Bluetooth Earbuds Connected but No Sound
This is one of the most common earbuds complaints: your phone shows the earbuds as connected, the Bluetooth icon is on, but no audio comes through. Usually it's a routing or volume issue rather than a hardware fault — work through these in order.
Check the actual output device
Open your phone's Bluetooth or sound settings and confirm audio output is set to your earbuds, not the phone speaker or another paired device. Some phones silently fall back to the speaker if the earbuds connection is flaky.
Turn media volume up separately
Call volume and media volume are often controlled separately. Turning up the ringer volume won't fix silent music or video — check the media volume slider specifically.
Restart the audio source app
Force-close and reopen the music, video, or call app you're using. Some apps cache the wrong output device and need a fresh start to pick up the current Bluetooth connection.
Forget and re-pair the device
In Bluetooth settings, tap Forget/Unpair on the earbuds, then pair them again from scratch. This clears a corrupted connection profile, which is the most common cause of silent-but-connected earbuds.
Reset the earbuds
Most earbuds have a reset method — usually holding the button on the case for 10-15 seconds until the LED flashes. Check your model's manual, since the exact steps vary by brand.
Test on a second device
Pair the earbuds to a different phone or laptop. If they play sound there, the issue is with your original device's Bluetooth stack, not the earbuds themselves.
Still not working?
If none of this works and the earbuds are silent on every device, the driver in one or both earbuds may have failed — that's a hardware issue worth checking under warranty rather than fixing yourself. If you're shopping for a replacement, the Earbuds Finder can match you to options in your budget, or browse our comparison tool to weigh a few side by side.