
Experiencing issues with the left or right earbud not working is a fairly common issue among wireless earbuds, regardless of the brand, and it typically occurs due to one of three reasons.
The first is a pairing/connection issue, the second reason comes down to a battery issue, and the third is usually due to a hardware issue; this can be from damage or obstruction. But don’t worry, in most cases, the issue is quite easy to diagnose and solve. Let’s get right into it.
How To Fix Skullcandy Earbuds Only One Side Working:
Before You Begin: Start by re-syncing your earbuds
Skullcandy earbuds have a quick re-pair feature on almost all of their devices, so before you do anything else, this should be the first thing you try out. Since the process varies depending on the Skullcandy model you own we provide instructions for every Skullcandy earbud available. Simply find your device and follow the instructions below.
Skullcandy Grind / Grind Fuel / Skullcandy Push Active / Skullcandy Mod
- First, disconnect & forget your Earbuds from your device’s Bluetooth list (Phone, tablet, smartwatch…etc.)
- Turn Bluetooth off on your device.
- Remove both earbuds from the charging case, and ensure that they are both powered on.
- Press the button on the back of both earbuds three times simultaneously. (The LED will begin to flash as they re-sync)
- Your earbuds should then flash blue five times, indicating that both earbuds have successfully synced.
- Now navigate to your device’s Bluetooth list, turn it back on, select your earbuds, and tap on it to connect.
Skullcandy Dime
- First, disconnect & forget your Earbuds from your device’s Bluetooth list (Phone, tablet, smartwatch…etc.)
- Turn Bluetooth off on your device.
- Remove both earbuds from the charging case and ensure they are turned on
- Quick tap the button located on the back of both earbuds four times
- The earbuds will begin to flash red and blue as they re-sync
- Once both earbuds flash only blue, you are ready to re-pair them to your device.
- Now select your earbuds on your device’s Bluetooth list to re-connect them.
Skullcandy Indy Evo / Skullcandy Sesh Evo / Skullcandy Dime
- Start by disconnecting & forgetting your Earbuds from your device’s Bluetooth list (Phone, tablet, smartwatch…etc.)
- Turn Bluetooth off on your device.
- Remove both earbuds from the charging case
- Then place them back in the case
- Ensure both earbud’s LED turn red
- Now remove both earbuds from the charging case
- This should automatically place them in pairing mode.
- Now navigate to your device’s Bluetooth list, turn it back on, select your earbuds, and tap on it to connect.
If this didn’t solve your issue move on to the next step.
Reset Your Earbuds
The reset process varies depending on the model you own. We’ve provided instructions for every Skullcandy earbud model available simply find your earbud model and follow along.
Grind / Grind Fuel / Skullcandy Push Active / Skullcandy Mod
- First, disconnect & forget your Earbuds from your device’s Bluetooth list (Phone, tablet, smartwatch…etc.)
- Turn Bluetooth off on your device.
- Remove both earbuds from the charging case
- Press & hold the button only on the right earbud for 3 seconds (the button is located on the back of the earbuds)
- A tone will appear indicating that the reset process was successful, followed by a flashing purple light.
- Both earbuds will then begin to flash Blue indicating that they are ready to pair
- Now go back to your device, turn Bluetooth back on, and select your earbuds from the device’s Bluetooth list to connect.
It’s important to note that since the right earbud is the earbud that initiates the connection, it is able to connect to your device before it pairs with the left earbud, so in order to prevent this from happening, it’s recommended to take out the left earbud from the charging case first in order to prevent this issue.
Indy /Indy Evo / Sesh Evo / Skullcandy Jib
- First, disconnect & forget your Earbuds from your device’s Bluetooth list (Phone, tablet, smartwatch…etc.)
- Turn Bluetooth off on your device.
- Turn both earbuds off by pressing and holding both buttons on the back of the earbuds for around 6 seconds.
- Hold the button located on the back of one earbud for 10 seconds, then place it in the case and close the lid.
- Now hold the button located on the back of the second earbud button for 10 seconds and then place it in the case.
- Now Pull both earbuds out of the case to activate pairing mode.
- Turn your device’s Bluetooth back on and pair it to your earbuds.
Skullcandy Dime
- Disconnect & forget your Earbuds from your device’s Bluetooth list (Phone, tablet, smartwatch…etc.)
- Turn Bluetooth off on your device.
- Remove both earbuds from the charging case and ensure that they are both turned on
- Now double tap the button located on the back of either earbud, then hold for two seconds
- This resets your earbuds, then place them in pairing mode
- Only your left earbud should then begin to flash red and blue
- Now go back to your device’s Bluetooth list and select your earbuds in order to re-pair them.
Check If Both Earbuds are Charging When in the Case
As we mentioned above, there are a few reasons why one earbud may not be working. Apart from a pairing issue, this can be a charging/battery issue.
Your earbuds need to be resting on the case’s charging connectors in order to establish a connection. This means that if you notice that one of your earbuds isn’t charging, then that is most likely the case.
This can be due to either the charging pins being blocked by dust or debris, or something as simple as incorrectly placing the ear tips on the earbud, thus resulting in them not resting correctly on the charging pins.
What to do if one Earbud isn’t Charging
This can happen to one or both buds, and believe it or not; it’s quite common. If the red indicator light does not appear in your charging case while placing the earbud inside, then that’s an indication that your earbuds are not charging.
The most common solution to this issue is to let your earbuds sit out of the case for 2 hours or more in order to drain their battery before charging them again.
Additionally, this can be due to your case not closing effectively. A major cause of this can be debris blocking the charging pins, or the earbuds may not be sitting on the case effectively due to incorrect placement of the earbud’s in-ear gel.
Update Your Earbuds Firmware
Skullcandy occasionally releases firmware updates in order to fix certain issues, add in new features or improve on existing features. In some cases, if you tried everything above but are still experiencing pairing issues, it’s possible that your earbuds firmware needs to be updated.
To check if your earbuds firmware needs updating, download the Skullcandy app on your device, then connect your earbuds to the app. And you’ll be notified if there is an available update.