Level 1

132 points

AirPods Pros making crackling static noises

I recently received my new AirPod Pro ear buds. First off let me say the noise cancellation is a transforming. That aside, the old problem of making a popping sound followed by a buzz seems to still plague these ear phones.

For reference, I left them in the charging case plugged in overnight. I had them in for about 2 hours at work and then they started I started noticing a faint popping/clicking noise that starts in the right then the left and is a single pop in each ear. If they are in transparency mode, it pops then has a 1.5-2 second buzzing sound. If it is in noise cancellation mode it merely pops. It will do this in one ear, then repeat about 5-10 seconds later on the other ear.

I tried alternating between transparency mode and noise cancellation mode. I tried playing music and pausing music. I placed them back into the case and took them out again. I contacted Apple Support in order to work through this and am attempting to figure out what's going on.

I was able to get it to momentarily stop by placing them back in the charging case for about 30 seconds to a minute and then back into my ears. Has anyone seen this on the past models, or with the current ones, and know why it happens?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Nov 5, 2019 12:08 PM

Top-ranking reply

deducive

Level 1

10 points

Posted on Jan 25, 2020 4:44 AM

A particularly helpful Genius in the main DC Apple Store seems to have found a solution to the crackling issue. After describing the problem and litany of troubleshooting measures I had taken, he said "Hold on a sec, I think I can fix that." He came back with alcohol wipes and some gray fun-tak (aka adhesive putty). After wiping down the white plastic parts with alcohol, he very gently pressed a small amount of the fun-tak against each of the black microphone covers to pull out tiny pieces of debris. Apparently these microphones are ridiculously sensitive, so if anything gets in there it screws up the whole noise cancelling feedback loop.

I'm only 24 hours out from the repair, but all seems well so far. The main takeaway for me... don't put your AirPod pros into your pocket unsheathed. And generally don't expose them to any kind of dirt or dust.

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309 replies

Vince U

Level 1

4 points

Jan 3, 2020 11:42 AM in response to DocOct

Just got the AirPods Pro and within about 5 minutes of use I noticed a steady clicking/popping noise that has not gone away since I first heard it. I’m seriously considering getting a different pair of headphones now, and I’m thoroughly disappointed considering the cost of these earbuds.

Rehan765

Level 1

8 points

Jan 10, 2020 10:06 AM in response to DocOct

I have the same issue with my left AirPod. It doesn’t had any such issue before. But out of nowhere I have started experiencing this issue. This thing is so expensive. I don’t expect Apple to deliver such lousy products.

tjj0228

Level 1

14 points

Feb 20, 2020 1:11 PM in response to mrads4l

Wow! Thank you for letting me know. That rules out me causing the issue 👍. For the first time in my life and I can’t believe I’m doing this but I’m going to buy the Samsung Buds Plus when they come out next week. I keep hearing Great things on many YouTube reviews! Today I just picked up the PowerBeats Pro to hold me over till next week!

mrads4l

Level 1

4 points

Feb 20, 2020 1:41 PM in response to tjj0228

I bought the Samsung Buds 2018 before my first AirPods V2. The new ones are supposed to be better, but they were an extremely underdeveloped product compared to the Airpods, especially for an iPhone owner. They stay in and sound great, but they would disconnect, not water resistant, battery drain issues, none of the features work with ios. That's why I initially switched to AirPods V2, which have worked flawlessly.

Mar 4, 2020 6:36 PM in response to DocOct

I am also having this issue. These are way to expensive to not work properly. Is there a fix yet? Reconnected to my phone and still doing. Cmon apple. If your products start being crap I’m replacing all of my personal and business products with something that actually works like it’s supposed to. Also fix the parental controls on devices because they’re crap.

Mar 13, 2020 9:02 AM in response to DocOct

I have this same issue. When I’m watching a video or playing a video game while my right airpod is in my ear, it does this kind of beep/honk noise like some sort of air horn. Apple, please fix these AirPod pros

Mar 14, 2020 11:41 PM in response to DocOct

I have the popping sound in my right airpod and it clicks so much it’s distracting. If I touch the earbud it pops/clicks non-stop and it only happens when it’s in transparency or noise canceling modes. None of the listed steps worked to fix the problem.

tjj0228

Level 1

14 points

Mar 17, 2020 8:48 AM in response to JAYBCD

Dude! That’s Crazy! I never heard it taking that long! I went through 3 of them. I’m done the the pros. And my first pair happened last November and they still haven’t had a fix for it. They’re acting as if this issue never happened. I wish we could get someone with a lot of followers or tech connections to get the word out. I tried a few people but heard nothing back 😔

Mar 25, 2020 4:42 PM in response to Bill_s_

Yep.. right airbud... me, too. I'm so disappointed - I wanted to love these after jumping with blind faith that they would perform to justify the price. I have zero problem paying for Apple products, I'm a diehard lover of all things Apple, but I can't take the cracklin' when I'M TRYING TO DROWN OUT MY 11 YEAR OLD GIRL and her friends AND their screaming!! Looks like we aren't getting anywhere unless the responses are hiding somewhere I can't find. Cracklin' or girl drama.. I don't know what's worse!! ugh

Mar 25, 2020 6:15 PM in response to theresaecollins

I was hoping that this update to iOS it would be fixed - but NO! My left side is crackling like it always has. I don't understand how they don't focus on this to fix it. These are huge money makers for the company. It is a big disappointment and makes me concerned about future products. if they cannot support a premium product like this what can everyone expect with other products. especially now with everyone working from home.

Bill_s_

Level 1

4 points

Mar 27, 2020 3:22 PM in response to tbeshke

My firmware version on my air pod pro is 2C54. I had the crackling noise prior to updating my iPhone to 13.4, and it’s still happening after the update. This is super frustrating, especially considering how my AirPods worked 100% for 3+ months before this issue started.

mat129

Level 1

4 points

Mar 27, 2020 5:41 PM in response to Drigo_brazil

I have this weird problem that when I listen to music on noise canceling there is this clicking sound that only happens when there is a lot of bass like legit and when I walk around and there is just any only a small vibration it’s starts clicking again on normal nothing happens it’s only on noise canceling

Mar 30, 2020 9:33 PM in response to DocOct

This doesn’t help my right air pod pros still making a static/ buzzing noice when I talk Apple please fix this I got this as a gift from my girlfriend and Im upset to tell her that its breaking and I’ve only had it for about a month. Apple step up please!!

Apr 3, 2020 6:42 AM in response to DocOct

I have read all the comments on how to fix this problem and I have also reset my AirPods Pro more than once trying to fix this annoying problem. For being $250 you think they would try to fix this problem as soon as possible.

Apr 3, 2020 9:17 AM in response to Sgregorio

The same stuff happens to me in my left bud. I didn’t try to blow into the AirPod though. Is there an actual way to fix this or are we gonna have to wait it out? I know I’m a little late to the conversation but I still need my AirPod to not do this. It gets on my nerves and they are way too expensive to be having this dumb of an issue.

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AirPods Pros making crackling static noises