AirPods or a Bluetooth headset sound bad when the mic is on

Why it happens

Bluetooth can send full-quality stereo sound, or carry sound both ways for a call, but not both at full quality at once. As soon as any app turns on the AirPods' microphone, they switch to a call mode that sounds flat and muffled. If the Mac's own microphone does the listening, the AirPods only play sound and stay clear.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings and click Sound in the sidebar. Click the Input tab.

   Sound›Input

2. Click your Mac's built-in microphone in the list, for example MacBook Air Microphone. Speak and watch the Input level bars move to check it hears you.

3. Leave Output set to your AirPods, so you still hear everything through them.

   Sound›Output

4. In your call app, such as FaceTime or a video meeting app, open its audio or microphone settings and pick the same built-in microphone. Many apps keep their own choice.

5. Quit any app you're not using that might be listening, such as an old meeting window or a voice recorder. An orange dot in the menu bar means a microphone is still on, and Control Center shows which app is using it.

Still not fixed?

1. If the sound stays muffled after the call, take the AirPods out, put them in the case for a few seconds and put them back in. That resets the connection to full quality.

2. On a Mac mini, Mac Studio or Mac Pro there's no built-in microphone. Use the mic in your display or webcam, or a USB microphone, and pick it in Sound, then Input.

3. If dictation keeps switching the AirPods to call mode, check which microphone it uses in Keyboard, then Dictation.

   Keyboard›Dictation

4. Update macOS, since Bluetooth sound fixes often arrive in updates.

   General›Software Update

5. If music through the AirPods still sounds bad with nothing using their microphone, try them with your iPhone. If they sound bad there too, contact Apple Support, as one or both AirPods may need servicing.