AirPods Pro have a strange smell on its silicone tips, is that safe?

Similar issue here, and it is definitely the case. I've done the following to test/confirm:

1. Contacted Support about the issue and got them to send a replacement case and new set of silicon tips
2. Separately, I had requested another set of replacement tips (so I have one to act as a control)
3. First set of tips: I used them as normal--leaving them on the AirPods Pro when charging in the case.
   1. Within 24hr, these had the horrible VOC/blueberry smell
4. Second set: I removed them before charging so they have never gone in the case
   1. Still no smell after 2-3 days (side from a very slight silicon smell they started with)

The Senior Apple Support representative said she had never heard of the issue, it is not in her documentation, and that more people need to contact them about it if they are having issues. So, again if you have not contacted Apple Support about this, please please do.

Just to confirm it is the tips absorbing VOCs/the smell from the case, I have repeated steps 3 & 4 a few days--and while the tips have a slight silicon smell, they have not picked up the horrible VOC/"blueberry" smell.

I believe it’s the rubber tip. I checked the other sizes of rub tips they are having the same strong chemical smell. Please raise the this issue to Apple to check if the product is safe for use. I am going to call them real soon as I am concerned with the chemical smell will cause any ear problem.

It's the case, not the tips. The tips just absorb the odor more than the hard plastic headphones themselves. Take everything out of the case, leave it closed, you'll smell this odd chemical smell when you reopen the case.

The way that I determined it to be the case itself (and not the tips) was:

Remove the headphones and tips from the case. Keep the case open to air it out. The smell will go away after leaving it open for a while. Close the case and leave it closed for 15 minutes or so. The smell will be strong again. Finally, if you don't reintroduce the tips to the case they won't have smell. So I think the tips just absorb and remit, rather than being the source.

Here is what's going on-

The case has some off-gassing that smells like nail polish or acetone. This has to do with the manufacturing process.

The silicone tips have no smell initially, but silicone is highly absorbant to smells/VOC's. The case is off-gassing into the silicone while the Airpods are charging, and we are smelling the off-gassing from the silicone when they are removed. These VOCs do not stay in the silicone, they continue to offgas and will transfer the smell to your ear too.

I'm not convinced it is healthy to use long term in your ears, just like it's not healthy to hang out in a room you freshly painted. Since you are essentially placing these into your head, it wouldn't surprise me if VOCs would cause headaches and other problems to people sensitive to it.

Just a note, I have a pair of Gen1s I still use and they also have the smell inside the case, though a lot less pronounced (perhaps they off-gassed substantially over time). Probably if they used silicone back then, this problem would have been immediately noticed like it is now.

It's not the AirPods. You'll see once you start charging with the open case: almost no smell. The tips are absorbing the VOC outgassing that is coming from the case components.

I bought my Airpods Pro from an Apple Store in Central London 10 days ago. The case smelt like nail polish. I left the case open in a well ventilated place, but there's no improvement. The case still has a quite strong smell. I replaced the normal-sized tips with the smaller ones in the box, and they absorbed the strong smell from the case very soon. (and I'm sure my ears also get that smell... ) My friend bought one in Liverpool a month ago and his smells like a ripe mango.

I contacted Apple Support. They said they were not informed of this problem before. They later suggested that I should stop using my Airpods for now. It's a shame as I quite like the new Airpods, but safety comes first. I'll go to the store tomorrow to return them or get a replacement if they already fixed the problem.

I took mine in and they exchanged them for a new pair. The new pair has a faint smell, but noting close to how strong the first pair was. Will see if it gets worse. I smelled my friends and they barely smelled. Its definitely the case that has the smell because Apple stocks the replacements as individual parts and are boxed individualy when they get them for exchange.

@Hollygollygirl: Thanks for posting this. I actually bought third-party tips and am using those. Same problem as before. So the issue, I believe, is still that the tips are absorbing from the case and then re-emitting (esp. when they are warmer in your ears). That or the third-party tips are just as bad). I've been charging with the lid open and that does seem to make a difference. Give that a try and please post a follow-up if it helps.

Sounds like acetone, which you are consuming daily anyway if you eat fruits or vegetables. Don't lose sleep over it from a safety standpoint.

It's not the tips. They just absorb the smell coming from the case. If you close the case (without the headphones in it) for a while and then open it you'll see that the smell is present inside the case. The ear tips just absorb the smell more than the hard plastic headphones while in the case.

Hi. So, I returned and purchased a new pair. Same issue, though these smelled slightly less toxic. The rep that helped me return the previous pair said they'd not heard about a smell (not that they would tell me). I believe the only solution for this is time until Apple figures out why these odor is present. Hopefully the odor isn't actually toxic...

A few more thoughts:

1. Given that I've now seen this with three pairs, my assumption is that ALL AirPods Pro have this issue but only some of us care enough about it to be here.
2. This is likely some chemical used in the manufacture of the case or of the components inside the case and the silicon ear tips simply absorb (and reemit) the smell.
3. I'm hoping that Apple does fix this and that at some point it'll be possible to swap the charging case for one that doesn't stink. If it happens, I'm guessing there's no announcement. We'll know only because new units no longer smell. Since this could take until the next generation of AirPods Pro, I'm just going to use these and do my best to air them out.

hyungwoo112 wrote:

One more same problem here. Hope for an answer from apple. This smell is quite disturbing and I am getting worried a bit, if it could cause any health issue.

If you want an answer from Apple, you'll need to tell them you have a problem. Start with the Contact Support link at the top right of every page of these forum.

You won't get an answer from Apple here.