Why My Right Side AirPod is Not Working? (Updated)

Apple AirPods are the next-generation wireless earphones from Apple. These newly launched headphones come with a unique feature: Two separate earpieces (left and right) in one single unit. But what if you ask, Why My Right Side AirPod is Not Working?

Some users have reported that their right side AirPod has stopped working or is severely underperforming. So, “Why is my right side AirPod not working?” You ask. Well, here’s one of the major reasons behind this issue and how to fix it. Whether you are using Airpod Pro, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, or any of them, this guide will help you fix one airpod.

Why My Right Side AirPod is Not Working? (Explained)

Is your one airpod not working? This article is about how to fix a right-side AirPod (one airpod) that’s not working. It can be due to a hardware or software issue, and I have tried all of the methods below.

It might be an iCloud/iPhone problem if you have no earphone support, so I will also cover both cases. If your Left AirPod (one airpod) works fine, but your Right EarPod isn’t working, there is a simple fix requiring no soldering or other technical skills.

This guide assumes that the issue only affects the right side (if your left airpod doesn’t work either, this guide will also apply). If you’re not sure which earbud is playing sound please use Voice Memos on either device and make note of which the sound comes out of.

Type	In-Ear
Wireless	Yes
True Wireless	Yes
Connection Type	Bluetooth
Water/Sweat-Resistant	Yes

Active Noise Cancellation

No

Right Side AirPods Not Working Problem

The right side of my AirPods keeps losing connectivity to my iPhone 7 Plus, which means that all sounds will only play out of the left AirPods. If you’re experiencing similar problems with your Apple AirPods, then read on further as we may have found a solution for this problem.

Solution To Fix Right Side Not Working For AirPods

Make sure the rubber piece is clean

Before you start poking around inside your AirPods, ensure that the rubber components are clean. If there is dirt, dust, or other gunk inside, this can affect performance and cause issues like what you’re having. Grab a microfiber cloth (or something similar) and use it to wipe away any debris from the earpieces.

Remove both screws from the back of your AirPods

Is your one airpod not working? If you have a case on your AirPods, then go ahead and take it off first. To avoid breaking or stripping them, I found that using a plastic opening tool works really well for removing stubborn cases without damaging anything. 

Next, use a small Phillips screwdriver to remove both screws from the back of your AirPods.

Remove the plastic caps over the speakers

Take a look at the picture below to see which parts you need to remove/pry off with your fingers so that you can access both speaker pieces on either side. Start by removing the one closest to where your charging cable connects, and then do the same for where your earbuds connect to the case itself. 

Once these are gone, you’ll be able to take out each of the two screws holding down each speaker, just like in Step 2. Keep these safe because you’ll need them again later.

Disconnect everything inside & put it back together again

Using tweezers or something similar, gently pry open (being careful not to break anything) the seam connecting the battery and the logic board. Take a look at the picture below to get an idea of how far apart they should be once you’ve done this. 

After that, remove all remaining connections, starting with the speaker connections and then moving on to whatever else is in there (the antenna wires were what I ended up having to remove, so keep that in mind).

iCloud Problems: Why My Right Side AirPod is Not Working

Software Problem 

We all know that iCloud is not reliable, especially the iCloud Music Library. If your AirPods are not showing up in the settings, connect them to the iPhone and check. It may take several attempts so please be patient! Sometimes you need to keep connecting back and forth several times before it kicks in. 

“I have Bluetooth Earbuds” Error Usually, I won’t suggest users reset or erase their device because usually, it doesn’t fix anything, but if AirPods isn’t connecting properly, then go ahead and erase/reset it. Just make sure you have backed up your phone data somewhere safe, just in case.

There will be no iCloud music library after the reset, so you need to re-download all your songs because it will wipe out everything on your phone. To erase, go to “Setting” and scroll down and tap on “General”. 

Scroll down again and click on “Reset”, choose “Erase All Content & Settings”. If AirPods is not showing up in the list, resetting may not work either because it’s a hardware problem! Just go straight away to the Apple Store for help before wasting too much time. 

Hardware Problem 

Outdated Firmware 

Sometimes AirPods firmware updates by itself when you update iPhone’s iOS or even when you connect them with iPhone X/XS/XR that has wireless charging capability. When this happens to me, AirPods have no sound. Another time there was audio, but it was so low that I couldn’t hear it properly.

So if you have this kind of problem, try restoring your iPhone to the factory using iTunes. If your phone is completely bricked and nothing works, then just go straight away to the Apple Store to get a replacement.

Hardware Problem with Mic or Shutter 

When the mic or shutter button doesn’t work, you first need to reset your AirPod case by pressing it at the back for 15 seconds. Then press down on the circle inside for 5 seconds so it will start blinking blue and green slowly.

Wait until both pods blink green twice before removing them from charging to pair them then check if it works after. If you are using the right side AirPod, try the left one. 

Pairing Issues with iPhone 

When pairing fails or when you get an error message saying “One or both of your AirPods can’t be found”, please check if you have signed in iCloud to Apple Music. To do so, go to “Setting” and scroll down to click on “Apple ID”. Scroll down again and look for “iTunes & App Store”. Click on it then choose “Sign Out”. 

Now restart your phone and turn off Bluetooth/WiFi connection before reconnecting back again. This time try connecting them with another iPhone because sometimes other iPhones are much more reliable than yours. If this doesn’t work for you, just go straight away to the Apple Store. 

Hardware Problem with EarPods/Earbuds 

Sometimes AirPod sound works, but yours have no sound or vice versa. In this case, your AirPods earphones are not defective at all. 

For some reason,, many iPhone users, after updating their phone’s iOS, encounter this problem where the music playback is on their iPhones but still can’t hear anything from the earphone even though it has been connected properly through Bluetooth. 

I don’t know if it’s a new feature or something they did intentionally, but now, as long as you connect both ears together then, you will get audio from both of them! Just disconnect and connect back again until you hear sound from the left and right AirPods. 

Static Noise from AirPods 

Sometimes even when your AirPod is paired and working properly, you will still hear weird sounds from one or both of them. In this case, try disconnecting one earpod/AirPod, then connect it back again to reset the connection between your earphone and iPhone. 

If it doesn’t work, go ahead and reset your AirPods to erase everything it has by pressing on the back for 15 seconds, then press down on the circle inside for 5 seconds so it will slowly blink blue and green. 

Wait until both pods blink green twice before removing them from charging to pair them then check if there’s still static noise left or not. 

If you don’t want to reset, just mute the AirPods and check if it still makes noise. If so, then turn on Siri and ask her to play some songs, then check again. If there’s no static noise, just enjoy the music on your AirPods.

Additional Possible Workaround for iOS Update Issue

If you are using the Apple Watch 4, turn on your “Hey Siri” option in settings  (Go to Settings > General  > Siri  > toggle on “Hey Siri”). 

Then connect both iPhone and watch via Bluetooth (you will see gray text instead of white when connected properly). 

After turning on the Hey-Siri option in Watch settings, if your air pods and iPhone are connected and both have the latest update, your air pods should connect to the watch and work as expected.

If that doesn’t fix things, you can try resetting all settings: Settings app > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. You’ll need to enter your PIN or passcode after doing this. It’s a good idea to make a backup before you do this in case something goes wrong.

Watch this video Why My Right Side AirPod is Not Working

Workaround for iOS troubleshooting steps – AirPods not connecting/pairing with iPhone XS Max

In some cases, it seems like a software issue that is related to an ios update, which causes AirPod not to work on its own. In these cases, the following method might solve the problem: 

Go into Bluetooth settings on your iPhone > Select your Airpods that are not working, tap the “i” symbol next to the name of the device > On the following screen, tap on “Forget this Device”. You’ll need to re-pair your AirPods after doing this.

This will cause your phone to forget whatever device you selected in the previous step. Then go back into Bluetooth settings and do a scan for devices (press the circular blue button in the bottom right corner). 

When scanning is complete, select your Airpods from the list of found devices and follow instructions to pair them again. 

This should fix any issues related to pairing with the iOS 12 update which causes the right airpod disconnecting/losing connection randomly during usage or when taking it out of case/putting it in case. Remember to restart your iPhone after following the above steps before trying AirPods again.

If you are still having trouble with the right AirPod not working, try the “reset network settings” option in case that helps which can be found under Settings > General > Reset and choose “Reset Network Setting”. 

Enter your PIN or passcode when requested. This will reset various networking-related options like wi-fi/cellular data/forgetting known networks etc. Hope this helps! Sometimes it helps to do things one by one if there is no clear-cut solution that works for everyone. 

Let us know how this worked out for you? Even though it didn’t work out, we would love to hear about your experience regardless of whether it was a success or failure. 

If it wasn’t working, please let us know what didn’t work for you so we can update the article with information that might help others in similar situations.

You might love to read: Why Is AirPods Not Working With Zoom? (Causes & Fixes)

iOS Troubleshooting steps – AirPods not connecting/pairing with iPhone XS Max

If you are having problems trying to connect your air pods to your iPhone then there is one more troubleshooting step that you might want to try. 

Go into Bluetooth settings on your phone > Select your Airpods that are not working, tap the “i” symbol next to the name of the device > On the following screen tap on “Forget this Device”. You’ll need to re-pair your AirPods doing this. 

This will cause your phone to forget whatever device you selected in the previous step. Then go back into Bluetooth settings and do a scan for devices (press the circular blue button in the bottom right corner). 

When scanning is complete, select your Airpods from the list of found devices and follow the instructions to pair them again. 

This should fix any issues related to pairing with iOS update, which cause the right AirPods to disconnect/lose connection randomly during usage or when taking it out of case/putting it back in the case.

Conclusion: Why My Right Side AirPod is Not Working

Getting your AirPods back together is basically just reversing each step out until you get everything reconnected correctly. Make sure you attach everything securely, and if anything doesn’t seem like it’s lining up quite right, gently pry it open again with a plastic opening tool or something similar. 

Once everything lines up properly, put your screws back in and replace the caps you removed earlier to get everything looking pretty again. If you want to learn how to fix a myriad of issues with your AirPods Blinking Green, read this guide.