Why Do My AirPods Keep Pausing? Try These Easy Solutions

If your AirPods continue to pause while they are still inserted in your ears, then, fortunately, some simple solutions exist for this annoying issue.

In this post, I will explain why your AirPods keep pausing and offer potential fixes so you can quickly resume uninterrupted music listening.

Why Do Airpods Pause?Why Pause On AirPods?

Your AirPods may be pausing for a variety of reasons, but the most frequent one is because the proximity-powered Ear Detection isn’t functioning properly.

Other contributing factors include:

  • One of your AirPods is in use, while the other one keeps moving about, causing an auto-pause.
  • Your AirPods’ battery is running low.
  • Your AirPods’ Bluetooth connection is unreliable.
  • Your phone is having some issues, or an app you’re using is.

Solutions to Resolve AirPods Keeps Pausing Issue

You may need to attempt many of the following solutions because it is difficult to pinpoint the cause of your AirPods’ frequent pauses. Turning off automated ear detection is the first thing you should attempt because it’s the most likely cause of your AirPods pausing and the most likely solution.

Find out which solution works for you by reading through this list of several remedies! There is no secret technique to stop your AirPods from pausing; each of these approaches works in the appropriate circumstance.

1. Uncheck the Box For Automatic Ear Detection

This video perfectly elaborates on how you can accomplish this task, and the steps have been outlined below:

automatic-ear-detection

  1. The first thing that you need to do is to navigate to the Settings app that you can find on your iPhone. 
  2. Once you are in the Settings app, you need to navigate to the Bluetooth menu, and then you will have to choose your AirPods; lastly, select the “More Information” button.
  3. You will see the option for Automatic Ear Detection, and so you need to turn off the “Automatic Ear Detection” switch.
  4. If you carry out the procedure given above, there are high chances that you would be able to solve the AirPods keeps pausing issue; however, you won’t be able to access the features that the Automatic Ear Detection provides.  
  5. Nevertheless, it’s preferable to disable this option rather than constantly deal with AirPods that pause when you don’t want them to.

2. Ensure Bluetooth Connectivity

Your iPhone can have problems determining which device it should be sending audio too if it has many Bluetooth connections.

  • For instance, if your iPhone is linked to both your AirPods and a Bluetooth speaker, it can become uncertain as to which device should be receiving the music.
  • Check to see whether you’re Bluetooth-connected to any other devices before concluding that your AirPods are just damaged.
  • If you are, unplug those devices to see if your pausing issues go away.

3. Your AirPods Should Be Cleaned, Especially The Proximity Sensors

Not only do dirty AirPods look bad, but when they aren’t kept clean, they work poorly and have technical problems. As an illustration, filthy AirPods may become painfully silent and challenging to use.

Gunk Formed Inside Airpods

The proximity sensors on the AirPods, in particular, are a problem area for grime. They may start to mistakenly determine whether the AirPods are in your ears if they accumulate earwax or debris, which will cause the random pausing problem.

It’s actually rather simple to clean AirPods. You may remove the dirt and clean the AirPods just as if you had bought them new today by using a moist piece of cloth or maybe some other special cleaning liquid. 

Maintaining the best possible cleanliness for your AirPods is always a good thing, even if it doesn’t solve the issue.

4. Fully Charge The AirPods

Low battery life will cause the AirPods to go in and out, lose loudness, and maybe even lose the ability to use the microphone. 

AirPods are almost worthless when they are almost dead. AirPods that are on their way out are not particularly fun to use. And when do they actually pass away? They are also not precisely simple to locate.

When Apple AirPods aren’t charged, there’s a lot more to cope with than simply sporadic pauses. For this reason, it’s crucial to maintain your AirPods charged in order to prevent running into any of these problems. 

AirPods can charge from almost empty to fully charged in just an hour, so it’s not a difficult chore either!

5. Try Out Several Apps

If your streaming media abruptly stops and starts again, there are chances that it might not be your AirPods’ fault. 

The app that the AirPods use can be one of the causes of the Airpods pausing. It can be a shaky internet connection, a bug in a recent upgrade, or simply an “electronic hiccup.”

But regardless of what it is, you should try to determine whether or not your streaming applications are the issue.

Try streaming audio or video from several applications to see whether the issue with your AirPods pausing persists when you switch between them. 

Does Spotify keep pausing when you use your AirPods? To test whether the issue persists, go to your podcast app or YouTube. 

If you find that the pause problem is exclusive to one program, you may just close the app and reopen it to resolve the problem.

6. Reboot Your iPhone

Once more, even though your AirPods are pausing, they might not be at fault. 

Like other devices, iPhones occasionally have software bugs or other strange problems. Your AirPods’ functionality may occasionally be impacted by those problems.

You can resolve many problems, including the problem of AirPods pausing, by just rebooting your device and seeing if the solution works. 

Your iPhone and AirPods could simply require it to function properly once again!

7. View Other Connected Devices To Your AirPods

Your AirPods could simultaneously attempt to connect to your phone, iPad, and Macbook if you use them together.

Any audio from your Macbook will attempt to be played by your AirPods in a “double-duty” effort.

The AirPods are designed in such a way that you can smoothly transition to stream videos from one connected device to another connected device without a hassle. 

Turning off Bluetooth on your laptop or phone will prevent your AirPods from trying to control audio from two devices at once in this case.

Conclusion

It is important to note that the Ear Detection function, which is a manufacturer-installed setting, is the most frequent reason for AirPods repeatedly pausing music, podcasts, or other media.

So, if you resort to the first solution, there is a high probability that you would be able to solve the AirPods keeps pausing issue.

Additionally, you may use the solutions that have been mentioned in the article and have been outlined below:

  1. Ensure Bluetooth Connectivity
  2. Your AirPods Should Be Cleaned, Especially The Proximity Sensors
  3. Fully Charge The AirPods
  4. Try Out Several Apps
  5. Reboot Your iPhone
  6. View Other Connected Devices To Your AirPods

FAQ

Why Do My AirPods Constantly Pause?

The Automatic Ear Detection function is one of the root causes of the AirPods keeps pausing issue that people face all the time. To stop the pause, try disabling this function and cleaning the proximity sensors. 

Can AirPods Pause Due To Physical Damage?

It is doubtful that physical damage is the source of your AirPods halting at random. The majority of people who use AirPods and run into this problem will discover that it is related to either the Bluetooth connection or the Automatic Ear Switching function.

However, random pauses can happen if you drop your AirPods frequently, expose them to heat, or damage them with water.

What Are The Proximity Sensors In AirPods?

Every pair of AirPods has these sensors on the earpiece. They are straightforward infrared sensors that are capable of detecting when an item is very, very close or making contact.

Whenever you put one of the Airpods in your ear, the AirPods can easily detect movement.  

Your AirPods may mistakenly assume they are not in your ear if these sensors are damaged or clogged, in which case they may immediately pause whatever you are listening to.

Why Do Airpods Pause When I Remove One Ear Piece From My Ear?

The “Automatic Ear Detection” function of Apple’s AirPods is a novel design element. Your AirPods can detect if they are genuinely in your ear, thanks to this technological advancement.

Users of AirPods benefit from two things thanks to Automatic Ear Detection:

  • Auto Pausing: Your AirPods will pause if you take out one ear, allowing you to talk to people without having music or video playing in the other ear.
  • Ear Switching: When just one AirPod is being used, AirPods will automatically identify this and turn off audio in the unused AirPod.

Last Updated on January 15, 2024 by Shabarish Balaji

Shabarish Balaji
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