How To Increase Bass on AirPods: 5 Simple Ways

AirPods don’t have enough bass? Here are 5 simple ways to increase the bass on iPhone, Mac, or Android.

Apple AirPods are one of the best-selling wireless gadgets on the market, with more than 150 million users worldwide. Below are the steps on how to make AirPods (1,2,3 & Pros) into bassy earbuds as well as boost bass on AirPods Max headphones.

How To Increase Bass on AirPods?

Apple AirPods lack an app with an equalizer (EQ). There’s also no EQ in settings on iOS devices.

Therefore, you must be creative to boost the bass on AirPods (AirPods 1, 2, 3, Pro, Pro 2, and Max)

Use the “jump to” links below for specific instructions:

1. Turn on Bass Booster in Apple Music
2. Boost AirPods Bass in Spotify
3. Mac: Use Free EQ apps
4. Increase AirPods Bass on Android
5. How to Get More Bass Out of AirPods Without EQ

Most music players come with their audio equalizer. In this article, we will be covering two of the most common players people have: Apple Music and Spotify. Scroll below for instructions.

This method only changes the sound when using a music player. The equalizer doesn’t affect the sound from other apps like YouTube, Netflix, etc.

• Use third-party equalizer apps.

Third-party equalizers are accessible through App Store or internet browsers (if you’re using macOS).

An EQ app lets you boost the bass quality no matter where you listen to music, whether via MP3 files or through Spotify and YouTube.

However, the catch is that you only get free equalizers for macOS. Unfortunately, the App Store doesn’t offer any good free third-party EQ.

1. Turn on Bass Booster in Apple Music

The Apple Music streaming app only offers EQ presets or modes and not a fully adjustable equalizer. You have limited control over how much bass boost you want to add.

Nonetheless, here’s how you access the EQ settings:

1. On your iOS device, go into “Settings” and scroll down the menu on the left until you find “Music.” Tap on “Music.”

2. Now you have the Music settings on the right side. Tap on “EQ” and select “Increase Bass” or any other EQ preset that works best for you.

2. Boost AirPods Bass in Spotify

If Spotify is your primary music source, this is how you boost bass on your AirPods.

Access EQ within Spotify:

1. On your home page, tap on the “gear” icon in the top right corner. Select “Playback.”

2. Scroll down to the bottom until you find “Equalizer,” and tap on it. Now you can play with custom settings for the EQ on top, and EQ presets on the bottom.

Adjust the 60Hz slider up and down to find the perfect spot.

Why there are no iPhone EQ apps

There are no free equalizer apps on the App Store.

Most apps claiming to be “bass boosters” are essentially music players that require you to have your music stored locally or in the cloud.

Some apps also offer the option to apply the EQ when streaming via Apple Music or TIDAL.

But since you have to pay more for the EQ subscription than the actual music streaming service, it doesn’t seem worth it. Especially since music streaming apps already have equalizers (like Spotify above).

3. Mac: Use Free EQ apps

Unlike iOS, macOS doesn’t rely on (apparently) a restrictive App Store to get apps. On a Mac you can find free third-party equalizers.

Based on our research, these equalizers work the best. Moreover, they apply audio settings across all apps and system sounds.

eqMac

Link to the official eqMac website

We highly recommend this app as it offers all the necessary features for free. 

The ones locked behind the PRO version are App Mixer, Super Preset, Master Volume, Spatial Audio, and Extra Effects. However, you don’t need them if you only want to boost bass.

On the other hand, these are the things that you get free of charge:

• 10-band custom equalizer
• Bass, Mid, and Treble boosters

Boom 2

Link to the official Boom 2 website

A neat app that will try to tune not only your headphones but your speakers as well.

It offers many features to play around with. But to use it indefinitely, you’ll have to pay a subscription.

Thankfully, you can try it in a 7-day trial and see how it works.

A few features that you get:

• 31-band custom equalizer
• Soundstage booster
• Mobile app remote control
• Speakers tuning

4. How to Increase AirPods Bass on Android?

There are many options to boost Apple AirPods’ bass if you use them on Android (despite the disadvantage of missing many features).

Google Play store offers many free third-party equalizer apps. Here are the best ones.

Flat Equalizer – Bass Booster

Link to the Google Play Store

A straightforward app that applies sound changes to all apps on your device. It offers:

• Bass Boost feature with adjustable intensity
• 10-band custom equalizer
• EQ presets

SpotiQ Ten – Equalizer Booster

Link to the Google Play Store

Yet another simple equalizer app that offers all the necessary features for free.

Furthermore, the audio changes apply to all apps on your device.

The app offers:

• 10-band custom equalizer
• EQ presets
• Compressor (PRO version)

5. How to Get More Bass Out of AirPods Without EQ

Software-based solutions above work well, but only on a single device.

Unless you plan to update equalizer settings on all the other devices (laptop, smartphone, tablet), you should consider physical upgrades that boost the bass.

That is also the only option for iPhone owners since the latter doesn’t offer an EQ covering all the apps.

Use foam ear tips (for AirPods Pro)

Even if the included silicone earbud tips provide a sufficient seal at first, they loosen up after a while. Plus, the combination of ear wax and sweat makes your ear canal slippery, pushing the ear tips out.

On the other hand, foam ear tips are immune to that. They better adapt to your ear shape so they don’t fall out as easily.

The foam doesn’t last as long as silicone. If you’re a heavy user, you will have to replace the tips every 6 months or so.

Comply is usually the most trustworthy (or at least the most well-known) brand that makes foam ear tips.

Use silicone attachments (for AirPods 1, 2, and 3)

You can get various types of silicone attachments. Some ensure better stability, while others mimic in-ear headphone design by sealing your ear canal.

Simple silicone attachments

These are basically silicone sleeves you put on your AirPods to prevent them from slipping out.

Some even come with ear fins that latch inside your ear lobe, transforming AirPods into secure earbuds for sports.

Better stability ensures AirPods move around less. Consequently, the sound stays more consistent during use.

Ear tip attachments (for AirPods 1, 2, and 3)

Getting a pair of these transforms your regular AirPods into AirPods Pro (sort of).

The ear tip attachment means the sound gets channeled directly into your ear canal, contributing to a better bass response.

Furthermore, you hear less ambient sound that would otherwise interfere with how well you hear lower frequencies.

Clean your earbuds (AirPods 1, 2, 3, Pro, Pro 2)

If you feel like the sound quality degraded over time, check if your earbuds are clean.

You would be surprised how quickly your ear wax and other debris can stick to the mesh inside the nozzle. That creates a thick layer of grease that muffles the sound.

See how to clean earbuds in our separate article.

Bonus Tips for Boosting Bass on AirPods

Here are other things to try that give a boost to the low end.

Leave active noise cancellation enabled

This advice is optional as the difference is so minimal most users won’t notice it.

However, through some extensive A/B testing, the ANC mode on Apple AirPods Max gives a slightly punchier bass sound.

The reason is that ANC reduces outside noises that otherwise interfere with music listening, causing you to hear bass more clearly.

Increase the quality of the audio source

While higher-quality audio doesn’t increase the bass quantity, it improves its sound quality. And when you’re boosting the bass, you will want to retain its quality as much as possible.

However, there is a catch: to increase the source’s quality with AirPods, you must use Apple services and devices. That means you have to play music via Apple Music using iPhone or iPad.

AirPods prefer using AAC Bluetooth codec, which works best on Apple devices. Sure, non-Apple devices can also encode and decode AAC signals, but Apple’s processing is superior.

That’s why you hear an audible difference when using Apple Music or Spotify on the same device.

For further reading, check:

• Top headphones for bass
• How to boost bass on PC
• What you need to know about bass headphones and earbuds

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

These are all the methods that will boost the bass on your Apple AirPods headphones. To recap:

• Use an equalizer (the one built into a music player or streaming service, or download a third-party equalizer app)

• Try different silicone attachments that fit a specific AirPods model to increase stability and create a better in-ear seal

Hopefully, one of our tips helped boost the bass and make your Apple AirPods punchier. You can also check our article to see if AirPods have good bass and which ones have the best lows.

Furthermore, if you’re looking to increase bass on different devices, check out our separate article on how to increase bass on headphones.