How to Fix Earbuds by Your Own While Only One of Earbuds Working

By Carrie Tsai,  Last Updated: May 20, 2020HOW TO

“why is only one of my earbuds working” might be the most common question people would like to raise out. Follow us on today’s article and find out more about it.

It’s so normal the issue to any kinds of earbuds, no matter the expensive ones or relatively the normal price ones, that only one of the earbuds can work, which is so frustrating when you are about to enjoy any audio or video. Sometimes it spoils the mood indeed.

In some cases, you might need to buy new earbuds. After all, nowadays people rarely have time to get the products repaired since it’s often considered easier to just dispose of the damaged goods and buy a new piece.

However, it’s not always a recommendable and economical choice to replace it by purchasing a brand new one when you have spent some money on it. Depending on the problems, broken earbuds can be relatively quick, easy, and inexpensive to fix. Firstly, try to figure out where the problem is.

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Why Is Only One of My Earbuds Working

Put on the earbuds with music on and pay attention to where the issue seems to be coming from.

Normally, Electrical shorts originate in the section of the cord next to the jack or the earbuds themselves, as this is where most of the physical wear and tear takes place. Other than that, try to find other earbuds and plug them in to make sure it’s not the headphone jack on the device that’s the issue. If it turns out that neither set of earbuds work when plugged into your iPhone, you may need to fix the headphone jack on your iPhone instead of the earbuds.

Ways to Fix Earbuds

1. Twist the cord slowly until the earbuds function correctly and tape the cord to hold it in place.

Before adjusting the cord around the damaged site, make sure you have tested the entire length of it to find out where the disconnect is. Seldomly the broken wires will be closer to the middle side of the cord. Be sure to twist it slowly so you can stop it as soon as you get it in a working position.

When you get the cord into a position where the earbuds can function correctly, hold it steady and use your free hand to wrap a stiff piece of electrical or duct tape around the section where the short is. The tape can help compress the sheath around the wires and enable it to contact with one another.

2. Soldering a Broken Connection

Use some small tools to inspect the earbuds faulty wiring

Firstly, you need a small, thin tool, such as a flat blade screwdriver or pocketknife to open the plastic housing of a defective earbud. Carefully wedge the tip of the tool into the groove where the two halves of the housing fit together, then push down and twist sharply to force them apart.

After that, you should see two copper wires running to a different terminal around the edges of the circular circuit board. Check for wires that have broken or come loose from their terminals. When both wires seem to be working correctly, the broken connection may be lower down the cord near the jack.

Remove the barrel from the jack if that’s where the issue lies

Sometimes, the loose wire isn’t in one of the earbuds, but in the jack that plugs into your phone. In this case, remove the protective plastic barrel and peel back the rubber coating to expose the wires underneath. Then you can apply the solder freely as needed. Also, remember to clean away the old solder inside the earbuds before re-soldering them.

Solder the broken wires back to the terminals inside the earbuds

Reconnect each colored wire to its terminals respectively. One more thing to be cautious is about making sure each colored wire is running to the right terminals. Most of the case is that the copper wire should go to the large central terminal, the red wire to the smaller righthand terminal, and the green wire to the left.

However, if you’re still not getting any sound after all these methods, it may due to the solder didn’t hold, or the colored wires have been accidentally linked to the wrong terminals. If you can find out the issue lies in the middle of the cord and it’s hard for you to repair the earbuds yourself, you may consider simply buying a new set of earbuds.

Extending the Life of Your Earbuds

Rather than repairing after damage, learn to maintenance as usual. Suggestions following might play a great role in protecting your earbuds from being broken.

Firstly, always remember to slowly pull earbuds out from your device by the base rather than the cord. Also, it should grab the thick plastic base around the metal jack. Besides, keep your earbuds wrapped or in a case while you’re not using them, so either set the earbuds on a flat surface don’t get tangled. You can buy earbud cases online or at electronics stores.

Furthermore, clean your earbuds frequently by wiping removable rubber tips with soapy water to remove any wax or dust from them or use a dry toothbrush to scrub. Make sure the rubber tips are completely dry before putting them back on earbuds.