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QiaPo
User level: Level 1 (18 points)

429 Too Many Requests

I have an AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, and I've been using them normally for over a year. Over the past two days, I suddenly noticed that the sound in the left ear became muffled, which was also causing an uncomfortable feeling in my ear.

I followed Apple's recommended troubleshooting steps, including resetting the AirPods, but the issue persisted. There is also no visible physical blockage or debris on the earbuds.

Today, after testing for quite a while, I noticed some very specific behavior:

  1. If I put the right AirPod in first and then put the left one in, the left ear will sound muffled.
  2. However, if I switch the listening mode once (for example, from Off → Transparency → Off), the muffled sound immediately disappears.
  3. If I take the right AirPod out and put it back in, the muffled sound in the left ear also disappears.
  4. If I put the left AirPod in first and then the right one, the problem does not occur.

So the issue seems to depend on the order in which the two AirPods are put in, and it can be temporarily fixed simply by changing the listening mode or reinserting the right AirPod.

My AirPods are currently running firmware 9A348. I checked Apple's official firmware information and found that 9A348 is the latest firmware version that was recently released.

I also searched for “9A348” on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), and found that I'm apparently not the only person experiencing this kind of left/right audio inconsistency.

I also posted about this issue on other social media platforms. Several people have already commented that they are experiencing a very similar, or even exactly the same, bug, including the left/right audio becoming inconsistent and the issue disappearing after switching listening modes or reinserting one of the AirPods.

Because the problem is highly reproducible, appears to depend on the order in which the AirPods are inserted, and can be immediately resolved by switching modes or reconnecting/reinserting an AirPod, I suspect this may be a firmware/software issue introduced with 9A348 rather than a hardware failure.

Has anyone else experienced the same issue with firmware 9A348?

Posted on Sep 17, 2026 8:55 AM

9 replies

TheLittles
User level: Level 10 (211,627 points)

Oct 20, 2026 11:43 PM in response to QiaPo

"AirPods Firmware 9A348 — Possible Left/Right Audio Imbalance Bug"

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To the OP AND ALL:

This seems to be catching on.So, ...


Report this to Apple:

Do your Part: It is important that you provide feedback on this occurrence to Apple.  Apple won't get back to you directly, but the more feedback they receive on this, the more they will know what is going on, and what needs to be fixed.

  1. Go Here: Feedback - AirPods- Apple
  2. Select: "Bug Report" for the "Feedback Type"
  3. Comment: that this all occurred after installing this update, and how you have troubleshot it thus far. Include the URL of this thread.
  4. Proceed from there as necessary
WheelieNick
User level: Level 9 (74,110 points)

Sep 18, 2026 1:09 AM in response to QiaPo

Hi there


please try this


Force a Clean Reset: While it won't downgrade your firmware, performing a hard factory reset can sometimes clean up corrupted initialization cache. Put both AirPods in the case, hold the setup button on the back for 15 seconds until the status light flashes amber then white, and re-pair them. 

Toggle "Headphone Accommodations": Some users on social media noted that turning off Headphone Accommodations (found in Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual) reduced initialization anomalies when AirPods connect. 

Lord_Biggington
User level: Level 1 (8 points)

Nov 2, 2026 6:36 AM in response to QiaPo

How are more people not talking about this? I've literally sent mine off for repair before I found it this issue was widespread. I've tried everything. The only "kind of" fix is to keep them permanently on either ANC or Transparent. This is happening both on my Airpods 4 and Airpods 5.

TheLittles
User level: Level 10 (211,627 points)

Nov 2, 2026 7:08 AM in response to Lord_Biggington

"How are more people not talking about this? I've literally sent mine off for repair before I found it this issue was widespread. I've tried everything. The only "kind of" fix is to keep them permanently on either ANC or Transparent. This is happening both on my Airpods 4 and Airpods 5."

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Why No Apparent Fix:

AirPod 5s are quite new. So, not many (by comparison to other models) have received many complaints. So, I recommend you bring it up to Apple Support.

Justerlone
User level: Level 1 (8 points)

Nov 2, 2026 7:15 AM in response to Lord_Biggington

I had to send my AirPods 4 ANC in for service to try and resolve this. They replaced both earbuds; they worked at first, but once the firmware updated, the same problem returned. I have no idea why they aren't releasing a new firmware update to fix this. I’ve reported the bug to Apple, but it seems it’s not widespread enough for them to be concerned about it at the moment.

Y_Z_Y
User level: Level 1 (8 points)

Oct 20, 2026 8:29 PM in response to QiaPo

I have a similar issue where my right AirPod Pro 2 always seems muffled/frequent muffles that sounds like ANC getting repeatedly turning on and off... it's been quite frustrating. Same firmware. Tried Clean Reset and went through different Accessibility tweaks, no help at all...

Justerlone
User level: Level 1 (8 points)

Oct 9, 2026 5:15 AM in response to QiaPo

Has anyone solved this problem or does anyone know how to fix it? I even contacted Apple Support, but right now there’s nothing they can do other than wait for a new firmware update—and there’s no telling when that will arrive. I’m still having pairing issues, and every time, I have to take the earbuds out of my ears one by one before they work properly with the right volume and bass.

Justerlone
User level: Level 1 (8 points)

Oct 10, 2026 3:12 AM in response to OldToad

I have already tried several times, but it doesn't solve the problem.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256359074