Sony Headphones Not Charging- Troubleshooting Guide

Charging your Sony headphones is a very straightforward process. All you have to do is plug it into your USB adapter or the USB port on your computer. However, there are a few reasons why your Sony headphones might not charge even if you follow the correct steps.

If your Sony headphones are not charging, the USB adapter or port might not supply any power to the headset. A non-Sony charging cable will also cause the same problem. When charging with a computer, ensure that the headphones’ firmware and computer software are all up-to-date. Lastly, if a reset does not help, the battery inside is likely at fault. Replace it yourself or contact Sony customer service.

This guide will look at all the necessary troubleshooting steps to understand why your Sony headphones are not charging and what you can do about it.

Related: Why Sony Headphones Aren’t Connecting

Initial Troubleshooting Steps

Before diving deeper into the other troubleshooting steps described below, here are a few initial questions to consider:

• Have the headphones not been used for a long time? If this is the case, the headphones’ charging indicator will not light up when you attempt to charge it. To fix this, simply keep the charger plugged in and wait until the indicator lights up like usual. It might take some time for this to happen.
• Have the headphones been exposed to extreme temperatures? Your Sony headphones will experience charging problems when exposed to extreme temperatures. That includes extremely high temperatures, like if they are left in a car under the hot sun. Or, the same could happen if exposed to low temperatures as well. The ideal charging temperature is 41 °F – 95 °F.

Incoming Power Supply

When facing charging issues with your Sony headphones, your first troubleshooting step should be to check its incoming power sources. That means checking the USB port if you’re charging your headset by plugging it into your computer.

However, if you’re not using your computer to charge your headphones, then check your wall socket, USB charging adapter, or power strip if you’re using one.

How it fails:

If your Sony headphones aren’t charging, there may be no power coming into it in the first place. For example, the USB port you’re using on your computer might be faulty or doesn’t have the correct voltage to charge accessories.

Alternatively, the wall socket, adapter, or power strip might also be faulty. Without any incoming power through these items, your headset will not be able to charge.

How to fix:

To fix this problem, here is a brief list of items to check:

• Wall socket: If you’re charging your headphones by plugging it into a wall socket, check that the wall socket is in good working order. You can test this by connecting the adapter to another wall socket to see if it works correctly.
• Adapter: The USB adapter that you plug into the wall socket is equally important. If the adapter is faulty, it must be replaced so that you can charge your headphones normally.
• USB port: If you’re charging your Sony headphones using your computer, check that the USB port you’re using is working. If it’s not, you will need to use another port. Also, be sure that your USB connection is direct to your computer and not through a hub or any other device. Doing this can affect its ability to charge.
• Computer is on: Your computer must also be on throughout the charging process. If it is off or goes into Hibernation or Standby mode, it will not charge your Sony headphones.

Use A Working USB Cable From Sony

All Sony headphones come with a genuine USB cable that is used for charging. These genuine cables are specifically designed to work best with Sony headsets for data transfer and charging purposes.

Why:

You can face charging problems when using incorrect USB cables to charge your Sony headphones. Even though the cables are interchangeable, third-party cables are not necessarily designed to deliver the correct flow necessary to charge your Sony headphones.

If you’re already using the correct USB cable, it might be damaged. For example, excessive twisting could cause the cable to break inside, which will prevent it from charging your headphones normally.

How to fix:

• To fix this, you will need to ensure that you have the original USB cable to charge Sony headphones.
• That way, you can rest assured that the cable can deliver the power necessary to charge the headphones correctly.
• Damaged cables cannot be repaired. So, you will need to purchase a genuine replacement to be able to charge your headphones.

Update Software or Firmware

Sony headphones are controlled by the firmware installed inside of them. This firmware must be up-to-date for all of its functions to work correctly, including its ability to charge.

The same is also true if you’re using your computer to charge your headset. The computer’s software, namely its operating system, must also be up-to-date to avoid charging problems. That way, your computer can detect and charge the headphones when connected using the USB cable.

How to fix:

• To fix this, simply download the latest firmware update for your Sony headphones. This process is done through the Sony Headphones app, which you should have on your computer or mobile device. 
• Once connected, simply click on the Menu for your paired headphones and select the version of your device.
• From there, you will be prompted if any firmware updates are available.
• As for your computer, update the operating system by using Windows Update (on Windows systems) or Software Update (for Apple systems).

How To Reset Sony Headphones

Once you have tried all of the troubleshooting steps mentioned above without success, you will have to reset your Sony headphones. If that does not work, the next step would be to restore the headset to its factory settings.

Here are the steps necessary to do that.

How To Reset Your Sony Headphones

• Plug the USB cable into the headset as you would if it were charging.
• Hold the Power and NC (noise cancellation) or Ambient buttons for 3 seconds.
• Disconnect the USB cable.
• Reconnect the USB cable to begin charging as usual.

When you reset your sony headphones this way, it will still retain its pairing information. So any device you paired with the headphones earlier should reconnect to them without any problems.

However, if you still can’t charge your headphones after performing this reset, you will need to restore the headset to its factory settings.

How To Initialize The Headset To Restore Factory Settings

• Ensure that the USB cable is not connected to the headset.
• Hold the Power and NC (noise cancellation) or Ambient button for 7 seconds.
• The blue indicator will flash four times before the process is complete.

By restoring your Sony headphones to factory settings this way, the headset will return to how it was when you first purchased it. Unfortunately, that means all settings and pairing information will be deleted.

Faulty Battery

If none of the troubleshooting steps above is helpful, then it’s likely that you have a faulty battery inside your headphones. When the battery becomes faulty, it will not charge or even discharge correctly and must therefore be replaced.

Check your warranty:

Before considering replacing the faulty battery, first check that your headphones are no longer covered by Sony’s warranty. If the warranty is still valid, you will be voiding it by opening up your headphones and performing a DIY repair.

Instead, you should communicate with Sony. They will likely ask that you send them the headphones to replace the battery or send you a new unit entirely.

However, if your warranty has already expired and you’re comfortable opening up your Sony headphones, then you can attempt to replace the battery yourself.

Replacing Your Sony Headphones Battery

• The battery is located on the same side as the charging port on the headphones.
• You will need to remove the ear pads and foam on that side of the headphones. Doing that will allow you to remove the outer shell and gain access to the battery.
• Then, disconnect the cable connected to the battery and remove the battery.
• Put the replacement battery in its place and reconnect the cable the same way as before.

Throughout this process, be mindful of any other cables you might come across. For example, some models will have a microphone cable in the same area. Be sure not to kink or twist other cables while replacing the battery and its power cable.

Sending Headphones To Sony For Servicing

Suppose your Sony Headphones are still covered by the warranty. If that’s the case, you will want to communicate with them directly about the problems you’re facing when charging the headset.

When contacting the customer service hotline, the Sony representative you speak to will likely ask you if you’ve reset the headphones and attempted to restore them to factory settings. The steps to do this were described above.

The representative will also ask for details about your headphones, so be sure to prepare the following information:

• The exact model of the Sony headphones
• The headphones’ serial number. You can find these printed on the barcode at the bottom of the original box.
• Other relevant warranty information.