Your headphones pause in the middle of the song if you love music. Why do your headphones keep pausing if you didn’t pause them? Is it your device, or is it your headphones? Why do my headphones keep pausing and what can you do to fix it?
Headphone may pause because of a lousy headphone jack or Bluetooth connection. Low batteries can drive headphones to pause the music, as well as a poor internet connection or a software problem. The dirt inside the headphones or the auto pause function can also cause them to pause.
Keep reading to learn why your headphones keep pausing and how to fix it.
Why Do My Wired Headphones Keep Pausing?
Wired headphones can pause your music for various reasons. The main culprit is usually the headphone jack, but here is a list of other reasons that may cause unwanted pauses:
- Headphone jack
- Bad wires
- Autopause
- Software issues
- Low battery
- Poor connection
Over the years, headphones go through a lot of wear and tear that can cause damage to the headphone jack.
If your headphones keep pausing, it could be because the jack is loose and not connected completely. The headphone jack also may be dirty or have water damage causing unwanted pauses.
Just like the headphone jack can become damaged through a lot of use, the wires can be too. If you are using your headphones, but they pause when you move, this could be a sign of a short in the wires. I
Autopause is another common feature that you may not realize you have enabled. It pauses music or videos whenever you have a notification, or the connector becomes loose. You can test it by playing music and removing the connector. If your music pauses, it is enabled.
Suppose your music pauses after you recently update your device. In that case, the software may have a bug or malfunction. Complete the uninstall and install process to update your software without bugs or wait for the next update.
If your device has a low battery, it may automatically pause your music or videos to save battery life. Charge your device and see if the problem keeps happening.
The last reason your wired headphones could pause is a poor internet connection. It needs to load when your music isn’t downloaded to the device.
If you do not have a strong internet connection, your content may pause because it needs to buffer before you can play more.
Why Do My Wireless Headphones Keep Pausing?
If you have wireless headphones that keep pausing, it may be an issue of autopause on your phone since there is no headphone jack.
Although auto-pause is typically the case for pausing Bluetooth earphones, there are also other causes:
- Poor internet
- Out of range
- Low battery
- Notifications
- Back tap
- Debris buildup or liquid damage
The main reason your wireless headphones could be pausing is a poor internet connection cause your music to buffer. If your music is downloaded to the device, it does not need to load, preventing pausing.
If you have a great internet connection, but your Bluetooth wireless headphones keep pausing, you could be out of range of the primary device.
All Bluetooth devices have a maximum distance you can be while using Bluetooth devices. If you step out of range, you lose connectivity, pausing the music or videos.
Some devices show notifications when you have a low battery. These notifications will pause your music, or your device will automatically pause your music if your battery is low.
Just like the low battery notifications pause your music, so will notifications about texts, emails, updates, or phone calls. These should only pause your music for a few seconds, but it can be annoying if you receive many notifications.
Some wireless headphones also have a feature called back tap. The back tap shortcut allows you to play or pause your music by tapping two or three times on the back of your phone.
You may have this shortcut enabled without realizing it, so if your music pauses when you touch the back of your phone, you are using the feature.
How Stop My Headphone From Pausing?
The first step in fixing your headphones and preventing unwanted pausing is identifying the culprit. Once you have found the reason why your music is pausing, you can solve the problem fairly easily.
Headphone Jack
If your headphone jack is loose or isn’t the wrong one for your device, you need to buy headphones or replace the jack.
Bad Wires
A short in the wires also calls for a new pair of headphones or bending the wires. You can find the location of the short by bending the wire and then finding a position that doesn’t cut the music. Then, add electrical tape to keep it in position.
Auto Pause
You can turn off autopause on Airpods by navigating to settings and selecting Bluetooth. Then select the little information button and find Automatic ear detection. Then toggle it off.
To turn off autopause from youtube, go to the app and tap on your profile. Then select settings and general. Then toggle off the option for “Remind me to take a break.”
On an android device, you can turn off autopause by tapping the Activity Setup icon next to the “Start” button. Then find the auto pause section and turn it on or off.
Software Issues
If your headphones are pausing because of a software issue, you have to uninstall and reinstall the app or update it.
If you cannot uninstall an update, you have to wait until the next update is available.
Low Battery
Charge your device or keep your device plugged in to ensure your music doesn’t pause from low battery notifications.
Poor Internet Connection
Download your music to your device if you have a poor internet connection. This can prevent the problem of buffering from slow internet.
You can also try to fix your internet by restarting your router or purchasing a Wi-Fi booster.
Out of Range
With your wireless headphones, be sure to stay in the range of your device to prevent any unwanted pausing.
Back Tap
To turn off back tap on an iPhone, go to settings > Accessibility > Touch, and tap Back Tap. Then select the trigger that you want or toggle the feature off.
Debris buildup or liquid damage
Clean your headphones with a cotton swab as well as the port for connecting them. If your headphones have liquid damage, it is best to purchase new ones, or take them to be fixed.
Final Thoughts
Pausing headphones are annoying, especially when you are really into the music. If your headphones are pausing, it’s typically an easy fix.
Be sure to check the shortcuts of your phone and ensure there are no other triggers or automation for pausing so you can listen to your music uninterrupted.
