I’m going to be so personal here, I was seeing a movie and my AirPods kept cutting out at intervals. Well, yours might have happened while listening to music, on a phone call, a virtual meeting or seeing a movie too. I’ll be listing why your AirPods keep cutting out and a quick fix.
Why Your AirPods Keep Cutting Out
- Out of range
- Bluetooth connection
- Low battery
- Problem with AirPods sensor
- Outdated or incomplete firmware
- Automatic switching
- Hardware related problem
Now that we have identified the possible causes of this occurrence, let’s delve into how to get it fixed.
1. Out Of Range
Keep the distance between you and your paired device(s) to under 30 feet and that should really help. Apple recommends that AirPods optimal range can go between 30 – 60 feets. Your AirPods will keep cutting out once you are out of range.
2. Bluetooth Connection
Disabling and re-enabling your Bluetooth can help remove some minor technical glitches and it may help fix AirPods connectivity issues. Bring up the iPhone’s Control Center by swiping down from the screen’s top-right corner or swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap the Bluetooth icon to disable, tap on it again after 10 seconds, to re-enable. You can also activate Airplane Mode by tapping on the Airplane Mode Icon, wait for 10 seconds and then tap on it again to disable Airplane Mode and re-activate Bluetooth.
3. Low Battery
Running on a less than 20% of the total AirPods battery life can also cause your AirPods to cut out at intervals. Although AirPods can last up to 5 hours of listening time on a full charge, remember to charge up for optimal performance. The charging case can also give your AirPods a 4-5 full charges.
4. Problem With AirPods Sensor
Automatic Ear Detection can cause your AirPods to cut out, especially if the sensor can’t detect whether the AirPods are in your ears or otherwise, disabling Automatic Ear Detection can help.
Go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the Info icon next to your AirPods. Then disable the Automatic Ear Detection option.
5. Outdated Or Incompatible Firmware
Outdated firmware might be the culprit behind the issue. To fix it, connect your AirPods to your iPhone, go to Settings > General > About > AirPods and check whether Firmware Version is up to date.
6. Automatic Switching
iOS 14 enabled AirPods to automatically switch between Apple devices when you start playing audio. So, if you have another iPhone, iPad, or Mac around, you’d need to disable this functionality to avoid sudden disconnects in attempt to switch between other devices.
Go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the Info icon next to AirPods. Tap Connect to This iPhone and select When Last Connected to This iPhone. Repeat on all your iOS and iPadOS device.
To disable automatic switching on mac, go to System Preferences > Bluetooth and select Options next to your AirPods. Then set Connect to This Mac to When Last Connected to This Mac.
Reset Your AirPods
If the above guides didn’t solve the problem then, you should reset your AirPods.
Put the AirPods back in the Charging Case or Smart Case if Airpods Max. Hold down the Status button (or both the Noise Control button and the Digital Crown on the AirPods Max) until the indicator flashes amber.
The amber flashes indicates that you have successfully reset your AirPods, take them out and connect them back.
7. Hardware Related Problem
The above guides should fix your AirPods cutting out issues and if it doesn’t, that’s a clear indication that your AirPods has a hardware related issues and you have to contact Apple Support.
