You’re ready to relax and you put your favorite earbuds inside your ears. When you press PLAY, the sound is only coming from one earbud. Something is wrong. The last thing you need is one of your Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds not working!
An unresponsive earbud issue can be caused by various problems. Luckily, tips provided in this guide will help you fix your Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds when one side is not working in a matter of minutes!
Key Takeaways
- Remove any dirt and moisture from the earbud.
- Reset your earbuds to remove possible bugs.
- Disconnect the voice assistant that may be causing connectivity issues between the two earbuds.
- Make sure your charging case has enough charge.
- Find a replacement battery for your earbud and install it.
- As a last resort, replace the whole earbud.
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Can Cleaning the Earbuds Help?
One of the most common complaints when it comes to Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds is how prone they are to damage. Dirt and debris can easily get into them and prevent them from working.
What’s more, the Sony WF-1000XM3 headset is not waterproof. This means that water and sweat can damage them quickly.
So, if one of your Sony earbuds isn’t working, it’s likely that dirt or sweat is stuck inside your earbud. Luckily, your earbud should start working properly once you thoroughly clean it.
How to Clean Sony WF-1000XM3 Earbuds?
To clean your earbud, always use a soft, dry cloth.
As you know, moisture can damage your headset, which is why you should always clean it using dry tools.
You should thoroughly wipe off any dirt from your earbud, including the outlet hole.
Furthermore, you should use a dry cloth to clean the charging case as well.
Pay special attention to charging pins when cleaning your SONY WF-1000XM3 earbuds.
Then, you can test your earbuds to check whether you managed to fix the issue.
Cleaning SONY WF-1000XM3
Voice Assistant as a Common Troublemaker
Sony WF-1000XM3 headphones can connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants.
But, ever since these earbuds came out, users have been complaining about this feature as many of them have encountered various bugs when they connected their buds to a voice assistant.
The thing is – when you connect your Sony WF-1000XM3 gadget to a voice assistant, you’re technically connecting only one of them. This could create a problem with the synchronicity between your two earbuds, even when you’re not using the voice assistant.
In addition, many people reported their voice assistant randomly turns on, which prevents them from listening to music without interruptions.
Thus, if you connected your Sony headset to a voice assistant, it might be best to disconnect it and check whether that solves your earbud issue. You can then reconnect it to a voice assistant or use your earphones without this feature.
Consider disconnecting voice assistants from your WF-1000XM3 earbuds.
Disconnecting Sony WF-1000XM3 from Voice Assistant
The process of disconnecting your Sony headphones from the voice assistant is the same regardless of whether you’re using Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.
Firstly, you should go to the Sony Headphones Connect app (the official Sony app you used to connect your earbuds to the voice assistant in the first place). Then, you’ll need to choose the System section and find the Voice Assistant option. There, you’ll be able to change the settings of your voice assistant or disable this feature.
Open the app – Go to System – Look for Voice Assistant section – Select Do Not Use
After you remove the voice assistant from your Sony app, you can test your earbuds.
Enabling/Disabling Voice Assistant via the Sony Headphones Connect App
Reset the Pairing Settings by Resetting the Earbuds
There is a chance that one of your Sony WF-1000XM3 headphones isn’t working properly due to pairing issues.
One of the best ways to fix this problem is resetting your headset. This one is not the fastest solution, as it would take you a few minutes, but it’s pretty effective. It will instantly reset your device’s settings, including the pairing information.
Once you complete the reset process, you should be able to pair your earbuds again, just like you did the first time you used them.
Here are all of the steps to resetting your Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds:
First of all, put your earbuds back into the charging case. Once you make sure they’re placed in the case correctly, leave the lid on and proceed to the next reset step.
Then, you should find the touch sensor on the left earbud and hold it. The indicator light will start flashing and then switch off.
Step 1 – Press the sensor on the left bud and hold it for about 20 seconds.
In general, this shouldn’t take longer than 20 seconds. When the indicator light turns off, you can remove your finger from the touch sensor.
Step 2 – Release the touch sensor when the left earbud LED starts flashing red.
You should repeat the same steps for the right earbud to complete the reset process.
Step 3 – Press the touch sensor on the right bud and hold it for about 20 seconds.
Step 4 – Release the touch sensor when the right earbud LED starts flashing red
Now you can re-pair your headphones and check whether both earbuds are working properly.
Step 5 – Pair the earbuds with your device.
How to Reset Sony WF-1000XM3 Earbuds
Issues With Resetting Your Sony WF-1000XM3 Earbuds?
If the indicator light on one of the earbuds didn’t start flashing, your headset might be damaged or malfunctioning.
To make sure you did everything right, you should repeat the reset process once again.
In case the light still fails to start flashing, you should hold the touch sensor for 30 to 40 seconds. If the light begins flashing, you can proceed to the next step of the reset process.
On the other hand, if the light is still turned off, you may have a damaged headset on your hands.
Inspect for Possible Battery Issue
Battery and charging issues, in general, are a common reason why one of your earbuds stopped responding.
The two most common battery issues with the Sony WF-1000XM3 headset are:
- The charging case is not properly charged
- The battery is dead or malfunctioning
You can try out these solutions, one by one, to see if they fix the problem.
Properly Charge Your Sony Headset Case
If your Sony earbud case isn’t fully and properly charged, it may stop charging your earbud. So, you should make sure that your case is fully charged.
If you’ve been charging your case through your computer, you should consider switching to a USB AC adaptor. Then, charge your case by connecting it to the USB AC adaptor and plugging the adaptor into an electrical socket.
Moreover, you should never charge your Sony headset case via a USB hub. Connecting your case directly to your computer is the only way to keep it fully charged.
Charge your Sony charging case. Try using different charging methods if one doesn’t work.
Changing the Battery in Your Sony Earbud
Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds run on a coin cell battery that’s replaceable, and the process won’t take more than a few minutes.
You should find a replacement battery for your specific model on Amazon or eBay. When your new battery arrives, it’s time to get your earbud and start screwing!
Inside each earbud, there’s one VARTA coin cell battery. The exact model is CP1254 A3, Li-Ion 3.7V.
For this activity, you’ll need a small star-headed screwdriver. You can also take a small plastic pry tool and plastic picks made for opening smaller gadgets. You’ll need them to open your headphones if you don’t have sharp nails.
The type of the tool is irrelevant as long as you don’t use metal. Your old battery may not be fully drained, so metal is not the best idea.
Unlike some other earbud models, SONY WF-1000XM3 earbuds are relatively easy to open.
Steps to Changing the Battery in Your Earbud
The first step in changing your battery is removing the top cover of the faulty earbud. You can use a plastic pick or even a thin screwdriver. You should be very careful not to damage the earbud.
Step 1 – Remove the top cover.
When you remove the top, you’ll see a gold, wider part of the earbud and a black, more narrow part. You’ll also see two small nails on the sides of the gadget.
You should use the star-headed screwdriver to unscrew those two screws.
Step 2 – Unscrew two screws.
You’ll then be able to lift this part of the earbud as well. You should not completely remove this part, as the golden ribbon at the top of the earbud has to remain connected. This part is responsible for sending data, and it’s the most sensitive part of the device.
So, carefully lift the narrow part of the cover to reveal the battery.
Step 3 – Lift the narrow plastic part to expose the battery. Be careful with that golden ribbon.
Then, you should use your nail or a thin prying tool to remove the old battery.
Step 4 – Remove the dead battery and replace it with a new one.
After removing it, you should peel off the tape from your new battery and carefully place it where the old one was.
Then, you can put the cover back on and screw the screws in before you close the earbuds.
If you did everything right, you should hear a clicking sound. In case your earbuds don’t click when you put them back together, you didn’t screw the screws in properly.
Are you having issues picturing this process? You can watch the complete battery change for Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds below.
SONY WF-1000XM3 Replacing Earbud Battery
Replace Your Earbud
If none of these solutions work, your earbud may be damaged beyond repair. So, the only thing you can do is replace it.
According to Sony, you should find an Authorized Services Center and send your headset and charging case to them for replacement. They’ll get you a new earbud and reconnect it to the rest of your headset.
Once you receive your Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds from the Center, you’ll immediately be able to use them.
This option may be costly, and it could take a while before you get your Sony headset back. So, the alternative is to find a replacement earbud on Amazon or eBay and set up the earbuds on your own.
When your replacement earbud comes, you’ll have to re-initialize it. You’ll do that by following the factory reset steps written above.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Question: How do I fix my Sony earbuds if only one side works?
- Answer: If only one side of your Sony headset works, there are a few solutions you can try out.
- First of all, you should clean the earbud that’s not working with a dry cloth to remove dirt and moisture. Then, you can reset both earbuds to try to remove bugs that may be preventing one of them from working. If your headset is connected to a voice assistant, disconnect them. Replacing the battery on the earbud may help if the battery is dead.
- Question: How do I use only one earbud on my Sony WF 1000xm3?
- Answer: Sony WF 1000xm3 earbuds can be used separately, meaning you can listen to music from only one earbud. You only need to keep the earbud you’re not using in the charging case, and the other one will work just fine. When you want to use both earbuds, you should take the other earbud from the charging case, and they’ll automatically connect to each other.
- Question: Why is only one of my earbuds dead?
- Answer: One dead earbud can be caused by various issues:
- A dead battery
- Dirt
- Moisture
- Firmware bug
- Damaged earbud
- Question: Can I use a voice assistant on both Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds?
- Answer: No, you can’t use a voice assistant on both Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds. Only one earbud works with a voice assistant.
Conclusion
There you have it — I tried to list all the solutions to your Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds one side not working issue.
Hopefully, you managed to fix the issue, and you can enjoy your favorite tunes using both of your Sony earbuds.
If not, follow the provided instructions to successfully replace your damaged Sony WF-1000XM3 earbud in just a few minutes!
