AirPods have excellent build quality and sound design, but many users report that they don't get as loud as expected, especially when switching from other headphones or when using them with different devices. Understanding why this happens is the first step to fixing it.
Reduce Loud Sounds Setting: Apple's "Reduce Loud Sounds" feature is probably the #1 culprit. This is a hearing protection feature that caps the maximum volume to protect your ears from hearing damage, but Apple enables it by default on iPhones and iPads. After iOS updates, this setting often gets re-enabled, and many users don't realize it's active. If you've suddenly noticed your AirPods are quieter, this is very likely the cause.
Incorrect L/R Balance: iOS has an accessibility feature that lets you adjust the audio balance between left and right channels. If this balance is off-center (not in the middle), you might not realize that only one earphone is playing at full volume while the other is quieter — making the overall experience feel subdued.
Dirty AirPods Speaker Mesh: The speaker mesh on AirPods is tiny, and it collects earwax, lint, and dust over time. Even a microscopic layer of buildup can noticeably reduce volume. This is especially common if you wear them during exercise or in dusty environments.
Audio Codec Limitations: AirPods use Apple's AAC codec, which is efficient but may sound quieter than some other codecs due to how it's encoded. This isn't really a "problem" — it's just the nature of the codec. Newer AirPods Pro with spatial audio handle this better, but standard AirPods might benefit from other adjustments.
This is the single most effective fix for quiet AirPods on iOS devices. The "Reduce Loud Sounds" feature limits maximum volume to around 85 decibels — which sounds reasonable until you realize that a normal conversation is about 60dB, and you're effectively capping your AirPods well below full potential.
Step-by-step:
If you can't find "Headphone Safety," try: Settings → Accessibility → Hearing → Headphone Safety, then toggle it off.
After disabling this, your AirPods will likely sound noticeably louder immediately. Apple added this feature with the best intentions, but it's overly aggressive by default.
The L/R balance setting is designed for people with hearing loss in one ear, but it can accidentally get toggled by anyone. If the balance isn't centered, you might have one AirPod playing full volume and the other at 75% — which feels noticeably quieter.
To check and fix the balance on iPhone:
The balance slider should be perfectly centered — if it's even slightly off, move it back to the center. Test this by playing some music and making sure both AirPods sound equally loud.
On Mac, you can check balance in System Preferences → Accessibility → Audio. Make sure the balance slider is centered there as well.
Over time, the tiny speaker mesh on AirPods accumulates earwax, dead skin cells, and lint. This buildup is invisible but significantly reduces volume — sometimes by 20-30%. Cleaning them is one of the most overlooked but effective methods.
Proper cleaning method:
If you wear your AirPods during workouts or in dusty conditions, clean them weekly. For regular use, monthly cleaning is sufficient.
For AirPods Pro with silicone ear tips, you can actually remove the ear tips and clean them with warm soapy water, then reattach them. This also helps with overall sound quality and fit.
If you use your AirPods to watch videos, stream music, or listen to podcasts through your Mac's browser, Sound Booster is a free browser extension that amplifies any tab's audio up to 5x louder through your AirPods. For Spotify specifically, see our Spotify loudness guide. Mac users can also check our Mac volume increase guide for system-level solutions.
Installation is simple: visit the Chrome Web Store, click "Add to Chrome," and you'll have a volume slider in your browser toolbar. Move the slider to amplify any streaming audio without affecting system volume or your other apps. This works perfectly with Spotify, YouTube, podcasts, Netflix, and any streaming service in the browser.
Sound Booster is especially useful on Mac because macOS doesn't have system-level loudness equalization like Windows does. For browser-based audio on your Mac, this extension gives you an easy way to boost volume beyond what macOS allows.
If you're pairing your AirPods with a Windows PC, you might notice they sound quieter than on your iPhone. This is because Windows sometimes defaults to the SBC (Sub Band Coding) Bluetooth codec instead of the AAC codec that AirPods use natively. For Windows audio solutions, check our Windows sound boosting guide and equalizer apps for Windows.
To potentially improve this:
Unfortunately, Windows doesn't give you manual codec selection the way some Android phones do. Your best bet is ensuring your Bluetooth drivers are up to date, then using Sound Booster for browser audio and Loudness Equalization for system audio. Android users can check our Android sound booster apps guide, and iPhone users should check our iPhone apps guide.
Sound Booster is free, installs in 10 seconds, and works on YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, Zoom, and every other website.
Add Sound Booster to Chrome — Free