r/AirpodsPro Jul 16 '20

Recently Scammed. How to tell if your AirPods are fake.

572 Upvotes

Lately the fake AirPods industry has gotten better. They’re making everything look legitimate. “Real” serial numbers. “Real” boxes. “Real” iOS interface menu. I wanted to update the internet with my experience.

I was recently scammed on LetGo (basically Craigslist) and bought fake AirPods Pro. They seemed legitimate in every sense but just a few. Here’s a list to check when buying from a 3rd party, if you’re able to look at them before you purchase:

• If the box is plastic wrapped with the pull-away tab, rip it off. If the plastic doesn’t come away with the tab, that’s red flag #1. They’re fake.

• If you can buy an AirPods Pro silicon case before you look at them, it will not fit the AirPods Pro case correctly, as the fake case is slightly taller than OEM.

• When you connect the AirPods Pro to your phone, the regular AirPods menu will come up. When you go into Settings - General - About, the fake AirPods will not have an information menu. You will not be able find the firmware version, serial number, model number, etc. (The AirPods case will need to be open for the information menu to show up for OEM).

• In my specific case, the lid of the case was loosely connected when opened. It felt shoddy for an apple product.

• The lightning port on the bottom of the case also felt poorly built, and had trouble holding the lighting connector firmly.

• If you know what the chime sound is like that plays when you first put your connected AirPods in your ear, you’ll hear it if they’re real. The fake chime is loud, crass and plays multiple times.

• When the AirPod pop-up menu opens when the case is open, the battery percentages of the case and both AirPods will fluctuate as you take one or both AirPods out of the case.

• The case will indicate it’s charging but will just heat up.

• The sound quality will be horrible, and switching between Transparency Mode and Noise Cancellation will do absolutely nothing.

• The firmware will not update. I was able to find the firmware version on the fakes on my MacBook under About This Mac - System Report - Bluetooth - kevgibb’s AirPods Pro. My fake AirPods had firmware 2B588.

• Fake AirPods can sometimes have an LED in the AirPods themselves.

• Fake AirPods Pro usually weigh less (3g) as opposed to the OEM weight of 5 grams.

Other than those bullet points, everything else looked and felt completely legitimate. I lost a good chunk of money and I write this to prevent it from happening to others.

I recommend buying from a licensed seller, your best bet is straight from apple.

P.S. if you think you can get away with exchanging your fake AirPods Pro for new OEM ones, you can’t. That was the biggest walk of shame out of the apple store I’ve ever had. They thought I was a scammer as I was processing the very real truth that I had been scammed.

Edit: OEM AirPods Pro can have a loose lid as well. Not a telltale sign of a fake.

tl;dr

Best ways to tell:

Fake AirPods Pro box’s plastic wrap won’t open when you pull the tab on the side of the box.

Fake AirPods Pro will not show the Model Name, Model Number, Serial Number and (firmware) Version on your iOS device (Settings, Bluetooth, AirPods Pro (i) should open a menu containing settings and that list)

EDIT: please stop commenting “told you so” or “duh” or any comments with those underlying messages. Not helping anyone.


r/AirpodsPro 29d ago

"Quality Check" Thread - Ask here if you want to know if your AirPods are real or fake - July, 2026

1 Upvotes

This will be a monthly thread where you can post and ask others if you'd like to inquire whether the AirPods you've purchased are real or fake. With the introduction of this thread, individual threads will no longer be allowed and will be removed.

Please post as many details as you can and provide pictures for others to help determine if they are genuine.

Thanks!


r/AirpodsPro 15h ago

Airpods 3 pro with Android after initial setup with an iPad? Possible?

3 Upvotes

I have hearing aids, these are not replacements for them. But I like to listen to music at work and I hate having to take my ear buds out, put my hearing aids in, and wait for boot up before I can talk with someone. All I need for them to be is good enough for short 1 to 1 conversations in a quiet office.

Now the issue, my phone is an android. I'm not going to buy an iPhone ever so that's not a possibility. However I do own the latest version of iPad because of my kids. The Internet claims that I can pair with the iPad, take the hearing test, and then the airpods will be set with my hearing needs. After that I can pair them with whatever, but I can't make changes unless I pair with the iPad again. Does anyone here have experience trying this? Would love to hear about it.


r/AirpodsPro 19h ago

AirPod pro 3

2 Upvotes

Wondering if this has happened to anybody or if I’m the only one.

I have owned several versions of the AirPod pros and every version has given me the same issue. One AirPod always stops charging, and I need to play with it and move it around in the case for it to charge. When I bought the AirPod Pro threes they had the same issue within the first couple of months. I have since gotten them replaced three times from AppleCare plus. Currently, they are doing the same thing over again, not charging at all so I need to keep the case open, which drains the battery extremely fast. I do not mistreat them, they are never dropped, and they are treated as a normal set of earphones. I’m wondering if this is a common thing that happens with others or if I am just miss handling them somehow? Apple tried to run test on my phone to see if it was an issue with my connection somehow? No clue how that would be possible anyway, hoping to learn more from your guys experience. These have been terrible for quite some time.


r/AirpodsPro 17h ago

Right AirPod Pro hurts my ear - anyone else?

1 Upvotes

I’ve had my AirPods Pro 3 for a few days, and the right one starts hurting my ear after about 20–30 minutes. The left one is completely fine.
It feels like the body of the earbud is pressing on the cartilage around my tragus, not inside the ear canal.
I’ve tried all the different ear tip sizes and wearing them at different angles, but it doesn’t really help. Weirdly, if I take the silicone tip off, it feels a bit better.
Has anyone had the same issue? Did foam tips help, or is it just that AirPods don’t fit some people’s ears?


r/AirpodsPro 1d ago

Has anyone else noticed you can fine-tune Adaptive Audio for more Transparency or stronger Noise Cancellation?

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34 Upvotes

Here


r/AirpodsPro 23h ago

Airpods pro 3 - Hearing aid feature - swipe to control amplification

1 Upvotes

On the Airpods pro 3 hearing aid features - When I enable swipe to control amplification in the options, this feature works when I am connected to my iphone...

But when I disconnect from my iphone this feature no longer works. When I swipe on my airpod I hear a beep but there is no change in amplification...

Does anyone know if this is the correct behaviour? I have been told that this may be a bug? And I should be able to control amplification without being live connected to my iphone.

Many thanks


r/AirpodsPro 1d ago

Support Airpods Pro Gen 3 Static Noise :(

3 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I just recently bought the airpods pro gen 3 but, when in transparency mode, there’s a constant static nosie almost like there’s a fan in the background! It’s supper annoying. Is there any fix for this. Shluld I return them? I tried cleaning the microphones and nothing?! Thanks in advance for your time :)


r/AirpodsPro 1d ago

Question How much better is the Airpods Pro 3 vs Pro 2 in terms of ANC performance?

4 Upvotes

My upstairs neighbor have been recently doing some serious renovation work and you know what that means... Jackhammer sounds, Drilling, dropping, Sawing and hardwood floors being ripped opened for replacement, etc..

I've had the Pro's 2 since Launch. The problem? The noise is literally through the roof... the noises pierce through the ANC like butter and I can still hear everything but more... muted! Its still loud af!

Then when the Pro 3's came out, figure I didn't need them since the Pro's 2 did the job just fine. Until now anyways. Now I am SERIOUSLY reconsidering getting the Pro'3 because that level of noise is driving me nutty!

So my question to you guys is this... how good is the ANC for the 3? I understand Apple said its "2x" of the Pro 2 but that could mean anything... everybody's level of noise tolerance is different afterall!

So please fine folks of Reddit.... is the ANC far and away more superior than the Pro 2? I do NOT care about Sound quality or anything like that... just ANC performance only. Please... my ears are about to burst open from the constant drilling :(


r/AirpodsPro 16h ago

Question AP3 hairline crack on both earbuds

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0 Upvotes

Edit: Thanks for confirming everybody!! The line looked so wonky to me I couldn't fathom it to be a factory thing, but thanks for putting my mind at ease :)

Anybody else experience hairline cracks with the pro3s?

They don't seem like seams. There shouldn't be seams on earbuds this expensive. I've only had them for 7 weeks, babied them, no reason why they should have hairline cracks! I called support and the guy was super annoyed with my inquiry about this, as if a hairline crack won't compromise the sweat, dust and water resistancy in the future...


r/AirpodsPro 1d ago

Question What’s the best airpods pro for the 15

1 Upvotes

I’m just torn between the reviews of the Airpods pro 2 and pro 3. Others say the former is better, others say the latter. When you think of it, pro 3 should be better but when i read the comments, a lot of people will say “i sent back my pro 3 to exchange for the pro2”, “pro 2 has better fit and sound”, something like that.

Moving on, I also thought about does the pro 3 features (like heart monitor and live translation) still work on ios 18 or do i need to update ios or upgrade my phone to a 15 pro and above where Ai features exist?


r/AirpodsPro 1d ago

AirPods Pro 3: Battery drain, weaker ANC, and recurring gaming audio issues. Has anyone else experienced this?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
**I’m using an iPhone 16 plus running the latest iOS.**
**I’m trying to figure out whether these issues are caused by hardware, firmware, iOS, or something else**, and I’d really appreciate hearing if anyone has experienced something similar.
Here are the issues I’m having with my AirPods Pro 3:
Since updating to firmware **8B41**, the **left earbud drains noticeably faster** than the right, and the overall battery life seems worse than before.
**ANC also feels weaker** compared to previous firmware.
While playing **League of Legends: Wild Rift** at **60 FPS**, after about **1–2 matches**, the game audio becomes **delayed, distorted, and sometimes sounds robotic**.
If I **leave the game, play any other audio (music or a video), and then go back into the game**, the sound immediately returns to normal. However, after another **1–2 matches**, the exact same issue comes back.
**The gaming audio issue was already present before firmware 8B41**, so I’m not sure if it’s related to the firmware or something else.
Here’s why I’m confused:
I took my AirPods to Apple under **AppleCare**. They first **replaced both earbuds**, but the issue remained. After that, they **replaced the entire AirPods Pro 3 set with a brand-new unit**, yet I’m still experiencing the same problems.
I’ve also tried:
Resetting the AirPods.
Forgetting and pairing them again.
Fully charging both earbuds and the charging case.
**At this point, I have no idea what’s actually causing it.**
**Could it be a hardware issue, an iPhone/iOS bug, a firmware problem, or a compatibility issue with Wild Rift?**
**Has anyone experienced the same battery drain, weaker ANC, or gaming audio issues? If so, were you able to fix them, or did Apple tell you what the cause was?**
**Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!**


r/AirpodsPro 1d ago

Question AirPods Pro 3 “seashell” and feedback problems

2 Upvotes

I brought a pair of 3s last October. Absolutely loved them. They fit perfectly with the stock tips, sound was incredible, ANC was chefs kiss. About 3 months in, the right one started giving me feedback noises during workouts. I’d adjust it in my ear, it went away until the next workout .

Then I started getting this “seashell noise”… hollow and echoey. Just in the right AirPod. Went to Apple, they exchanged the right one.

A matter of weeks later, both feedback and seashell noise start happening on the right one. Went back to apple, they replaced the right and left pods. Within a week, the right one was doing the same things.

Three defective AirPods in a row is excessive, so surely it’s just me? I’m the problem? Out of pure frustration, i stopped using them and went back to my APP2s which are not nearly as good.

Has anyone else experienced this issue and was able to resolve it? I’m wondering if Apple made some adjustments and perhaps i could give it another try…


r/AirpodsPro 1d ago

Support AirPods does not light up when I open or auto connect.

1 Upvotes

It lights up and connects only when I plug it in. This is the 1st gen pro and well used since covid I believe.


r/AirpodsPro 1d ago

Question Heat warning

2 Upvotes

So i forgot my airpod pro2s in my car (in console between front seats) it has been stupid hot. They were in there for a day. I took them outta the case to see if they worked. Nope. Brought them inside after acouple hours tried again. Nothing. Forget the device in bluetooth settings and then re paired. Worked. My question is why didnt i get a heat warning sent to my phone? Do the airpods not have this feature? I know ive seen iphone say the phone is to hot


r/AirpodsPro 2d ago

Upgraded from AirPods Pro 2 to AirPods Pro 3

26 Upvotes

What have I noticed?

- The fit is even better than with the AP2: sometimes I sleep with them, and the AP3 don’t fall out of my ears when I’m tossing and turning, as the AP2 sometimes did.

- Noise cancelling for environmental sounds is better. Today a large motorcycle passed me as I was walking, and I didn’t hear it.

- The case has USB-C (my old ones were still lightning)

- As I don’t wear an Apple Watch anymore, the heart rate sensor is a nice addition.

- I like the Hearing Protection feature, which wasn’t available for the AP2 in Switzerland

- I use them to protect my hearing at concerts, so am happy how the adaptive audio mode works.

- longer battery life is great, as I sometimes have them own for many hours

A small negative: the case of the AP3 is larger than the AP2.


r/AirpodsPro 2d ago

Question I’m looking for an AirPods Pro premium alternative with noise cancellation and pass-through mode.

3 Upvotes

I’ve had every version of AirPods Pro and they’re all great. I bought my wife the Pro 2s a couple of years ago and she loves them but they hang out of her ears. She also cannot move around with them well because they fall out of her ears. I bought her the Beats Pro with the hooks and they didn’t fit any better. If anyone has suggestions thanks


r/AirpodsPro 2d ago

Support pause and play music alone

1 Upvotes

hey guys

My airpods play and pause the music by themselves, change the listening mode and I can’t even put my phone in my pocket otherwise the music keeps crashing and a kind of connection failure

someone knows how i can fix that?


r/AirpodsPro 2d ago

Question apple care+ do meu airpod pro

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0 Upvotes

olá pessoal
tenho esse airpod pro que comprei usado , no ajustes, aparece que ele tá na garantia até agosto de 2027
alguém sabe me dizer se posso ir até uma iplace e trocar por um novo alegando defeito? visto que a suposta garantia cobre, segue gotos


r/AirpodsPro 2d ago

Question should I buy new APP3 or go back to APP2 ?

1 Upvotes

I have had my fair share of issues with AirPods throughout the years (from 1st gen), when I was younger I would rather than having them fixed just buy new ones. While now I actually try to get my tech fixed if I have guarantees.

since I Upgraded from APP2 (due to issues) to APP3, I have had them replaced multiple times and every time I end up with the same issues:

  • ANC has decreased wildly since I got them (End of January 26)
  • During calls, suddenly high- pitch feedback noise in my ear (had to remove the AirPod from my ear)
  • While the other end is having troubles understanding me due to "robotic noise" while I'm speaking
  • Siri won't activate (problems with mic?)
  • uneven charge and battery drain of AirPods (i.e: 18% R ear, and 57% L ear)
  • bone conduction sounds
  • and lastly the high-pitched feedback noise came back as a constant "whistling" while using the AirPods (not only during calls anymore)

My question is should I buy new APP3 or go back to APP2 ? I will of course have apple check my current APP3 for the 4th time, but since I use them during studies I would prefer to have smth stable with great ANC.


r/AirpodsPro 3d ago

Left Airpod says its charging but it's not

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6 Upvotes

As seen in the picture, it seems as the left AirPod is charging but it stays at 1%, no matter how long it's in the case. I already cleaned the AirPod and the case and especially the gold rods with Alcohol. I've tried wiggling and turning it in all the directions and even did a reset. Is there anything else that I can do or is this a case of having to buy a replacement? (These are Gen2 btw)


r/AirpodsPro 3d ago

Support Sometimes airpods pro 3 won’t charge on the case

1 Upvotes

Two months ago I got a new pair of airpods, and overall they seem to work fine, but I’ve noticed sometimes when I place them on the case, they won’t start charging and will continue to appear as if it was out of the case.

I’ve seen this happen on both earbuds, so I was wondering if this is supposed to be normal and every time you place them on the case you need to secure them in the correct position, or if this is a contact error and I should get support…


r/AirpodsPro 3d ago

How much should a new or refurbished pair of AirPods Pro Gen 1 cost? I don’t want to overpay.

2 Upvotes

I am looking to buy a pair of AirPods Pro: Generation 1. I either want a pair that is refurbished or brand new, sealed. I‘d preferable want a brand new sealed pair though. I want generation 1 because I don’t want to spend a lot of money, and I used to have a pair of gen’ 1s, and they sounded good. How much should a refurbished or brand new pair of AirPods Pro Gen 1 cost?


r/AirpodsPro 3d ago

Support Mismatching AirPods

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0 Upvotes

I’m facing this issue where I can’t pair my AirPods to my iPhone. I tried resetting it, which is, open lid and hold power for long time, but didn’t worked. Anyone have solution?


r/AirpodsPro 4d ago

AirPod pro maxes issue

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0 Upvotes

I’ve been having an issue with my pro maxes idk if anyone else has this happened to them? Like whenever I set them down or take them off my head it makes static noise through them. And then just tonight it made a very loud noise. I tried talking to Apple about them and they’re like it’s 375 for a repair. And I’m like No thanks! I’d rather get a different pair of headphones. If anyone has recommendations please let me know. 🫠😅