Why do my Airpods keep pausing?
Apple Airpods are the best-selling earbuds in the world. They have many beautiful features, including good sound quality, water-resistant ability, etc. Still, they also have their downside, which includes the Airpods pausing without cause.
Hence, users may ask, “why do my Airpods keep pausing?” In this blog post, we will answer the question and tell you everything you need to know about your Airpods pausing.
Why do Airpods keep pausing?
The most common reason is the Ear Detection feature not working correctly, and proximity sensors power this feature. There are other reasons why the Airpods keep pausing, and they include:
- You are using one Airpod and the other one not being used keeps moving around, causing an auto-pause.
- Your Airpods battery is low.
- Your Airpods have a weak Bluetooth connection.
- The app you use is glitching, or your phone is hanging.
- You are far from your connected device, or there is an obstacle causing interference for the Airpods Bluetooth.
Why do Airpods pause when it’s removed from the ear?
Apple Airpods are equipped with intelligent features like the Automatic Ear Detection feature. This feature can detect when your Airpods are no longer in your ear. Automatic Ear Detection does two things to Airpods users.
Auto Pausing: The audio will pause whenever you remove the Airpods from your ear. This pause happens when you remove either of the Airpods from your ear. This feature is designed to give your Airpods the impression that removing one Airpod from your ear signifies that you want to listen to someone or something around you. So, it automatically pauses the audio to wait for you to hear what’s happening in your surroundings.
Ear Switching: When you use just one Airpod, your Airpods detect it and automatically stop audio from coming into the inactive Airpods.
Automatic Ear Detection is a convenient technology added to the Airpods, but the PROXIMITY SENSORS make the feature work effectively.
What are proximity sensors in Airpods?
These are sensors found in every Airpods, which help detect when an object (usually human skin) is very close to or making contact with the Airpods. For instance, the proximity sensor detects your Airpods in your ear before alerting the Automatic Ear Detection feature.
The proximity sensors are easy to see on both Airpods; they are those tiny black bars on the side of your Airpods.
Suppose these sensors get dirty or malfunction; they may confuse the Airpods. This situation will make your Airpods believe they are not in your ear while they are there, and this will cause the Airpods to pause the audio being listened to.
How to stop Airpods from pausing
As earlier stated, there are lots of reasons why your Airpods pause. You must know the cause of your Airpods pausing before you can remedy the situation.
The first thing to do is to turn off the Automatic Ear Detection feature, as it is what will most likely be the reason your Airpods keep pausing. If that is the reason, turning the Automatic Ear Detection feature off will solve the issue.
Here’s how you can do that:
Go to your iPhone settings, tap on the Bluetooth icon, look for your Airpods and select the “More information” icon. Turn off the switch for Automatic Ear Detection. And that’s all.
Please note that once you turn the Automatic Ear Detection off, you also turn off its features. Features like automatically pausing or playing back audio when you take off or wear back one of the Airpods, respectively, will be turned off. However, this is the price you must pay to enjoy a free audio flow.
1. Check your Bluetooth connections
Check your iPhone’s Bluetooth connection to ensure it is connected to the right device. Suppose your iPhone has been linked to more than one device nearby. In that case, it may have trouble knowing the device to send the audio, thereby causing the audio to pause.
Your Airpods might not be broken; this may be the problem. So, before jumping to a conclusion, check your phone’s Bluetooth connection. If you are connected to more than one device, disconnect and FORGET all unused devices. Now check if your Airpods pausing stops. Hopefully, it should stop pausing.
2. Clean your Airpods, especially the proximity sensors
When your Airpods are dirty, they don’t just look gross. They also underperform and experience technical issues. For instance, if your proximity sensor is filled with earwax or dirt, they begin to malfunction.
They won’t be able to judge accurately if your Airpods are in your ears or not, thereby causing the audio in your Airpods to pause. To prevent this from happening, clean your Airpods.
What you need to clean Airpods: Dry lint-free cloth, Q-tip or a cotton swab, a toothbrush, and a toothpick or paper clip.
How: To clean your Airpods and their charging case, Apple recommends you use a neat lint-free cloth. Take each Airpod and use a neat, dry lint-free cloth to wipe them down nicely. Use a cotton swab to clean the pods in the charging case and the proximity sensors, and use a toothpick to gently pick out dirt that the cotton bud can’t clean off so they will be free of grime and dirt.
Although Apple advises users not to use sharp objects to clean their Airpods, that is the only thing you can use to deal with tough grimes. Use a toothpick or the side of a paper clip to carefully pick out any earwax and dirt stuck in the earbuds and the charging case. Ensure you do this with extra care so you don’t break anything in either Airpod.
Finally, use a cotton swab or Q-tip to clean off the mesh on the Airpods openings. You can also use an old toothbrush to brush off any remaining debris.
3. Charge your Airpods
If your Airpods are low in battery, they will not function effectively. For instance, the audio will keep pausing and playing, you may also notice patchy audio, and you may not be able to use the microphone.
A constant lack of charge can also lead to a deterioration of the Airpods battery over time.
Your Airpods become less useful when their batteries are low. So, you may not enjoy using them in that state as some of its features won’t work effectively.
So, to solve the issue of your Airpods not working effectively, you will have to put them back in their case and charge it.
4. Test different apps
Your Airpods might be working perfectly, but the app from which you receive audio when using the Airpods might have some issues. The app might cause the audio coming in to keep pausing. It could be a patchy internet connection if you are playing music online, a software glitch, or a software update on your phone.
Regardless of the problem, check if the apps you use in streaming audio and video causes your Airpods to pause.
Also, check if recent software updates may have affected the audio you receive on your Airpods.
You can also check your internet connection and test different apps to see if they will play music without pausing. If they do, note the app that doesn’t do so because it may not be compatible with your Airpods.
5. Check if other devices can connect to your Airpods
Suppose you use your Airpods for multiple devices like your iPhone, MacBook, and iPad. In that case, they might be trying to connect to your Airpods simultaneously. This scenario happens often and causes the audio coming at the Airpods to keep pausing as it tries to connect to multiple devices.
To solve this, turn off your Bluetooth on your other devices when you are not using them so that your Airpods will only connect to your phone.
6. Restart your iPhone
If you have tried every other solution mentioned above and your Airpods keeps pausing, don’t conclude that they are faulty. The fault might also be from your iPhone. All you need to do is restart it and then connect them again.
You can also disconnect your Airpods from your phone entirely and try to reconnect them.
Frequently Asked Questions about Airpods Pausing
How do I pause my Airpods by double tapping?
To pause audio on your Airpods by double tapping on the sensors, you need to enable the double tapping to pause feature first by doing the following;
Open your Airpods case with your Airpods in it, go to SETTINGS on your phone, then select BLUETOOTH. Go to My DEVICE, then tap on the” i” icon next to your Airpods.
Select the DOUBLE TAP on AIRPODS, then choose which task you want the double tapping to perform. Choose the PLAY/PAUSE PLAYBACK feature.
How do I pause my Airpods by using SIRI?
SIRI works for all models of Airpods. For the first and second-generation Airpods models, to use it to pause your music, you will have to double tap on one of your Airpods to activate SIRI. Then, tell it to pause your music. If you use later models, say, “HEY SIRI, PAUSE MUSIC.”
Can physical damage make the Airpods pause?
Yes, physical damage can make your Airpods pause. Exposing the Airpods to heat or extreme temperature conditions, submerging them in water, or leaving them in a hot car can cause the Airpods to overheat and start pausing or behaving abnormally
. It can even cause more technical malfunction to your Airpods.
Wrap Up
This article explains why Airpods keep pausing. Also, it elucidates the steps necessary to stop your Airpods from pausing.
If you have any other questions about your Airpods audio pausing, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.
Thanks for reading.
For more featured articles like this, click on the home page.
