There are few things as irritating as a beeping noise over your earphones, even if they’re Shokz(formerly AfterShokz) bone conduction headphones. Beeping noises can interrupt your music or movie and be an endless source of frustration during phone calls or online meetings. So why are your Shokz beeping, and what can you do to solve it?
Short beeps are simple prompts that happen when you press a button or access a function on your headphones. But more consistent beeps could indicate moisture in the charging port, going into pairing mode, incoming calls, bad connections, or software bugs. Shokz(formerly AfterShokz) beep for various reasons.
While understanding the beeping in your Shokz headphones, you might also find it interesting to learn about Shokz's latest model, the OpenFit. Check out my detailed review here: Shokz OpenFit Review: Not Bone Conduction, Not In-Ear, Definitely Not Boring
Most of Shokz’s prompts are done by a voice assistant, so beeps aren’t extremely common. The exact reason for the beeping noise will depend on your circumstances, so we must go through the possibilities step-by-step. We will begin with the simplest causes first and work from there since it’s always best to troubleshoot that way.
Beeping From Pressing Buttons On Your Shokz
Whenever you press a button on your Shokz headphones, it’s normal to hear a beep. For example, they might beep when you answer or hang up a call. These beeps should be once-off events with one or two beeps at a time. If they continue longer or you hear more consistent beeps, buttons are likely not the cause.
Two possible exceptions are the Volume+ and Volume- buttons. They make a beep every time you press them, and if you hold them in and reach the maximum or minimum volume, they might continue beeping.
Interestingly, your usage scenario could also impact your headphones’ function. If you’re wearing glasses or a helmet along with your headphones, this might affect their fit or button responses. Read my guides on Wearing Bone Conduction Headphones with Glasses and Using Bone Conduction Headphones with Helmets for more insights.
It’s also not impossible for a button to get stuck. Some models that don’t have high water-resistance ratings are also prone to liquid getting in under the controls, which could short-circuit some of the buttons into beeping constantly.
You can try to push all the buttons to see if it stops since this should get the buttons unstuck. If you know that your headphones were exposed to liquid that might have been too much for them to handle, switch them off and leave them in a well-ventilated area for a few hours to dry out. Try your Shokz again and see if that solves the problem.
Beeping Due To Incoming Calls
Some Shokz models, especially older AfterShokz headsets, make a beeping sound when your phone is on silent mode, and you receive an incoming call. They should also vibrate while making the beeping noise.
You should know if this is the reason for the beeping by looking at your phone screen. If, for whatever reason, you cannot look at your screen when you hear the beeping, you can try pressing the multifunction button once to try and answer the call or twice to cancel it. If the beeping stops, that was probably the cause.
Shokz Beep When Going Into Pairing Mode
When you pair your Shokz with a phone or other Bluetooth-capable device, your Shokz should make a beeping noise followed by a vibration. You should know when your Shokz goes into pairing mode since it hardly ever happens accidentally.
And yet, stranger things have happened. Shokz goes into pairing mode when you turn the headphones off and press the Volume+ button for 5 to 7 seconds. If you didn’t do this on purpose, one of two things might have happened:
- The Shokz might have been in a position where the Volume+ button was pressed for long enough to enter pairing mode. Maybe you’re leaning against something that pushed the button.
- We’ve already seen how liquid can cause short circuits in the controls. Such a short circuit could make the Volume+ button register continuously, causing the headphones to go into pairing mode.
You can solve these problems by ensuring that nothing is pushing against the buttons, no buttons got stuck, or letting the Shokz headphones dry out in a well-ventilated room.
Beeping Due To Bad Bluetooth Connections
Every time you connect your Shokz to a Bluetooth device, you should hear an audible beep followed by Audrey, the voice assistant, telling you that your headphones are connected.
The problem comes with Bluetooth’s limited range. Let’s say, for example, that you connected your Shokz to your phone to listen to some music. Then you walked away for some reason and left your phone behind. As you move further away, your headphones will eventually lose signal from your phone and disconnect, making another audible beep.
If you’re somewhere at the limits of your phone’s Bluetooth range, it could happen that your Shokz will consistently disconnect and reconnect until you move further away or closer.
You should know quite easily if this is the problem because Audrey should tell you you’re connected or disconnected. If that’s the case, it’s best to keep your phone or device with you while you’re moving around with your Shokz. Bluetooth is not intended to work well over long distances.
Beeping Due To Moisture In The Charging Port
Now we’re getting to the more serious errors and problems causing Shokz to beep.
It’s pretty easy for Shokz to pick up moisture in the charging port. Since they are commonly used by athletes, Shokz headphones are often soaked in sweat or exposed to rain and other sources of water. The charging port is one of the most accessible places for a liquid to enter, even if the headphones have a high water-resistance rating.
Related: Can You Shower With OpenRun/Pro Shokz?
If there’s moisture in the charging port and you plug it into the charger, your Shokz will start to beep furiously, and the LED will flash red. This is an indication that you should disconnect the charger. Shokz headphones have good charging protection built in, so there’s a slim chance for the moisture to do permanent damage, but it’s best to unplug it immediately and let it dry out.
Shokz recommends that if there’s any possibility that you got moisture in the charging port, you should leave the headphones to dry out in a well-ventilated area for at least 30 minutes before charging them. This will limit the risk of permanent damage to your Shokz headphones.
Video Conferencing Bugs
A 2022 update to Microsoft Teams had a well-documented bug that caused Shokz, and many other Bluetooth headphones, to start beeping whenever the users wearing them were muted. There are some reports of the same happening on Zoom, though fewer of those cases are documented. It seems to be mainly associated with Microsoft Teams and Shokz.
If that’s when you hear the beeping, that’s likely the reason for it. There are two possible solutions:
- Install the latest update for Teams or whichever video conferencing software you use. Microsoft released an update shortly after the bug was discovered to fix it, so updating should resolve the issue.
- Try to unmute yourself on Teams or get the meeting host to unmute you, then manually mute your Shokz by pressing the Volume+ and Volume- buttons simultaneously for two seconds. Audrey will say “Mute On” when your microphone is muted. Then repeat this process to unmute your mic when you need to say something.
Conclusion
There are many reasons why your Shokz might be beeping, especially in older models. Thankfully, most of these reasons don’t indicate serious problems and are relatively easy to fix. The issue with liquid in the charger is the most common problem by far, but you will have to determine the cause of the beep by looking at what you were doing with your Shokz when it started.
