One Earbud Not Working
A single dead-sounding earbud is usually one of three things: a stereo balance setting, a low-battery earbud that's dropped out, or a genuine hardware fault in one unit. Work through these before assuming the worst.
Check stereo balance
Phones have a left/right audio balance setting, often buried in Accessibility settings. If it's pushed fully to one side, the other earbud will sound silent even though it's working fine.
Charge both earbuds fully
A partially charged earbud can drop out or cut audio before the other side does. Put both back in the case for a full charge cycle and test again.
Reseat both earbuds in the case
Misaligned charging contacts mean one earbud silently stops charging while the case shows full. Clean the contacts and make sure both earbuds click firmly into place.
Re-pair from scratch
Forget the device on your phone, place both earbuds back in the case, then take them out and let them re-pair as a fresh set. A stuck pairing session can make one side stop transmitting audio.
Reset to factory settings
Use your earbuds' reset procedure (usually a long-press on the case button) to clear any corrupted internal state on the affected side.
Swap earbuds between ears
If the problem follows the physical earbud rather than the ear it's in, that isolates it to a hardware fault in that specific unit.
Still not working?
If one earbud stays silent after a full charge, clean contacts, and a factory reset, it's very likely a hardware fault — most brands will replace a single faulty earbud under warranty rather than the full set. 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.