The stove couldn’t stand his music taste, so it took control… literally.
A user made a surprising discovery when his induction stovetop started controlling his wireless headphones. While making breakfast, he realized that changing the temperature on his stove also changed the volume of his Sony WH1000XM4 headphones.
What Happened
gREGER2K was cooking pancakes on his Siemens induction stovetop while wearing his Sony WH-1000XM4 when he noticed something odd. His headphones started reacting to the stove’s controls, causing unexpected volume changes and playback issues.
The interference wasn’t constant but occurred when the cook made contact with the cookware.
Similar Experiences
This discovery led other users to share their own run-ins with electromagnetic interference.
One Redditor mentioned their Sony XM5 headphones experiencing a loss of active noise cancellation near their stove.
Another user, who has the same headphones and a Siemens stove, said they had similar issues but had thought it was because of oil droplets.
The phenomenon isn’t limited to kitchen appliances, either.
A user reported volume changes on trains when they sped up. Others even shared stories about TV remotes affecting fan speeds, electric fireplaces, and other devices.
These shared experiences suggest that these weird interactions between devices might be more common than we thought. Yet, it likely goes unnoticed or misattributed by many users.
The Science Behind It
While this is very strange, it isn’t some kind of voodoo.
The unexpected interaction between the induction stove and wireless headphones happens because of electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Induction cooktops work by creating a magnetic field that heats the cooking pot directly. This same magnetic field can mess with nearby electronic devices, including the sensitive touch controls on wireless headphones.
The closer a person stands to the cooktop, the more EMF radiation they’re exposed to.
And, in the case of wireless headphones with touch controls, these fields can apparently mimic finger touches. The result? Unintended commands like volume changes or playback controls.
Solutions and Workarounds
For those experiencing similar issues, there are several potential solutions:
- Disable touch controls: Many wireless headphones, including the Sony WH-1000XM4, let users turn off touch controls through an app.
- Maintain distance: Keeping the headphones farther from the induction cooktop can lower interference. The strength of electromagnetic fields drops quickly as you move away.
- Use alternative cookware: Some types of pots and pans might create stronger magnetic fields than others. Trying out different cookware might help you find ones that cause less interference.