Google Pixel Buds

Google on how to fix Pixel Buds low volume, humming sound

Abner Li | Sep 12 2023 - 4:53 pm PT

If the volume on your Pixel Buds is low or you hear a humming sound, Google has published a guide on how to fix those issues.

We haven’t heard or faced these issues ourselves, but the Pixel Buds team must believe it’s a significant enough problem to warrant instructions on how to resolve it. Google is not referring to a specific model (Pro, A-Series, etc.) today.

Have you ever experienced low volume on your buds or humming sound? These situations are not ideal but have the possibility to happen right in the middle of our favorite song or on a call or during the most intense part of a movie.
Google

Notably, these steps require going into Android’s Developer options. To enable that, go to Settings > About phone and tap “Build number” several times.

The instructions for boosting volume are split between Pixel and all other Android devices. On Google phones, it involves switching off “Disable absolute volume,” which is off by default on Android 13 and 14 devices we checked. Find it under the “Network” sub-menu, but you can just search for it:

Go into your phone settings
Tap System
Tap Developers options
Under “Networking” turn “Disable absolute volume” off

On “Non-Pixel Androids” (yup), there are possible options:

Enable “Media Volume Sync” in your device’s settings:

Tap Connections
Tap Bluetooth
Tap Advanced
Turn “Media volume sync” on

Go to devices settings:

Tap Network
Tap Bluetooth
Select your Pixel Buds settings
Edit name of the device: Rename it: “ABS-DO-ENABLE”
Tap and hold the device name
Disconnect and tap on the device name to reconnect

While the steps to fix volume issues are relatively simple, it feels slightly odd that Google is directing Pixel Buds owners to Developer options rather than just updating the firmware, though that’s admittedly an infrequent occurrence.