Sony Headphones Problems and Fixes: Pairing, Battery, Sound

Sony Headphones Won't Connect or Keep Disconnecting

Sony headphones enter pairing mode on their own the first time you pair them: headphones when you turn them on, earbuds when you take both out of the case. To connect and pair Sony headphones with a second phone or laptop, you hold a button for about 5 seconds: the Bluetooth button on the WH-1000XM6 and WH-CH520, the power button on the WH-1000XM5, or the pairing button on the back of the charging case, lid open, on the WF-1000XM6, WF-1000XM5 and WF-C510. Pairing mode is canceled if nothing pairs within 5 minutes, and the WH-1000XM6 and WF-1000XM5 each store up to 8 devices; a ninth overwrites the one with the oldest connection date. Sony's WF-1000XM5 guide names one cause: if the headset "automatically connects to the last connected Bluetooth device", other devices may fail to connect. For drop-outs, the WH-1000XM5 guide starts with "Priority on stable connection", and the WF-1000XM5 guide warns that with multipoint "it may be easier for the sound to skip"; the full order is in why Sony headphones keep disconnecting. The default differs by model: the WH-1000XM6 starts on Prioritize Sound Quality, while the WF-1000XM5 starts on Prioritize Stable Connection.

Sony Headphones Not Charging or Draining Fast

Sony headphones charge through a USB-C cable, and Sony earbuds charge inside their case; the WF-1000XM5 case also works on a Qi wireless charger. For Sony headphones not charging, the WH-1000XM6 guide says charging "will not be properly completed" through a USB hub, a sleeping computer can't charge it, and other cables may fail. On the WH-1000XM6, a steady orange charging light means it is charging; a flashing orange light means abnormal temperature or abnormal charging. Sony headphones battery draining fast has seven named settings behind it on the WF-1000XM5: Prioritize Sound Quality, noise canceling or Ambient Sound Mode, the equalizer, DSEE Extreme, Speak-to-Chat, launching voice assist by voice, and Service Link. One earbud works as the "main headset unit" and drains faster, which Sony calls "not a malfunction".

How to Reset Sony Headphones

Sony has two levels. Resetting keeps your pairings and other settings; initializing restores factory settings and deletes all pairing information, so you pair again afterwards. Sony resets a headset that "cannot be turned on or cannot be operated", and initializes only if it still misbehaves after the reset. The controls sit in different places: the power and NC/AMB buttons on the WH-1000XM6 and WH-1000XM5; volume up and volume down together to reset, or power and volume down to initialize, on the WH-CH520; the reset or initialize button on the back of the charging case on the WF-1000XM6, WF-1000XM5 and WF-C510; and the buttons on both earbuds on the WF-C500. Other brands' steps are in the guide to hard reset wireless earbuds.

One Side Silent, Power and Speak-to-Chat

For no sound from one Sony earbud, the WF-1000XM5 guide says to pair again, set both earbuds in the case and close the lid, and clean earwax off the mesh of the earbud tip. Sony also notes that some apps needing HFP or HSP play a voice from only one earbud. A WH-1000XM5 that won't turn on may be charging: Sony says it "cannot be turned on while charging the battery", so remove the USB-C cable first. WF-1000XM5 earbuds also go silent during an automatic software update; Sony's fix is to set them in the case, close the lid and wait about 5 minutes. Music that pauses when you talk is Speak-to-Chat, which is disabled in the WH-1000XM6's factory settings and, once on, ends after about 15 seconds by default; the off switch is covered in How to Turn Sony Headphones On and Off.

Which Sony Model Do I Have?

Your Sony model name appears in two places:

1. Check your phone's Bluetooth list. Sony headphones show up under the model name, such as WH-1000XM6.
2. Check the product itself. On Sony earbuds with a case, "the model and serial numbers are located on the bottom of the charging case" and on the packaging; on Sony headphones, "the model number is located on the side of the unit".

The model name tells you which buttons to use in the table below.

Sony Model Identifier Table

The table covers the seven Sony models whose Help Guides we read for this hub, with the control each one uses to pair and reset and how it charges.

Model	Type	Pair and reset controls	Charging
WH-1000XM6	Headphones	Bluetooth button (about 5 seconds) to pair; power + NC/AMB to reset or initialize	Supplied USB-C cable; full charge in about 3.5 hours
WH-1000XM5	Headphones	Power button (about 5 seconds) to pair; power + NC/AMB to reset or initialize	Supplied USB-C cable
WH-CH520	Headphones	Bluetooth button (about 5 seconds) to pair; volume up + volume down to reset; power + volume down to initialize	Supplied USB-C cable; full charge in about 3 hours
WF-1000XM6	Earbuds with charging case	Buttons on the back of the case, lid open, to pair, reset and initialize	Case, supplied USB-C cable; earbuds and case full in about 2 hours
WF-1000XM5	Earbuds with charging case	Buttons on the back of the case, lid open, to pair, reset and initialize	Case, supplied USB-C cable or a Qi wireless charger; earbuds and case full in about 2 hours
WF-C510	Earbuds with charging case	Buttons on the back of the case, lid open, to pair, reset and initialize	Case, commercially available USB-C cable; earbuds and case full in about 3 hours
WF-C500	Earbuds with charging case	Buttons on both earbuds to pair, reset and initialize	Case, supplied USB-C cable

Sony's pairing article also lists the WF-1000XM4, WF-C700N, WF-C710N and the LinkBuds models, among others. We haven't read their Help Guides for this table, so check the Help Guide for your exact model before you hold any button.