One common problem with Bluetooth headphones is when the headphone’s volume does not change no matter how much you press them. If your Bluetooth headphones have stopped responding to volume control, then you know exactly how frustrating this can be.
The good news is, depending on the audio source you are using, there are some ways of resolving this issue. In this article, I am going to explain why Bluetooth headphone volumes become unresponsive when they are pressed and how you can get them to start running again when this problem arises.
You may lose control over your Bluetooth headphone volume output and may not be able to regulate its volume when the device malfunctions, runs on low battery, or on out-of-date software. Device incompatibility and pair problems can also cause you to lose control over your Bluetooth headphone volume output.
Why Your Bluetooth Headphones Are Not Changing Volume
Bluetooth headphones and headsets are becoming more sophisticated with every product iteration. However, regardless of how advanced these devices get, most of them are still prone to problems.
This can be attributed to the fact that; Bluetooth technology is not perfect. That is why regardless of what device the headphones are used with, there have been several issues commonly experienced by users of Bluetooth headphones in general.
Among the most common problems with Bluetooth headphones is the loss of control over the output volume of the headphones. This could be a sudden inability to change the headphone’s volume, or the volume in the headphone is either set to maximum or nothing, with no volume settings in between.
This issue may be caused by a pairing problem with the headphone, a device setting that needs to be changed, a problem with the device, a low battery charge, out-of-date software, or even device incompatibility.
Now that we have identified the most common causes of Bluetooth headphone output volume malfunction, let’s proceed.
How to Fix The Problem
Though this problem of loss of control over Bluetooth headphone volume output can be very frustrating, the good news for anyone experiencing this problem is that there is usually a solution. All of these problems can be rectified with a few simple steps.
What this means is, regardless of the headphones that you use or the devices that you use them with, if you are experiencing this issue, there is almost always a way to fix it.
In the rare situation where a solution cannot be found, it is likely that the problem might be a manufacturing defect issue associated with the headphones. Bluetooth headphones that are defective due to manufacturing errors should be returned or exchanged for a working model.
However, if your headphones are originally working well but you lose the ability to control their volume when using a specific device, here are the best methods for resolving the issue.
Simple but Effective Ways to Fix the Problem
Restart The Headphones
The first solution to try is the old ‘turn it off and on again’ method. Though this might seem so simple, it is very effective in most cases. It is worth noting that, lots of issues experienced by Bluetooth devices can often be resolved with a simple reboot.
Therefore, when faced with headphone volume control problems, try restarting the Bluetooth headphones. However, be sure to leave the Bluetooth headphones turned off for a few seconds before turning them back on.
This usually does the trick. However, if restarting the headphones does not work, try restarting the device you are using them with before moving on to other potential solutions.
Unpair and Re-tether
Another thing you can do to resolve this problem of Bluetooth headphone volume control loss is to unpair the headphone from the connecting device’s connected Bluetooth devices list and reconnect it afterward.
The goal of this is to erase the connection history and settings associated with the pairing. This is similar to factory resetting phones since all usage and connection history involving the Bluetooth headphone and the paired device will be deleted.
To do this, simply select the headphones in the device Bluetooth menu and click ‘unpair.’ This will remove the headphone from the device’s Bluetooth pair list and force a clear Bluetooth system cache.
Re-tether the headphones to the device after this and any bugs in the system should be resolved. Alternatively, after forcing a clear Bluetooth system cache by removing the headphone from the device’s Bluetooth pair list, reboot the device before re-pairing or re-tethering it.
This method usually works well, especially when pairing Bluetooth headphones to a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet.
Charge The Headphones
Recharging the Bluetooth headphones or plugging them into a power source for them to charge while using them is another simple yet potential solution to the problem of loss of Bluetooth headphone volume control ability.
Though this is rare, some Bluetooth headphones exhibit strange behavior when running on low battery.
The quality and volume of sound produced by some of these Bluetooth speakers reduce drastically when running on low battery. Others simply stop responding to commands issued to them when one or more of their buttons are pressed. Volume control is one of the commands that may stop working when such Bluetooth headphones are running on their last reserves.
The good news is that; this can be resolved easily and thus should not pose a headache to you when/if your Bluetooth headphone starts behaving like that. Simply charging them can resolve several such issues.
Update Software
Updating the software that comes with your Bluetooth headphone is another option you can explore when you are faced with the problem of loss of your Bluetooth headphone volume control ability. This is especially true for the most modern Bluetooth headsets.
The goal of doing this is to ensure that any software incompatibility problems can be resolved. Therefore, if your headphones are the type that requires periodic software updates, be sure that the software the headphones are running is up to date.
Ideally, you should update the software on the device that has been paired with the Bluetooth headphone as well. This is because some headphones are designed to run on certain software editions and will not work well with old software or even software that is one iteration out of date.
Therefore, updating the software of both devices ensures that they are fully compatible. Hence, pairing can be done well.
You should note that, apart from the loss of Bluetooth headphone volume control, issues such as strange device operations or difficulty pairing headphones to a device may be caused by software incompatibility.
Advanced Ways To Fix The Problem
If none of the previous methods I have talked about up to this stage works, it is time to take more drastic steps. These steps may seem a bit technical. However, I will make it so simple that you will not need any assistance in applying them.
Set The Headphones as The Default Audio Output
Setting the headphone as the default audio output of the connected device is another way of fixing this Bluetooth headphone volume output. It is best done if the connected device is a computer instead of a smartphone or tablet.
Therefore, if you are using the headphones with a computer when the headphones are paired, go into the control settings for the computer’s audio output. Find the headphones in the device list, and set the headphones to the default audio output for the computer.
This will reroute the audio from the computer’s sound card directly to the headphones without going through other sound output channels. Doing this should enable you to gain volume control for the Bluetooth headphones.
Don’t forget that, you will need to set the default audio output back to the speakers you use for your computer if you do not use the headphones. Fortunately, this process is simple to do.
Setting the default audio device to the headphones may resolve the issue permanently, even when switching the default back to another output.
Disable Absolute Volume
If you use the headphones with a mobile device, the extreme solution to losing volume control of the Bluetooth headphone may be to deactivate absolute volume in the device’s audio settings. This feature is on by default in smart devices.
Absolute audio is a useful feature in smartphones that allows Android users to simultaneously control the volume of the phone and the Bluetooth device they are connected to at the touch of the same button.
If you may have noticed, whenever your Bluetooth headphone is connected to most smart devices, regulating the volume of the phone automatically regulates the volume of your headphone and vice versa. This is the absolute volume control at work.
Before the introduction of absolute volume control on Android devices, users of Bluetooth devices were required to regulate the volume of their phone and the accessory separately.
Fortunately, turning off absolute volume is easy to do. To do so, simply go to Settings > System > Developer Options. In the Developer options, choose the toggle for Disable absolute volume.
Disabling absolute volume will change the software settings used for Bluetooth audio devices and allow you to change the volume on the headphone themselves.
Conclusion
If you cannot change the volume on your Bluetooth headphone, it does not mean that the headphone device is completely damaged. Minor issues like running on low battery, out-of-date software, as well as pairing, and device incompatibility issues may be responsible.
Try walking through this list of solutions to find one that works. If nothing works, it may be broken. Thus you may have to contact the manufacturer or return the headphones to the store for a replacement if they are under warranty.
Hello, I’m Elijah. A writer on Geek Musician, based in Ghana-West Africa. I am a writer with a passion for research and reading. I usually spend my free time playing chess or watching movies. For more info, check out my about me page. Or read more of my articles here.