One Earbud Not Working, Silent, or Not Charging
One earbud dead, silent, or not charging while the other works — step-by-step fix for Sony, AirPods, Jabra, Anker, Bose, Beats, and Samsung Galaxy Buds.
Solid
red
Quick info
Visual description
One earbud either shows no LED at all, shows a red light that never progresses to charging, or shows the connected light but produces no audio. The other earbud appears to be working normally — has a status LED, plays audio, or charges. The asymmetry between left and right is the defining symptom.
What it means
One earbud not working is one of the most common earbud complaints and is almost never a sign of permanent hardware failure. The vast majority of cases are caused by one of four fixable issues:
1. The earbud-to-earbud sync link is broken. Most earbuds relay audio from the primary (right) to secondary (left) via a short-range signal. If that sub-link drops, only one side has audio. 2. Charging contacts are dirty or misaligned. Each earbud needs clean contact with the case pins to charge. A single dirty contact = one earbud drains to zero while the other stays full. 3. The earbud powered off due to dead battery. If one earbud charge contact lost connection with the case, it ran its battery flat. The other was charging normally. 4. Asymmetric battery wear. On older earbuds, the primary earbud (right on most brands) powers the Bluetooth radio and drains faster — eventually its battery degrades significantly more than the left.
Brand & model variations
The same light pattern can mean different things across manufacturers.
| Brand / Model | What red solid means | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
Apple AirPods Pro, AirPods 3 | One AirPod silent: classic sync issue. Fix: put both in case 15s, remove. One AirPod not charging: check case contacts with a flashlight — lint buildup is extremely common in AirPods cases. One AirPod amber, one off: battery imbalance from charging contact issue. | Use a dry toothbrush or wooden toothpick to clear lint from charging contacts in the case cup. |
Sony WF-1000XM5, WF-C700N | Sony right earbud is primary; if right goes silent, secondary left also loses audio routing. If only left is silent, the left-right sync link dropped. Use the Sony Headphones Connect app to re-initialize the connection. | Sony app: Device Settings → Initialize → confirm reset to re-pair both earbuds. |
Jabra Elite 4, Elite 85t | Jabra earbuds can be used as mono (single earbud) intentionally. If one is silent, open the Jabra Sound+ app — 'Mono Mode' may be enabled. Otherwise, check charging contacts. | Jabra Sound+ app → Device Settings → disable Mono Mode if enabled. |
Anker / Soundcore Liberty 4, Space A40 | One Soundcore earbud offline: common with the Space A40 due to small case contacts. Remove earbuds, wipe contacts with dry cloth, reseat firmly. The click/magnetic lock ensures contact alignment. | Clean contacts, reseat, then forget device and re-pair from scratch if issue persists. |
Beats Fit Pro, Studio Buds+ | Beats uses Apple's H1/W1 chip. One-sided silence is typically a sync issue. Forget in iOS Bluetooth, factory reset (hold button on both buds while in case with lid open for 15s), then re-pair. | Factory reset Beats: hold button on case back with lid open for 15s. |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, Buds FE | Galaxy Buds rarely have one-side issues but when they do, the Galaxy Wearable app will show which earbud is offline. Re-seat in case, then use Find My Earbuds in the app to wake the offline unit. | Galaxy Wearable app → Find My Earbuds → This plays a sound and re-syncs the offline earbud. |
Diagnose your issue
Answer a few questions to narrow down the cause.
What symptom describes the problem earbud?
Safe next steps
Ordered from least to most involved. Check each step as you go.
Start with the simplest fix: place both earbuds in the case for 30 seconds, remove, and test.
Check charging contacts: use a flashlight to inspect both the earbud gold pins and the case contact points for lint, wax, or debris.
Clean contacts with a dry cotton swab or dry toothbrush — no liquids near the contacts.
If audio is the problem, forget the earbuds in your phone's Bluetooth settings, factory reset the earbuds, and re-pair from scratch.
Charge the case itself — place the case on a wall charger for at least 30 minutes before testing again.
Check companion app (Soundcore, Jabra Sound+, Sony Headphones Connect, Galaxy Wearable) for a firmware update.
If the silent earbud has a 'mono mode' or 'left/right disable' option in the app, ensure it's not accidentally enabled.
When it resolves on its own
Condition: Sync drop (one earbud silent)
Expected time: In-case reset (30–60 seconds) resolves sync drops in most cases. Charging issues require contact cleaning and up to 1 hour of charging. Deep-dead battery recovery needs 15–30 minutes on a wall charger minimum.
When to escalate
Stop troubleshooting and contact your ISP or manufacturer if:
- One earbud completely dead and shows no response after 1+ hour on wall power with clean contacts.
- Contacts are clean but one earbud persistently doesn't charge — internal charging circuit may be failing.
- Audio balance heavily skewed to one side even after reset — driver deterioration.
- One earbud shows amber or error LED but is within warranty — contact manufacturer for replacement.