and it worked! I legit just created the account to let yall know, year later this is still solving the problem.

Thanks!

I forgot I was wearing my airpods and briefly dunked my left ear unwater in the bathtub. As a result volume was very low, almost inaudible. Tried the sucking trick as recommended here. It worked! Perfect volume again. Thank you MC.

I just had this issue. I'd first try the AirPods on another iPhone to see if the issue is the AirPods or the phone itself (they didn't work properly on my phone or my daughter's, but did work on my partner's - all iPhones).

I cleaned them first, no joy.

Found a solution after quite a bit of searching: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.

It is ear wax buildup that causes one earpiece to play quieter than the other.

the easiest trick: instead of pushing the dirt deeper into the mesh and towards the speaker by cleaning it with a cloth, try ‘sucking/inhaling’ the air through the main mesh - you’ll be surprised what will come out of it.

This has worked for me. I guess this will work as long as you address this issue quickly before the ear wax manages to solidify.

A healthier alternative than potentially sucking earwax lol, is to take a can of air if you have one or can can some and just blow out any wax or anything that may be lodged into the bud. I have a friend that confirms the sucking of the bud does work, so whichever you choose to do should suffice.

I was having the exact same issue and weird enough someone said suck the bigger mic on the airpod because wax gets stuck on the speaker and when I did it surprisingly it freaking worked. Just make sure to wipe the airpod before and after to avoid wax in your mouth and a wet ear lol. Good luck!

Yep the sucking method worked for me too. It was my right air pod 3, so first, I checked the settings to make sure I did not accidentally have one side set for higher volume, next, I cleaned the outside with alcohol and an cotton bud several times...none of that worked. So, after that I tried the sucking air through the largest opening method and can you believe it......it WORKED my air pods are like new again ! Thank you forum !

My problem was a bit different. My AirPods became unbalanced and the sucking wasn’t the solution this time. What you have to do in this situation is connect your AirPods to a mac/MacBook and reset your AirPods in the settings. This should rebalance them and allow you to listen normally again