In-ear headphones have come a long way in recent years, with some exceptional offerings from many different manufacturers available. Despite the high standard of headphones out there, like any electronic device, they can be prone to issues.
Why do my headphones keep pausing my music?
If you’re using wireless headphones and your music keeps pausing, this may be due to an issue with the Bluetooth connection, or a problem with your smartphone or tablet. If you’re using wired headphones, one of the main reasons that your music may be pausing is due to a build-up of dirt inside the headphone jack.
This causes the mobile device’s auto-pause feature to be activated, which abruptly halts any audio that is playing.
There are several potential reasons that your headphones could be causing your music to stop playing, and you’ll need to perform some troubleshooting to figure out what exactly is causing the problem.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to determine the cause of the issue, and how you can fix it.
Why Do My Headphones Keep Pausing My Music?
Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices have changed the way that we listen to music. We can now access any artist, album, or song that we like in any location with the touch of a screen.
The benefits that these devices offer to music lovers are endless, but that doesn’t mean they don’t come with some frustrating aspects.
One of the most frustrating things that can occur when you’re listening to music on a mobile device is the audio suddenly pausing without your intention. This is quite common when using earbuds or in-ear headphones, and it can completely ruin the experience of listening to music.
It may also happen when you’re watching a YouTube video, listening to a podcast, or streaming a movie on your mobile device. The audio abruptly pauses, leaving you puzzled and trying to figure out what’s causing it. Most of the time, your headphones will be the main culprit.
This can happen to both iPhone and Android users, although the causes could be different on these two popular operating systems.
You only need to look at online technology forums to see that this issue is experienced by many in-ear headphones or earbud users.
One of the most common causes for headphones pausing music is that the mini-jack plug on the device has become filled with dirt.
This can easily happen if you often keep your phone in a bag or your pocket, as the dust makes its way into the jack plug, which then prevents the headphone connector from being fully inserted.
If the cable can’t be pushed into the plug, this will mean that it may form the connection momentarily, and then the dirt will eventually push it out, causing the smartphone or other device’s auto-pause feature to kick in, stopping your music.
Most phones have this feature so that audio doesn’t continue to play out loud if the headphones are disconnected. It is designed to prevent disturbing others when you’re using your headphones in quiet environments where it is not appropriate to make a lot of noise.
Alternatively, the jack plug may simply have been worn down over time as a result of the headphone connector being repeatedly inserted and taken out. This wear and tear are more common on cheaper phones than it is on iPhones and other high-end devices.
Why Do My Headphones Keep Pausing and Opening Siri Instead?
If you’re an iPhone user, you’ve probably experienced the many benefits that Siri has to offer. This innovative voice-controlled feature is great for anything from making hands-free calls to searching for a recipe.
Although Siri is undeniably useful and effective, the feature can be very annoying when it malfunctions. Combined with a faulty set of headphones, Siri may start to disobey your commands altogether and cause more issues than it solves!
Oftentimes, if your headphones are pausing music on your iPhone, they may also cause Siri to randomly open. This can make it difficult to use your phone for messaging, browsing, or checking your apps, as Siri takes over what you’re doing without warning.
As I previously stated, the most common reason that this could be happening to you is down to a faulty jack point. The iPhone jack may have become filled with dirt and debris, and you’ll need to clean it out to assess whether that is what’s causing your problem.
You can gently try to clean out the headphone port on your iPhone by using a paperclip that has been straightened out, or any other thin, robust object. Gently scrape against the sides of the port, and see if any fluff or dirt comes out. If it doesn’t don’t force the object too far or you may cause damage.
If you find that the jack port on your iPhone seems to be clean, check the actual jack plug on the headphones to see whether it is in good condition. Most of the time, damage occurs to the wire which joins onto the jack plug, as this is where the most tension is applied.
If you notice that your headphones are showing signs of wear and tear, it might be time to invest in a new set. If they look to be in good condition, you will need to try some other methods to stop Siri from randomly occurring, which we’ll detail in the remainder of this guide.
Airpods Keep Pausing – Skin Detection in New AirPods
Apple’s AirPods are amongst the best-selling earbuds on the market, and for good reason. They’re designed to work seamlessly with iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices, and they’re packed with innovative features that make them stand out amongst the crowd.
One of the features installed on the AirPods 3 is the new skin detection technology, which essentially monitors the amount of water on the user’s skin to determine whether the AirPods are in their ears at any given time.
This means that when the AirPods detect that they are no longer in the user’s ear, they will automatically pause any audio that is coming through them. This allows them to preserve battery life more effectively.
If this feature becomes faulty, there is a chance that it could cause the AirPods to falsely think that they are not inside the listener’s ear, and pause the music as a result.
Check out this YouTube video that shows the features of the latest AirPod features.
How To Stop Automatic Ear Detection Pausing Music
To figure out whether the skin detection feature on your AirPods is causing your music to pause, you’ll need to disable the Automatic Ear Detection feature. If the problem stops, you know that the sensor which looks for the water content in your skin has become faulty.
AirPods Pro also has skin detection, but these are different from those installed on the Airpods 3rd generation. The AirPods Pro uses two optical sensors to determine whether they are in the listener’s ear, rather than measuring the water content in your skin.
Nevertheless, both of these versions of automatic ear detection can be disabled using the same method.
Firstly, you need to connect your AirPods to your Apple device. Then open the Settings menu on the device. Find the Bluetooth tab, and open this. You should see a drop-down menu with all of the Bluetooth devices that have been paired to your iPhone or iPad.
Locate your AirPods in this list, and tap the “i” which is in a circle next to the device. This will open up the device details, and you should see Automatic Ear Detection towards the bottom of the page. Tap the toggle switch and disable the feature.
You can then attempt to use your AirPods to listen to music again, and see if they are still causing your music to pause or Siri to be suddenly opened.
- Active Noise Cancellation blocks outside noise, so you can immerse yourself in music
Poor Bluetooth Connection
If the Bluetooth connection between your wireless earbuds and your mobile device is weak or malfunctioning, this may cause them to be unpaired, which would pause your music suddenly.
It’s a good idea to unpair your earbuds or headphones from the device and cause it to forget them. Then you can pair them again and this may solve the issue of a faulty Bluetooth connection.
Related Questions
Why does my Apple Music randomly stop?
If you find that a particular song, album, or podcast stops abruptly when listening to it on Apple Music, this is probably because the file has become corrupted. This may have occurred when you downloaded the track to your device. Try deleting it and redownloading it.
Why does Spotify keep pausing itself?
Spotify can randomly pause for several reasons. The most common is due to corrupted files, but it could also be because your account is logged in on someone else’s device and they are listening to music at the same time as you.
Why do my earbuds sound distorted?
When an earbud or headphone starts to sound distorted, this is a sign that the cable has been damaged. Wires are susceptible to wear and tear when they are used often, and they can easily be bent or dislodged.
