How to adjust the left & right volume balance on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch

Learn how to adjust the left and right earbud volume balance on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch to listen per your preference.

A woman wearing headphones

My reason for having to adjust the audio balance came in the form of a fateful rendez vous between my AirPods and the washing machine. Not to flog a dead horse, but when I recovered my wireless earbuds from the pants that had just been treated to an hour of thorough hot washing, I quickly had the unsettling hunch that the fresh and clean look of my AirPods had come at a high cost.

An impromptu test immediately confirmed that worry, as the right AirPod had taken a beating and no longer emitted noise at the same volume levels as the left pod.

Thankfully, Apple has long given us control over the stereo balance on our devices, effectively supplying a software trick to fix faulty hardware or a vital accessibility feature depending on your motivation to tinker with the sound output.

Keep in mind that changes to the balance will naturally affect all headphones connected to your device, not just the one currently paired or plugged in. Alas, this could mean having to switch the balance around at times when alternating between earbuds, but this should be a small price to pay in exchange for the chance to rehabilitate a loved but long-lost device.

Faulty earbuds, hearing impairment, or one ear that appreciates Psy’s Gangnam Style slightly more than the other, here is how to modulate the stereo balance of your favorite headphones on iOS, macOS, and watchOS.

Adjust the left and right audio balance

This preference is not saved to your AirPods, EarPods, or the concerned Bluetooth headphones. You’ll have to follow the steps individually on each device.

On iPhone and iPad

  1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device and tap Accessibility.
  2. Select Audio & Visual from the Hearing section.
  3. Under Balance, the adjustable pin will sit comfortably in the center by default. Scrub left (L) or right (R) on the scale to adjust the audio mix between the left and right channels.
Adjust audio volume balance in iPhone Accessibility settings

On Mac

  1. Open System Settings and select Sound from the left sidebar.
  2. Drag the slider in the Balance section towards the Left and Right positions.
Adjust earphone left and right balance in Mac sound settings

On Apple Watch

You can change this setting directly from your wrist or using the companion Watch app. As soon as the Apple Watch audio balance is altered, Bluetooth earbuds connected directly to your Apple Watch will be impacted by the updated setting.

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Go to Accessibility.
  3. Scroll down and tap L (light) or R (right) to adjust it accordingly.
Adjust audio volume balance between left and right channels on Apple Watch

If you do not like navigating on the tiny screen, you can adjust this settings from your iPhone:

  1. Open the Watch app and tap Accessibility from the My Watch section.
  2. Scroll down and adjust the audio volume balance between the left (L) and right (R) channels.
Set volume balance between left and right channels in Watch app

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