Left airpod of 3rd gen not working properly

I have the 3rd gen airpods and I’ve had issues with the left airpod for a while now. When I got my first pair the left airpod started to have problems after a few weeks, so I returned them and got a new pair. In the beginning they were working fine too, but now this is happening again. When I put them in my ears the left one does connect but it almost makes no sound, only a very soft noise that you can only hear at max volume, but even then you almost can’t hear it. After about 5 minutes the sound does get a bit harder, but it’s still softer than the other one and the quality of the sound is worse too. I have tried everything to fix this. I have reset them, even with the orange light. The audio balance is in the middle, so that’s not it either. Does anyone else have this problem or know what to do to fix this?

Posted on Oct 26, 2022 04:01 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 29, 2022 09:01 AM

Hi LettuceHunk,


Thanks for contacting Apple Support Communities!


We understand that your left AirPods isn't functioning as you'd expect.


Do you experience the same behavior if you pair your AirPods with different devices?


Also, check out the troubleshooting step outlined here which explain what to do if you aren't able to hear from one of your AirPods: If your left or right AirPod isn't working - Apple Support


If there's low volume in one AirPod
If your left or right AirPod isn't playing any sound, or if the volume is too quiet, follow these steps:
1. Check the microphone and speaker mesh on each AirPod. 
2. If you see any debris, clean your AirPods using the guidelines in this article, and see if that fixes the issue.
3. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Balance, and make sure that the balance is set in the middle.

If you're still experiencing the same behavior after completing the troubleshooting steps or with another device, we'd suggest that you contact Apple directly here: Apple Support


Take care!

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 29, 2022 09:01 AM in response to LettuceHunk

Hi LettuceHunk,


Thanks for contacting Apple Support Communities!


We understand that your left AirPods isn't functioning as you'd expect.


Do you experience the same behavior if you pair your AirPods with different devices?


Also, check out the troubleshooting step outlined here which explain what to do if you aren't able to hear from one of your AirPods: If your left or right AirPod isn't working - Apple Support


If there's low volume in one AirPod
If your left or right AirPod isn't playing any sound, or if the volume is too quiet, follow these steps:
1. Check the microphone and speaker mesh on each AirPod. 
2. If you see any debris, clean your AirPods using the guidelines in this article, and see if that fixes the issue.
3. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Balance, and make sure that the balance is set in the middle.

If you're still experiencing the same behavior after completing the troubleshooting steps or with another device, we'd suggest that you contact Apple directly here: Apple Support


Take care!

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Left airpod of 3rd gen not working properly

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