It’s an all-too-common scenario: You’re deep into your favorite playlist, only for your AirPods to rudely interrupt by pausing at random intervals.
Fortunately, these inconveniences aren’t an inevitable fate for your beloved wireless earbuds. Armed with a bit of knowledge and some simple troubleshooting steps, you can restore your uninterrupted audio experience in no time.
Quick Answer: How to Fix AirPods That Keep Pausing
If your AirPods keep pausing when you don’t want them to, here’s a quick list of potential culprits and solutions:
- Low Battery: Ensure your AirPods are fully charged.
- Unstable Bluetooth Connection: Check the connection with your source device. To determine whether or not your connection is the issue, try your AirPods with a different device, or note whether the problem only occurs when your AirPods are located at a far distance from your source device.
- Inadvertent Double-Taps: Check your double-tap settings. If they are set to pause your audio, try adjusting the settings (such as turning off the double-tap shortcut) or being mindful of accidental taps.
- Glitches with Automatic Ear Detection: This feature might be misreading the situation and pausing your audio while the AirPods are still in your ears. Consider disabling it in your settings.
- Forget and Reconnect Your AirPods: ‘Forget’ your AirPods on your device and then reconnect them.
- Software Update: Check if your device’s software is up-to-date. Likewise with your AirPods.
- Reset Your AirPods: If none of the above works, you may need to reset your AirPods.
How to Stop Your AirPods From Pausing
Let’s dive deeper into each possible cause for your AirPods’ unsolicited pause behavior, along with comprehensive instructions on how to fix each one.
Low Battery
The first and most straightforward potential culprit is low battery power. If your AirPods’ battery level dips too low, they might begin acting up, including pausing your audio at unexpected times.
Check the Battery Level: Connect your AirPods to your device. On an iPhone, you can check the battery level on the Settings menu or by opening the lid of your AirPods charging case near your iPhone. A pop-up will appear on your iPhone screen showing the battery levels of your AirPods and the charging case. On a non-Apple device, you can check the battery level by connecting your AirPods and looking at the Bluetooth settings.
Bluetooth Connection Issues
Another common cause is problems with your Bluetooth connection. If your AirPods keep pausing, you need to examine whether this issue occurs only when using a specific device or when you’re a certain distance from your device.
Check Your Bluetooth Connection: Connect your AirPods to a different source device to see if the problem persists. If it does, the issue likely lies with your AirPods. If not, the problem might be with the original source device.
Double-Tap Misreads
If your AirPods are misinterpreting other movements as a double-tap, they may inadvertently pause your audio. This can happen if you have set double-tap to pause audio in your settings.
Adjust Double-Tap Settings: Go to the settings on your iPhone, select ‘Bluetooth’, and click the ‘i’ icon next to your AirPods. Here, you can customize what happens when you double-tap your AirPods. Set both to ‘Off’ to ensure no audio pausing occurs.
Automatic Ear Detection
Automatic Ear Detection is a feature designed to pause audio when your AirPods are taken out of your ears. However, this technology is not foolproof and can sometimes misread, causing your AirPods to pause even when they’re still snugly nestled in your ears.
Disable Automatic Ear Detection: In the same settings where you adjusted the double-tap settings, you can toggle off the Automatic Ear Detection. Try this and see if your AirPods stop pausing.
Interference from Other Devices
Interference from other devices can also be the cause of your woes. If none of the above solutions work, disconnecting or “forgetting” your AirPods from other devices could be the solution.
Forget Unwanted Devices: On your iPhone, go to ‘Settings’, then ‘Bluetooth’. Click the ‘i’ icon next to any device you want to forget, then select ‘Forget this Device’.
Further Software Issues
For more stubborn issues that the above steps fail to resolve, you may need to take additional measures.
Forget and Reconnect Your AirPods: Go to the ‘Bluetooth’ settings on your iPhone and click the ‘i’ icon next to your AirPods. Choose ‘Forget this Device’. Then, to reconnect, open your AirPods case, press and hold the button on the back of the case until the status light flashes white, then reconnect to your device.
Software Update: Ensure that your device’s software is updated to the latest version. You can check this on an iPhone by going to ‘Settings’, then ‘General’, then ‘Software Update’.
Power Cycle Your AirPods: Remove your AirPods from your ears and put them in the case. Close the case and wait for about 30 seconds, then open the case and check if the issue is resolved.
Reset Your AirPods: The steps for resetting AirPods differ slightly depending on the model:
- AirPods Pro, AirPods (2nd generation), and AirPods Max: In the charging case, press and hold the button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds until you see the status light flashing amber. Then, reconnect your AirPods to your device.
- AirPods (1st generation): With your AirPods in the charging case, open the lid, then press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds until you see the status light flashing amber. Then, reconnect your AirPods to your device.
If all else fails, you might need to reach out to Apple Support or check if your AirPods are still under warranty for a potential replacement.
Final Thoughts
The “AirPods keep pausing” issue can be quite a nuisance, but often, it’s not a sign of a significant problem. With these troubleshooting steps, you can usually resolve the problem and get back to enjoying your favorite music or podcasts without those annoying, unsolicited pauses.
FAQs
What’s the quickest way to check my AirPods’ battery level?
On an iPhone, simply open the lid of your AirPods charging case near your iPhone, and a pop-up will display the battery levels. On a non-Apple device, connect your AirPods and check the battery level in your Bluetooth settings.
How do I reset my AirPods if they keep pausing?
Resetting your AirPods involves putting them in the charging case, then pressing and holding the button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds until the status light flashes amber. Then, reconnect your AirPods to your device. *Note that reset steps are slightly different for different product models.
How can I stop my AirPods from pausing when I don’t want them to?
You can prevent unwanted pauses by ensuring your AirPods are charged, checking your Bluetooth connection, adjusting double-tap settings, or disabling Automatic Ear Detection. For persistent issues, you may need to forget and reconnect your AirPods, update your software, or reset your AirPods.
My AirPods keep pausing, but none of these solutions are working. What now?
If none of the above solutions are effective, it might be time to contact Apple Support or check if your AirPods are still under warranty for a potential replacement.
What is the Automatic Ear Detection feature, and how can it cause my AirPods to pause?
Automatic Ear Detection is a feature that pauses your audio when your AirPods are removed from your ears. However, it’s not perfect, and if it misreads the situation, your AirPods might pause your audio while they’re still in your ears. Disabling this feature in your settings can help prevent unwanted pauses.
