How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working

Learn how to open up your Beats headphones so you can swap out broken parts, fix a loose wire, do a DIY repair, or just marvel at the engineering behind them.

If you hear a crackling sound or a dead left/right speaker on your Beats headphones, you may think the only way out is to get rid of them. But Beats headphones aren’t exactly cheap nor disposable for most people.

Worse, while there are official repair services from Beats, it can take weeks before you’ll get your headphones back. Even then, you may still end up paying a significant amount of money, which you could use to buy a new pair of headphones instead.

That’s why, in this article, you’re going to learn how to open up your Beats headphones to find and fix the problem yourself. By doing so, you’ll save time and money that you’d otherwise spend by using repair services.

Let’s dive right in.

In This Article

  • Four Reasons to Take Apart Beats Headphones
  • Tools Needed to Open Up Your Beats Headphones
  • How to Open Up Beats Studio 2.0
  • How to Open Up Beats Solo 2 Wireless
  • How to Open Up Beats Solo 3 Wireless
  • How to Open Up Powerbeats Pro
  • Conclusion

Four Reasons to Take Apart Beats Headphones

The thought of opening up electronic products may seem daunting if you haven’t done it before, but it’s not as scary as you think. All you need to do is loosen up some screws, pry out some plastics, and before you know it, you’ve disassembled your headphones.

If you’re unsure if this is the right step, here are some of the most common reasons why you may need to open your Beats headphones:

How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
Beats headphones with screwdriver

Audio issues and diagnosis

A crackling sound, a dead speaker may happen for several reasons, but the most common causes are loose wire or faulty speaker units. If you have this issue, you can reconnect the loose wire or replace the faulty speaker unit by disassembling your Beats headphones.

Opening up your Beats headphones can also help you narrow down the issue and therefore take the best course of action.

Buttons not responding to presses

Wearing your Beats every day will eventually wear down the buttons to the point they’re not responsive to presses. Overtime usage can also lead to dust build-up in the crevices of the button, making them stiffer and less responsive. Either way, disassembling your Beats will help you replace the button or clean the dust buildup easier.

Faulty batteries

If you have wireless Beats headphones, faulty batteries may be an issue that you’ll eventually face as you wear them down. Sending away your headphones to repair stores could mean you’ll have to wait in line with other broken-down Beats headphones. This can sometimes go for weeks.

However, a faulty battery replacement is one of the easiest repairs that you can DIY quickly at home. Knowing how to disassemble your Beats will allow you to replace the faulty battery with a new one without having to wait for weeks.

Plain old curiosity

Another reason to disassemble your Beats is curiosity. Some people are more curious than others.

Despite its premium price tag, Beats is the second most popular headphone brand in the U.S., only behind the Apple AirPods. And aside from the raging celebrity endorsements, a lot of it is because of the reputation each Beats headphones hold in the audio industry. If you’re ever wondering how the manufacturers achieve the infamous Beats sound, breaking them open could be a start to figuring out the mechanism behind it.

Remember that opening up your Beats headphones will void their warranty and can potentially make the problem worse if not done right. Proceed at your own risk.

Tools Needed to Open Up Your Beats Headphones

Before you start disassembling your Beats headphones, it’s best to prepare all the necessary tools you’ll need. Having all your tools ready will save you from the hassle of stopping mid-disassembly and losing track of the process.

Here are the tools you’ll need for opening up your Beats headphones:

  • Phillips Size 0 screwdriver
  • Flathead screwdriver
  • Plastic or metal prying tool (or old credit card)
  • (Optional) Exacto knife
  • (Optional) Heat gun

Alternatively, you can get a whole set of electronic repair kits that includes everything you’ll need for disassembling your Beats headphones.

Once you’ve got the tools ready, you can start the disassembly process.

Each Beats headphones model has a different body construction. Make sure you follow the steps for your specific Beats headphones model.

How to Open Up Beats Studio 2.0

If you have the Beats Studio 2.0 headphones, you can follow these steps to disassemble them:

  1. Remove the center cap on the right earcup (the piece around the Beats logo) by prying it up using your plastic prying tool.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Take the center piece off by prying it open. (from: YouTube/Joe’s Gaming & Electronics)
  2. Once you’ve removed the center cap, unscrew the four Phillips head screws holding the body in place.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Unscrew the four Phillips screws holding the ear cups in place. (From: YouTube/Joe’s Gaming & Electronics)
  3. Remove the rectangular sections (the ones with “L” and “R” markings) near the adjustable hinge by prying it up.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Remove the rectangular sections labeled with “L” and “R” near the hinge. (from: YouTube/Joe’s Gaming & Electronics)
  4. Open up the hinge and remove it by pulling down on the earcup.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Open up the hinge by pulling down the ear cup. (From: YouTube/Joe’s Gaming & Electronics)
  5. You now have access to the internals of your Beats Studio 2.0 headphones.
  6. Repeat the same steps for the left earcup.

Pro tip: If you find it too difficult to pry open some parts of your Beats Studio 2.0, use a heat gun with low/medium temperature to soften up the adhesive.

How to Open Up Beats Solo 2 Wireless

The Solo 2 Wireless is easiest to disassemble since you only need a prying tool to get inside the earcups. Follow these steps to open up your Beats Solo 2 Wireless headphones:

  1. Unclip the plastic casing by prying it open.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Disassemble up the plastic casing by prying it open. (From: YouTube/Iulian Daniel Vladescu)
  2. Slide your prying tool to unclip the earcup casing. Be careful not to slice any cable or break any internal component.
  3. Once you’ve unclipped the earcup, proceed to unclip the plastic casing near the hinge.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Open the entire plastic casing all the way up until below the hinge. (From: YouTube/Iulian Daniel Vladescu)
  4. Open the casing by pulling them apart. Be careful not to apply too much force, so the pieces don’t break.
  5. You should now be able to access the internals of your earcup. Repeat steps 1-4 to open up the other earcup.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Pull apart the casing and you should be able to access the internals. (From: YouTube/Iulian Daniel Vladescu)
  6. If you want to remove the hinge, unscrew the two Phillips screws underneath the headband cushion.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Remove the screws underneath the headband cushion to remove the hinge. (From: Joe’s Gaming & Electronics)

Pro tip: Since the Beats Solo 2 & 3 Wireless are mostly plastic, you should use a plastic prying tool to avoid scratches or chips.

How to Open Up Beats Solo 3 Wireless

The Solo 3 Wireless has a similar body structure to its predecessor, the Solo 2 Wireless. You can open up your Beats Solo 3 Wireless by following these steps:

  1. Unclip the plastic casing by prying it open.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Open up the plastic casing by pyring it up. (From: YouTube/Joe’s Gaming & Electronics)
  2. Take apart the remaining plastic clips by sliding your prying tool around the ear cup.
  3. Move your prying tool towards the hinge and unclip the plastic case below it.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Unclip the plastic case near the hinge area. (From: Youtube/Joe’s Gaming & Electronics)
  4. Pull the casing apart to access the internals of the ear cups. Be careful not to use too much force.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Remove the casing by pulling both sides apart. (From: YouTube/Joe’s Gaming & Electronics)
  5. Remove the two Phillips screws under the headband cushion above the right hinge if you need to dismantle the headband.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Remove the screws underneath the headband cushion to remove the hinge. (From: Joe’s Gaming & Electronics)

Pro tip: You can remove the ear pads and use them as containers for the screws and components during the disassembly process.

How to Open Up Powerbeats Pro

The Powerbeats Pro is a little bit tricky to take apart due to its smaller form factor, but it’s not impossible. You can follow these steps to disassemble the Powerbeats Pro:

  1. Remove the rubber ear tips to avoid any damage.
  2. Use a heat gun around the Beats logo to soften up the adhesive.
  3. Use an Exacto knife to make an incision along the seam around the Beats logo. Be careful since the internal components are very delicate.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Make an incision along the seam around the panel. (From: YouTube/iFixit)
  4. Carefully pry the panel up to access the internals of your Powerbeats Pro.
    How to fix Beats solo 3 Wireless one side not working
    Open the panel to get access the internals of your Powerbeats Pro. (From: YouTube/iFixit)
  5. Repeat the steps for the other earbud.

Pro tip: The Powerbeats Pro earbuds use 200 mWh coin cell batteries soldered into the motherboard. Replacement is theoretically possible but can be very challenging and has a high risk of damage. So, if you have problems with your Powerbeats Pro’s charging case or battery, it’s recommended to leave the repair to professionals.

Conclusion

There’s always a benefit of finding the root causes of the issue and how to fix it. Whether you want to replace a faulty speaker or simply know the internals, knowing how to open up your Beats headphones will come in handy.

If you’re using Beats headphones, let us know the models and the problems you have with them in the comments. We’ll try to help you solve it in our future articles.

What do I do if my Beats Solo 3 only work on one ear?

It may be that you have half plugged the cable and so the headphone does not receive signals for one side. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you check and make sure the cable jack is fully plugged in. If required, eject the cable and plug it back in properly. Hopefully, it should resolve the issue for you.

Why is the left side of my beats solo 3 not working?

You can test to see which issue you need to fix by removing both speakers from your headphones and swapping the sides, if you put the speaker from the non-working side onto the side that works and the speaker works fine, it is the wiring that is the problem, if the speaker does not work, you just need a new speaker.

Why is the right side of my beats solo 3 not working wireless?

The right side speaker is not working Make sure your headphones are powered on and you are at a close proximity to the device. Beat Solo3 headphones may have a Bluetooth range of ~400 feet, but to ensure a connection try to have your device close by.

Why is sound only coming from one side of my beats?

Snapping, crackling, popping, or no audio on one side Check that your audio source is on and working. If your audio source is a computer or laptop, try adjusting the configuration settings. If you still hear distorted sound, try a different audio source and an alternate cable.