The Sony WF-1000XM5 comes with an ambient sound mode that makes it easier to hear external noises. If this feature does not appear to be working correctly, then you can check out this troubleshooting article from Seeking Tech to see how you can potentially fix it.
1. For the first step, you should make sure that ambient sound mode is properly enabled.
To turn this feature on, you have to tap the touch sensor located on the left earbud of the Sony WF-1000XM5. By default, you will be switching between the noise cancellation and ambient sound modes.
You can find the official video tutorial below:
2. If the volume of the music or video playback is too loud, then it may cancel out most of the effect of the ambient sound mode.
In this case, you can try lowering the volume. In order to do so via the touch controls of the WF-1000XM5, you need to tap the touch sensor of the left earbud four times in quick sucession.
3. You should also check to see if you are wearing the earphones correctly. Make you wear the proper ear tip size and that the fit in your ears is comfortable as well as secure.
4. Do not cover the microphone portions of the left and right earphones. Otherwise, the WF-1000XM5 may not be able to accurately determine the ambient sound noises.
5. While the earbuds offer IPX4 water resistance, liquid getting inside of these devices could cause temporary issues. In these cases, we suggest that you dry the wet earphones to see if the ambient sound mode will work as intended.
6. Using this specialized mode in windy or other extremely noisy environments may amplify some noises. In these scenarios, it may be best to simply take off your earbuds so that you don’t hurt your hearing.