You are about to join an emergency Zoom call, and your AirPods are not working. Time’s running out. How would you feel? You get frustrated, right? It has happened to me, and I know I am not the only one.
Sometimes when you connect an external microphone, audio problems arise. You need the AirPods to work to speak and listen to the audio. Maybe the audio from your Zoom call is playing through your computer instead of the AirPods, or you cannot hear anything, or the mic isn’t working.
Whatever the problem is, here are all the things you can try to fix your AirPods issue.
Unpairing the AirPods from all other devices
If you have paired your AirPods with multiple devices simultaneously, naturally, they will get a lot of interference. It will keep the AirPods from working correctly. In order to avoid this, unpair your AirPods from the devices you are not using currently.
The easiest thing to do is to turn off the Bluetooth settings in all of the devices except the one from which you are using Zoom. If you are using the Zoom app from your computer, keep its Bluetooth on and disable it from all other devices nearby.
Ensure the AirPods are paired to the device
If you are a newbie, you may make this mistake. You need to pair your AirPods with the device on which you are using Zoom. If you haven’t paired your AirPods before, you can do it by following these simple steps.
Open the charging case and press the button on the back of it for a few seconds. When the led light starts flashing white light, your AirPods are ready to pair.
Now you need to connect your AirPods with the device. The process is a bit different for different devices. We are going to cover them now.
- On your Mac’s home screen, click on the Apple icon from the top-left corner.
- Then go to System Preferences and click on Bluetooth.
- Now find your device under the list of Devices. If you see Connected below the name of your device, you don’t need to do anything. If your device is not connected, double-click on it to do it.
How to pair AirPods with an iPhone
How to pair AirPods with a Windows computer
Access the Settings option from the Start menu and select Devices. You will now get access to the Bluetooth controls. Your AirPods would appear in the list of Other Devices if they were previously paired.
If you had paired your AirPods with the Windows computer before, it would appear below the Audio heading, and there will be Paired showing under the device name.
How to pair AirPods with an Android device
You can use AirPods easily with Android phones. You can do that by opening the Settings on your Android and tapping on Bluetooth. The AirPods will be found in the Available Devices if they are in pairing mode.
Tap on your earbuds from the list of devices and connect them with your Android device.
What to do if my AirPods don’t connect
Bluetooth devices often don’t pair with other devices even when they are in the pairing mode. Similarly, devices often don’t show up in the list of devices. If you are facing either of these problems, you can try the following things.
Turn off the Bluetooth and unpair the device. Now, turn the Bluetooth back on, pair again, and see if the problem persists.
If the problem isn’t solved, put the AirPods inside the case, shut the lid, and wait for 10-15 seconds. After that, try repeating the previous processes.
Select the AirPods in Zoom
Sometimes, even when the AirPods are connected to the device, you might need to select them as the audio device for Zoom manually.
The microphone and the speaker both have different settings on zoom. So, it’s possible to use two different devices for the speaker output and mic input.
The microphone will transmit the audio from your side to the other. The speaker will transmit the audio for you that is coming from the other side.
In order to select your AirPods manually, go to Settings > Preferences > Audio. Check the name of the devices under the Speaker and the Microphone headings. Make sure the AirPods are selected on both settings.
Your AirPods should be visible beside both options. If they are not, select them from the dropdown menu beside the Test Speaker and Test Mic options, respectively.
How you can test your AirPods before Zoom calls
Zoom has the option of testing the audio devices before making calls. When you are joining a Zoom call, a pop-up menu appears on the screen with a Join with Computer Audio option.
Zoom audio settings let you test the settings before making a call. You have to select the Test speaker and microphone option under it to test the audio devices. When you select that option, the app will play a ringtone so you can test the speaker. If you can hear it from your AirPods, it means the speaker is working properly.
If you don’t hear the tone, click on No. Then, Zoom will try through a different device. Keep on clicking No until you hear the audio from your AirPods. You shouldn’t even need to do it if you have chosen your AirPods as the Speaker device from the dropdown menu.
Now that you have done testing the speaker, it’s time to check the microphone. You will be asked to speak through your microphone. Do it and pause. Then, listen to the replay of what you said.
If you can hear it clearly, your speaker is fine. Just like the speaker test, repeat the process if you cannot listen to your replay. When you are satisfied with both the speaker and the microphone test, click on Join with Computer Audio.
Conclusion
When you’re on Zoom calls, you should use an external mic. It reduces background noise while you speak. So, if you have an AirPod, connect it before you get on Zoom calls. The audio quality and the mic- both will come off better.
Now you know what to do if your AirPods don’t work with Zoom. Your AirPods should work fine now. Your Zoom video and audio calling experience will greatly improve when the AirPods work perfectly. Thanks so much for reading, and let us know what you think of this article.