Low volume on Bluetooth earbuds: why and how to fix it
First, the settings
Most cases of low volume come from the phone, not the earbuds. On iPhone, check Settings, Sounds and Haptics, Headphone Safety: if "Reduce Loud Audio" is on, the phone cuts the volume above a certain level. Some Samsung phones have a media volume limiter in the volume settings. Many other Android phones have similar options.
In Europe, phones also show a warning when you go past a certain volume in headphones; you have to confirm it to go higher.
App volume and earbud volume
Volume sometimes has several levels: the phone's, the music or video app's and, on some earbuds, the buds' own. If one of them is at half, everything sounds quiet. Check the equaliser in the music app too: some presets lower the overall volume to avoid distortion.
Some Android phones have a setting called "absolute volume" in the developer options. Leave it alone unless you know what it does; the problem is usually elsewhere.
Wax in the driver mesh
If the volume dropped over time, not overnight, the cause is almost certainly wax or dust in the driver mesh. The mesh is small, and a thin layer of wax blocks much of the sound, especially the bass.
Clean the mesh with a soft, dry brush, holding the bud mesh-down so the dirt falls out rather than in. Do not use needles or toothpicks: you can pierce the mesh. Our guide to cleaning wireless earbuds has all the steps.
The wrong tip
On in-ear buds, a tip that is too small lets sound escape around it, and the bass almost disappears. It feels like low volume even though the driver plays loud. Try every size in the box: the Buds4 come with three tip sizes, the Free7 with four, including XS. The bud should sit firmly without pressing.
Every ear is different, so you may need different sizes left and right.
One bud quieter than the other
When only one bud is quieter, first check the left-right balance in the phone's accessibility settings and whether mono audio is on. Then look at the quieter bud's mesh: there is almost always wax there.
If the difference remains after cleaning, forget the buds on the phone and pair them again. Our guide to resetting Bluetooth earbuds has the steps.
Open-ear and the noise around
Open-ear earbuds do not close the ear, so in traffic or on the metro the noise around covers part of the music. It is not low volume, it is how they work: the ear stays open so you hear what is going on. In quiet places they sound full; in very noisy places, in-ear or noise cancelling buds sound louder at the same volume.
Do not push the volume to maximum to drown out noise: our guide to safe volume explains why.
When it is a fault
If you have checked the settings, cleaned the mesh, tried another tip and another phone and the volume is still low, there may be a problem with the driver. Crackling, rattling or sound that disappears at certain frequencies point the same way.
Write to us with the model, what you have already tried and, if possible, which phone you use. For buds that got wet, our guide to swimming and showers says what to do first.
Volume on calls
If music sounds fine but the other person's voice is quiet on calls, the call volume is set separately: press the volume buttons during a call, not before. In some video or internet calling apps, the volume is set inside the app.
If others hear you quietly, check whether the phone is using the earbuds' microphone or its own, and that the buds' microphone is not covered by hair, a hat or dirt.
Every model is in the shop, under true wireless earbuds.