Sony headphones, such as WH1000XM5, WH1000XM4, or WH1000XM3, are known for high-quality sound output, noise-canceling technology, and durability. But, sometimes the headphones won’t turn on. So, how to fix it?
To fix Sony headphones that won’t turn on, press the power and AC buttons for 2 minutes, do a soft or hard reset, charge the battery, or replace the charger.
This is a trial and error process where you must find the issue and fix it.
Contents
How To Fix Sony Headphones That Won’t Turn On?
To fix Sony headphones that won’t turn on, do the following things.
- Hold the Power and AC Buttons for 2 Minutes.
- Perform a Soft or Hard Reset.
- Charge the Battery.
- Replace the Charger.
- Replace Broken Buttons.
- Replace Faulty Battery.
- Check for Faulty Internal Hardware Part.
1. Hold the Power and AC Buttons for 2 Minutes
Holding the power and NC button for 2 (or more) minutes has fixed this issue for several people.
- Plug in the headphones.
- Hold the power and NC buttons for 2 minutes.
- Once you press the buttons, the red light will turn off.
- When you release the buttons the red light shouldn’t turn on — if it does you didn’t hold the buttons for long enough.
2. Perform a Soft or Hard Reset
If Sony headphones won’t turn on because of a software glitch or bug, a soft or hard reset will fix it.
A soft reset will restart the internal software without removing the stored data (e.g. Bluetooth known devices, sound modes). A hard reset will the internal software, clear the internal memory and Bluetooth list, and restore the original factory data.
It’s recommended to soft reset the headphones first to fix software issues, and if that doesn’t work, then you can perform a hard reset.
To soft reset Sony Headphones (WH 1000XM3), do the following things.
- Connect the headphones with their charger (the charger must be connected to a power source).
- Wait until the red charging light turns on (you can continue even if it doesn’t turn on).
- Press and hold the power and the NC/Ambient buttons simultaneously for 10-15 seconds.
- Remove the charger and turn on the headphones.
To soft reset Sony Headphones (WH 1000XM3), do the following things.
- Press and hold the power and the NC/Ambient buttons simultaneously for 10-15 seconds.
- Release the buttons once the light indicator blinks a blue light 4 times.
- Press the power button once to turn it on.
To hard reset Sony WH-1000XM4, do the following things.
- Press and hold the power and the Custom buttons simultaneously for 10-15 seconds.
- Release the buttons after 10-15 seconds and turn the headphones on.
After a hard reset, you must manually connect the headphones with known nearby devices as it won’t automatically do it since its internal memory is cleared.
3. Charge the Battery
Sony headphones won’t turn on if the battery is drained or too low. Charge the battery for 3 hours before trying to turn it on.
To know if the battery is charging, check the LED light next to the power button. The headphones are charging if the LED light is steady red. If no light turns on after you connect the charger, the battery isn’t charging.
To know the battery level of Sony headphones, press the power button once (if the headphones are powered up) and the voice guidance will indicate the battery percentage (“Battery is about XX%).
If the headphones won’t turn on even for 2-3 minutes, you can’t know the battery percentage.
4. Replace the Charger
A bad or faulty charger won’t charge your headphones and they won’t turn on. To know if the charger is working, check the LED light next to the power button.
The charger is working and the headphones are charging if the LED light is steady red. The charger isn’t working and the headphones aren’t charging if the LED light is blank (no color).
Replace both chargers (wall and USB-C) if they aren’t charging the battery. If the headphones start charging with a new charger, the old charger is faulty. If the headphones won’t charge even with a new (or different) charger, the headphones are faulty.
You can verify if the charger (wall and USB) are working by connecting them to another device. If they charge other devices but not your headphones, then the headphones are faulty or the charging port is dirty.
Dirt can prevent the connection between the charging cable and the port’s pins. To clean the charging port, turn off the device, and use a toothpick or small brush to clean it (damp it with rubbing alcohol). You can also use compressed air to blow the dust out of the port.
5. Replace Broken Buttons
The power button won’t send a signal to the internal circuitry to turn the headphones on if it’s faulty or broken.
To know if the power button is faulty, connect headphones to their charger and check the LED light. If the LED light is red, the headphones are charging and should turn on (while connected to the charger).
If the headphones don’t turn on even when connected to a charger, the power button can be faulty.
Inspect the button to see if there’s dirt preventing it from pushing down or if the button is loose. Clean the surroundings of the button using a toothpick and try again.
You must contact the support or send the headphones to a local electronic shop repair to replace the power button if it’s faulty.
6. Replace Faulty Battery
A faulty battery won’t turn on the headphones no matter how much you charge them. You can damage the battery if you physically damage the headphones, improperly store them, or if they have completed their charging cycles.
Sony headphones use Lithium Polymer batteries that have about 500 charging cycles. A (1) charging cycle is completed if the battery goes from 100-0% and back to 100%.
The battery will still work after it completes its charging cycles, but its capacity will be gradually reduced until it won’t work anymore. If you have used headphones daily for more than 3 years, then you must change the battery.
An indicator that the battery has completed its charging cycles and has a low charging capacity is that headphones will keep turning off every 2-3 minutes even if you charge them for 3 hours.
To replace the battery, contact the support or send the headphones to a local electronic shop repair.
Note: Ensure to use an original battery with the same capacity as the old one. If you use a different type of battery with a different capacity the headphones may not turn on.
7. Check for Faulty Internal Hardware Part
The internal hardware parts that are responsible for turning the headphones on are the power supply, power button, batteries, and control circuitry. If any of these internal hardware parts is faulty or not working properly, the headphones won’t turn on.
To replace or find the faulty hardware part, contact Sony support (if you have a warranty) or an electronic repair shop.
The Sony Support Offers the following things.
- Live Chat.
- Text with an Agent.
- Request for them to call you.
- Call them.
- The support works from Monday – Friday 09:00 – 21:00 ET, and Saturday – Sunday 10:00 – 20:00 ET.
- Phone / Text Number: 239-245-6366