How to Fix Earbuds That Work On One Side: Listening to your favorite music and all of a sudden one side of the earphones stops working. Whether you are using wireless headphones or wired, this can be very frustrating.
A malfunctioning earphone can ruin your good moment. When one side of the earphone or headphone stops working, running to the shop and buying a new one is not always the right solution. You can always solve the problem. That’s why we have decided to show you how earbuds that work on one side.
But
Why Is Only One of My Earbuds Working?
There are a number of reasons why one side of your earbud is not working. Some of the reasons are.
- Earbuds are dirty
- Wiring is loose or cut
- Problem with the sound settings
- Water damage
- Faulty jacks
- Faulty sockets
How to Fix Earbuds That Work On One Side
Below are the possible solutions on how to fix one earbud not working.
- Try a different pair of earphones
- Jack Not Properly Inserted
- Straighten the earphone cord out
- Clean the headphone jack.
- Reboot the device.
- Examine the audio settings of the device.
- Examine the earphone cables for damage.
Try Another Pair of Earphones
To troubleshoot the problem, if you have another pair of working earphones, connect them to your device or phone to see if they are working fine. If working, then the issue is with your headset. If you find your headphone has a problem, follow the below tips in fixing the wired and Bluetooth headphones. In case it also plays in one ear, check the device’s audio settings.
Jack Not Properly Inserted
If you are using wired headphones, one of the first things you need to do is to check if the headphone jack has been properly inserted. If the headphone jack is not inserted properly, chances are it might not function as intended. You will have problems with earbuds not working. You might even have one headphone working and the other not working.
To know if the headphones jack has been inserted properly when inserting the headphone jack into the headphone slot, you will hear a slight click.
To solve the problem, disconnect the headphone from the device and connect again.
Sound Balance Settings
You might have an issue with the left earbud not working or the right earbud not working. Incorrect audio balance settings can cause one side of the earphone not to work.
To troubleshoot the problem, go to the settings of your device or computer. Then go to Audio settings or sound settings. Look for the Audio Balance or Sound Balance section and try adjusting or balancing the sound. Move the balance to the centre. Apply the settings, then connect the headphones to your device, put on some music, or listen to a video to see if the problem has been resolved.
Mono Sound Setting
This is when the same sound is sent to both the earbuds. At times the sound is sent to only one side of the earbud without us even knowing. If you are experiencing this type of problem, go to Settings on your device and search for Sound or Audio settings. Disable the Mono Sound or Mono Audio.
Restart the device
There are times new software updates can change the settings of your audio device. Restarting your device will solve most of the problems.
Switch off your device and put it on or restart your device.
After restarting your phone or device, check if you can hear out both earbuds.
Clean the Headphone Jack
After long usage, lint and dirt can get trapped inside the headphone jack. This might affect the audio output and cause it to lose output between the headphone port and the jack.
If the headset plays only in one ear when plugged into your device and perfectly works on other gadgets, you should consider cleaning your phone or PC’s headphone jack. You can loosen the dirt using a sharp-pointed object and then use something soft to remove the dirt.
Straighten Out the Headphone Wires
There are times we wrap or tie up the earphone cords so that they can fit into our pockets or bag. This could cause one of the earbuds to stop working. Straighten out the headphone wires and play music, straighten slowly, one spot at a time. If you identify the spot causing the problem, you can make it straight by wrapping a paper tape around it.
Check for Signs of Water Damage
Check if your headphones have been exposed to water which could have led to damage of the earbuds on one side.
If you identify the damage could have been caused by water, put the headphones/ pair of earbuds inside a container of raw rice. The rice will suck out the moisture. Leave it for a day or a couple of hours and check if it works.
Un-pairing wireless headphones
If you are using Bluetooth headphones or earbuds and face the issue if one side earbud not working on a wireless headphone, then you need to unpair the wireless earbuds from your device.