True wireless earbuds FAQ: all your questions answered

Are your earbuds broken? Or has just the left or right one stopped working? A few tips will usually get them working again. Find your question and get your earbuds back up and running. Don't see your question? Ask us and we'll add it to this article! 

Why won't my wireless earbuds connect?

See our detailed guide to fixing earbuds that won't connect.

There are several possible reasons:

• Bluetooth is turned off on your device (phone or laptop). No worries, it happens to the best of us. Turn on Bluetooth and connect your earbuds. 
• Your earbuds have previously connected to another nearby device that has Bluetooth turned on. When you turn on your earbuds, they connect to the device they last connected to.
  Another common situation: you've connected your earbuds to both your laptop and your phone before. When you turn on your earbuds, Bluetooth is on on your laptop but off on your phone. Even though your earbuds last connected to your phone, they now choose your laptop because it was the only available device when you turned them on. You don't realize your earbuds are already connected to your laptop, but you do notice they're not connected to your phone. You turn on your phone's Bluetooth, but your earbuds won't connect because they're already connected to your laptop.
  Solution: Put your earbuds back in the charging case and close the lid. Temporarily turn off Bluetooth on the device you don't want them to connect to. Turn on Bluetooth on the device you do want to use, open the lid and try again. That should do it!

See our detailed explanation of why earbuds won't connect.

How do you connect wireless earbuds? 

Most wireless earbuds connect as soon as you open the case lid. You don't even need to take your Bluetooth earbuds out of the case to connect them. You can then find them on your device under Settings > Bluetooth.

Just keep in mind that your earbuds will connect to the device (laptop or phone) they last connected to. 

How do you pair two wireless earbuds together?

You can pair earbuds that belong together. Just open the charging case with the earbuds inside. Then connect them by going to Settings > Bluetooth on your device (phone or laptop). 

One thing to know: wireless earbuds are monogamous. They have one partner, and you can't pair them with another earbud. At the factory, the chipset is configured to tell each earbud which other earbud to pair with. This is a firmware setting you can't change yourself. In short: 

What if you've lost one earbud? 

If you lose an earbud, say the left one, you can't simply buy a new left earbud and connect it to your original right one. Earbuds are made monogamous at the factory. You can't pair them with a new partner. So if you lose one earbud, your only option is to buy a new pair. Sometimes you can buy just the pair of earbuds without the charging case. That saves you some money. 

Why won't my wireless earbuds connect to my laptop?

There are 2 possible causes: 

1. Your laptop's Bluetooth connection isn't good enough.

Not every laptop has a Bluetooth connection that's good enough for wireless earbuds. This is partly down to the sound card, but usually it's the Bluetooth connection.

To check whether your laptop is the problem, connect your earbuds to your phone. If they work well and sound clear there, your laptop's Bluetooth connection is the issue.

Don't worry, there's a solution for that too. Your best option is to buy a Bluetooth USB adapter. Make sure it's a Bluetooth 5.0 adapter. Plug it into your laptop and you're set! Your earbuds will work perfectly through that Bluetooth connection.

2. Your earbuds are already connected to another device

If you connect your earbuds to your phone, put them back in the case, then open the case to connect to your laptop, they'll naturally reconnect to your phone.

In other words, your earbuds always connect to the last device they connected to. And that's a good thing! Otherwise, you couldn't predict which device your Bluetooth earbuds would connect to.

So if your wireless earbuds aren't showing up on your laptop, they're already connected to your phone. No other device can take over the connection while your earbuds are connected to one of your devices. Again, that's a good thing! Otherwise, someone nearby could take over your earbuds and choose your next song. 

Solution: Want to use your earbuds with your laptop after using them with your phone?

• Turn off Bluetooth on your phone first.
• Put your earbuds into pairing mode. Usually, you do this by putting them in the case, closing the lid and taking them out again. 
• Turn on Bluetooth on your laptop. 
• Click your earbuds to connect them.

One earbud (left or right) has stopped working. What can I do?

Find out how to get your other earbud working again in 3 steps.

Nine times out of ten, a factory reset fixes this problem. The steps vary a lot by brand. But for 95% of earbuds, 1 of these 2 methods works:

1. Put your earbuds in the case with the lid open. Press and hold the buttons or touch controls until you get a signal: the lights turn on or change their pattern.
2. Take your earbuds out of the case. Press and hold both buttons or touch controls at the same time until the lights turn on or change their pattern.

After the factory reset, you can connect them again. Your earbuds will work again 9 times out of 10.

Still not working after a factory reset, and covered by the warranty with no damage? You can send them to the online store where you bought them or, depending on the brand, to the manufacturer.

One earbud has lower volume

We've had lots of questions about this, so you'll find a complete guide to fixing low earbud volume. It will help you solve the problem. 

There are three possible causes:

1. Your device's balance setting has suddenly changed for some reason. 
2. A software issue in the earbud is making the right or left side louder or quieter. The solution is a factory reset. 
3. There's dirt or grease on your earbud's mesh. 

If dirt on your earbud is the problem, here's the solution:

How to clean your (wireless) earbuds

At the ear tip (the silicone piece that normally goes in your ear), use tweezers to pull dirt out of the mesh toward you. Don't push dirt into the earbud with a toothbrush, for example. That can permanently damage the earbud. Once you've removed the dirt from the mesh, the volume will return to normal. To be clear: this isn't a defect. The sound simply can't get through because the mesh is blocked. 

Why do my wireless earbuds sound bad?

Wireless earbuds play what your device (phone or laptop) sends them. The incoming signal is processed and played back. When the sound is poor or cuts out, it's natural to blame your earbuds. But in most cases, the problem is with the connection or the device. 

Tips for better sound: 

Using Spotify? Make sure Data Saver is turned off. It lowers the sound quality. Your earbuds can play much better sound than the audio they're currently receiving. Here's how to turn Data Saver off: 

Go to Spotify > Settings (gear icon) > Data Saver = off

There's another Spotify setting that can improve your sound quality.

Go back to Settings and set audio quality to 'Very high'. 

This ensures your phone always sends the highest-quality audio when you listen to Spotify. 

Other apps, such as YouTube and other music apps, also let you set the quality. Always adjust it for the best sound quality.

Why isn't my earbuds' microphone working properly?

Sometimes it seems like your earbuds' microphones aren't working properly. But without testing them, you can't know for sure. Someone telling you they can't hear you clearly doesn't automatically mean your earbuds' microphone is the problem. Their device settings might be wrong, the connection between your devices might be poor, your internet connection during an online meeting might be weak, their phone might have poor reception, and so on.

The only way to find out is to test your microphone properly. There are two ways to do this, depending on whether you're using a laptop or a phone.

Phone
On your phone, the easiest way is to open a WhatsApp chat. Press and hold the microphone icon in the bottom right and record yourself speaking while wearing your earbuds. Play the recording back to hear whether the microphone picks up your voice clearly. 

Laptop
On a Windows laptop, you can also record a clip using your earbuds' microphone. Here's how:

1. Right-click the speaker icon at the bottom right of the taskbar and select 'Sound settings'.

2. Scroll down a little. Under 'Input', select the Bluetooth earbuds whose microphone you want to test. 

Then find the 'Voice Recorder' app in Windows. You can record yourself speaking and play it back. Can you hear yourself clearly? Then your microphone is working properly. 

The person I'm calling hears their own voice echo when I use my earbuds

There are 3 possible causes:

1. The ear tips need to be pushed more firmly onto the earbuds. A loose fit lets sound feed back into the microphone.
2. Your earbuds' volume is exceptionally high.
3. Your earbuds aren't sitting deep enough in your ears, allowing sound to leak out and reach the microphone, among other places.

Sometimes the included silicone ear tips don't fit well enough in your ears. Sound leaks out and reaches the microphone, which is very close to the sound source. That's why the person you're calling hears their own voice. You could consider foam ear tips for your earbuds.