If you are a music lover like me, you must know how irritating it is when your headphones pause in the middle of a beautiful song. If you are facing this issue, I can feel you.
There are several reasons which may cause this issue. The most common is that your headphones’ jack is loosely connected to your mobile device. Another reason can be the auto-pausing feature of the music player application on your mobile device.
In this article, I will discuss the seven most common reasons to answer your question, “why do my headphones keep pausing”. Stay tuned to bid goodbye to your headset pausing problem forever!
💡Why do my Headphones Keep Pausing my Music?
I have summarised all seven reasons and their solutions in a lovely comparison table! Here, earbuds and earphones also come under the same category, “headphones”, as they keep on pausing for similar reasons.
| Reasons | How common is it? | How easy is it to solve? | Troubleshooting in brief | The time needed to fix (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dirty Headphone Jacks | Very common | Easy if you follow good headphone hygiene | Clean your headphone jack with rubbing alcohol, and use a phone cover for dust protection. | 30 minutes. |
| Auto-pause is active. | Very common | Easy if you follow the steps given in this article | Turn off the auto-pausing feature from your mobile device. | 10 minutes max!! |
| Software bug on your android/iPhone. | Very common | Quit easy | Clear the cache data of the running apps. | 5 minutes. |
| Excessive ear wax in your ear | Quiet common | Very easy to solve this issue. | Keep your ear clean and also clean your earbuds from time to time. | It is a hygiene practice that you need to maintain. |
| Your headphones are incompatible with the device | Less common | Quiet easy to solve this problem. | When you buy new headphones, check if they are compatible with your mobile device. | Just a few minutes of thought while buying headphones. |
| Poor connectivity/ low battery | Very common | Very easy to solve | Check the internet connection, reset the router, and charge your wireless headphones. | 20 mins for the Internet connection issue and 2 hours for the battery issue. |
| Your streaming app/video player is buggy | Very common. | It is not up to you. However, you can try others streaming apps while facing this issue. | Wait for the update. | Few days of waiting for a new update. |
🤢Dirty Headphone Jacks
If your headphone jack connected to your mobile device has excessive dust or dirt, it can pause repetitively. When I started to use headphones in high school, I didn’t care about headphone jack hygiene, so my headphones had to pay the price.
It frequently stopped playing, and I had to buy a new pair now and then!
To fix this issue:
I use a well-designed phone cover to protect my phone from dust and dirt. Prevention is better than cure! Isn’t it? If your headphone is still pausing frequently, even after following this step, there may be other reasons behind it.
⚠️Auto-Pause Is Active
I have used many headphones, earphones, and earbuds to date, and most have an auto-pause feature that enables headphones to pause after every half a minute of inactivity or when you remove one of the earbuds.
This feature seems to be very irritating to me. Every time I accidentally touch my ear and the earbud gets a little loose, the headphone pauses.
Your headphone may have this feature on. You can turn this feature off by visiting the headphone’s dedicated app. Search for the ‘sleep’ or ‘auto-pause’ option on the setting and turn it off.
🐞Software Bug On Your Android/iPhone
We generally use multiple software on our android/ iPhone devices. This software can have bugs that may cause the auto-pausing issue in your mobile device. In this case, I suggest you clear the cache data of the running applications in the background.
Sometimes, some music player applications have known bugs that can cause auto pausing of your headphones. In this situation, wait for the next update of the application.
👂Excessive Ear Wax In Your Ear
You may find it gross, but your earwax can cause this issue. As a natural process, our ear produces ear wax to protect the inner layer of the ear. But we should clean this ear wax from time to time. Otherwise, some ear wax would spread to the earbuds daily and damage them internally.
The best way to protect your headphones from this damage is to regularly clean your ear and earbuds.
🤜🏽🤛🏽Your Headphones Are Incompatible With The Device
Sometimes, the problem is not in your headphones but in your mobile device. I have many friends who have iPhones, and I have seen that many of my headphone jacks are not compatible with these iPhones.
Compare the metal band of apple headsets with your headphone, and if you can find any difference, it may be the headset that is incompatible with your iPhone.
That is why you should always check if your headphones are compatible with your mobile device while buying your headphones. If you have an iPhone, always try to buy Apply headsets, as it will give you a smoother experience.
📶Poor Connectivity/Low Battery
If you are using online audio players and the music keeps pausing, there is a possibility of poor internet connection. In this case, I suggest you check the router connection and reset it to get a proper internet connection.
If you are using mobile data, turn on the airplane mode and off it again (the ninja technique for all network issues!!).
Sometimes it is the low battery that keeps your headphone pausing repetitively. Many wireless headphones inform you about the low battery by pausing music repetitively. To avoid it, buy wireless headphones with long battery life.
🎶Your Streaming App/Video Player Is Buggy
Many famous streaming apps and video players like Spotify, Netflix, and Youtube sometimes get software bugs that cause your headphones repetitive pause. In this case, you can’t do anything but wait for a new update to fix the bugging issue. You can try using other streaming apps and video players that don’t have any software bugs running.
⏸️Why Do My Headphones Keep Pausing iPhone: Here’s Your Mistake
I have seen many iPhone user friends get frustrated with auto-pausing issues on their iPhones while using headsets. Siri keeps activated frequently while using headphones. Many reasons can cause it, the most common being when you accidentally press the home button. It will call Siri.
You can stop Siri from responding to your ‘“Hey Siri” command by turning it off. You must turn off the home button or side button that activates Siri. Apple gives you a wide range of control options for Siri that you can apply to solve this issue (See the official website).
Some other reasons can cause Siri to come up while using headphones.
🔎Why Do My Headphones Keep Pausing: FAQs
[1] Why does my Spotify keep randomly pausing?
If your Spotify keeps pausing while using headphones, it may be because you have a Spotify account activated on more than one device. If someone from another device logged into your Spotify at the same time you logged in to the account, your music would be paused each time they press the ‘play’ button on their device.
[2] How do I stop my iPhone from pausing music?
If your iPhone keeps skipping or pausing repeatedly, you can try restarting your phone, and if this trick doesn’t work, uninstall and reinstall the music streaming app on your phone. If both of these tricks fail, resync all of your music stored on your phone using iTunes.
[3] Why do my Apple earphones keep pausing and skipping songs?
If your Apple earphones keep pausing and skipping songs, it may be because the music app on your device has run a bug. In that case, you can try other music apps, but if it still happens, check the earbuds. If you keep your earbuds dirty and dusty, it can cause connectivity issues. Clean the headphone earbud and jack with soft cotton clothes.
[4] How much does it cost to fix your headphone jack?
If your headphone jack is damaged and you want to fix this, it will cost around 30 to 70 Dollars. However, this is subject to change with time.
[5] How long should a true wireless headphones battery last?
The average battery life of most wireless headphones is about 3 hours. Charging cases boost the battery life of these wireless headphones. A well-designed charging case can easily provide your wireless headset with 5 to 6 hours of battery life.
About the Author
Rach Wellard
Rach Wellard is the driving force behind Sound & Solitude. Her mission is to help you discover the profound impact of sound in your daily life and to explore the beauty of solitude. With a deep passion for the connection between soundscapes and emotions, she brings a unique blend of expertise and personal dedication to our platform.
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