AirPods causing tinnitus?

This happened to me too. I already had some mild tinnitus and using AirPod Pro 2’s seems to have aggravated it to the point where it is very noticeable all of the time more so in the left ear. I’m going to stop using them altogether in the hope the volume of the ringing returns to normal.

it’s very disappointing as the sound quality is excellent and the ANC makes such an improvement, but I’m worried I’m permanently damaging my ears using these.

For info my AirPod 2 (not pro) never gave me this issue and we’re used daily. It’s also not a volume issue as I can keep volume lower than ever with these being in ear and with the ANC.

Has anyone had any breakthroughs with this by getting them replaced?

it would appear, that on a structural level, an ear is not damaged by the use of headphones, noise cancelling or otherwise, unless used at abnormally high volumes (e.g., > 80db for extended periods)

that being, said, there is little doubt that tinnitus can be caused by (especially noise cancelling) headphones, if you go see your ENT or audiologist, there is not likely to be anything (structurally) found that explains your symptoms, and you probably will pass a hearing test with "flying colors," assuming you had no prior / pre-existing issues

think of it like this, the ear and its many fine parts are the receiver, but the brain circuitry is the amplifier, so if you "shut down" or limit the receivers capability, then your brain will try to amplify any little signal it gets, and this will get worse with time, hence causing tinnitus...

this is why tinnitus (most of the time) is associated with hearing loss, the hearing loss (structural damage) comes first, and then your brain tries to amplify what signals it still gets from the damaged receiver (your ear), even if the receiver is completely removed and the person becomes deaf, there still may be sounds / tinnitus perceived in your brain, just like a person who has a leg amputated, may wake up and experience pain in the missing limb, a.k.a., phantom pain...

a noise cancelling headphone, is artificially creating "hearing loss," and your brain (amplifier) will not know the difference between this and real structural damage... the loss of signal is the same...

most of the time, this will go away, when the headphone is not used, but it may take a long time, and if the headphone is used extensively, it is, at least theoretically possible, your amplifier (brain) will be "rewired" for good and the tinnitus will never completely go away...

in short, if you are experiencing tinnitus following noise cancelling headphone use, 1) go see an ENT and audiologist to verify there are no structural issues with your receiver, i.e., your ear and its circuitry, 2) if number one does not find a cause and there is no hearing loss, then it is STRONGLY advisable you STOP using your noise cancelling headphone for good, as, and at this time, there is ZERO data nor any good scientific evidence, for how long tinnitus will last and / or whether (in some cases) it can progress to permanent rewiring of brain circuitry, i.e., you will essentially induce a phantom hearing that will not go away...

if you already are one of the people (nobody knows how many are affected) whom is suffering from long term tinnitus and has no structural damage to the ear, then, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, likely is your best option, also you can try other things such as "white noise" distraction, mindfulness and meditation, there is no pill, vitamin or other supplement that will help

I've owned Apple AirPod Pro's for about a year now. I primarily use them for work conference calls (3 - 4 hours every day). I also listen to music sometimes (classical or movie soundtracks), but not at high levels. About a month ago, I developed tinnitus in both ears. I have a very high pitch ringing sound in my right ear, which varies in intensity and a lower pitch varied ringing in both my ears. I've been to my primary care provider, an ENT and had my hearing tested. My ears and hearing are perfectly normal, except for the tinnitus. At its worst, I couldn't sleep for four days. It was horrible. So I stopped using the AirPod Pro's all together for several weeks and my tinnitus significantly improved, but it hasn't gone away entirely. In particular, the varied ringing I hear in both ears almost completely went away (it drastically reduced in volume) and the very high pitch ring in my right ear seemed to come and go. I had days where it was gone entirely. With things improving, I recently started using the AirPod Pro's again for work conference calls (2 - 3 hours per day). My tinnitus is now back again, just as it originally started. I'm not looking for medical advice, but I wanted to share my experience since others are having similar issues. For me, it's not hearing loss induced tinnitus since my hearing is perfectly normal. In my opinion, there does seem to be a correlation between wearing the AirPod Pro's and increased tinnitus symptoms. Since everything has been checked out by doctors and audiologists, I do think the AirPods Pro's either caused or majorly contributed to the ringing I'm currently experiencing in my ears. I do think perhaps it's something with their ANC technology. I love Apple products, but I won't be wearing the AirPod Pro's anymore. I do hope at some point Apple addresses this issue since there are a number of people reporting same or similar problems. For those suffering from tinnitus, there are some great tracks on YouTube that really help mask the ringing sound. I'm happy to share the ones that I've found helpful. Best of luck!

I've also started experiencing tinnitus and I believe it's the result of using Airpods Pro paired with my iPhone 11 Pro. I mostly use my Airpods Pro in noise cancellation mode. While the noise cancellation feature does a decent job of blocking out ambient noise, I'm concerned that it may actually be damaging my hearing in some way, even though I'm careful to keep audio volume low.

Yes, many thanks for that. I can't help thinking that there are many people in the world who are also experiencing tinnitus as a result of using the AirPods, but who are unaware of this website, and the knowledge that the are others sharing the same problem. I did not know anything about it before, and found it just by chance. Until then, I really thought I was alone with it, and there is some comfort in knowing that is not the case. I would really appreciate some scientific investigation into this situation.

I have just experienced this, as well. Just in October, I was putting my AirPods 1st Gen in my ears and before I pressed play and while they paired automatically to the new iPhone 11 Pro, a loud sound came out of the Left side more than the right and caused hearing lose and initiated Tinnitus that has yet to end. I am now dealing with ringing so bad that I have to play white noise through speakers to allow me to go to sleep. This is not good, at all.

Just to chime in on this topic. I have the original AirPods but was noticing that my tinnitus symptoms increased shortly after I start using the AirPods. This even occurs when they are in my ears but no sound is coming out.

To provide some background I already had hearing loss affecting high frequencies above 16KHz from previous noise exposure (work and being in bands). This was exacerbated by some extended noise exposure. Tinnitus symptoms started occurring about 15-20 years ago and have become progressively worse the last 5-10 years.

That being said, if I protect my hearing and am cautious about noise exposure the tinnitus symptoms (2 or 3 high-pitched frequencies around 16KHz that whistle constantly) are manageable.

I have started to notice a correlation with an increase in perceived amplitude of my tinnitus symptoms that occurs immediately after I put my AirPods in ears. This continues for a few hours after I remove the AirPods.

I have a pair of Bose wired headphones that don’t cause this issue so I am beginning to wonder what could cause the increase in tinnitus symptoms while using my AirPods.

Some possibly causes are:

1. selection bias (I just happen to notice my tinnitus symptoms while wearing my AirPods)
2. tinnitus symptoms do increase but are pyschosomatic (not directly caused by my brain or auditory systems are being triggered somehow via a placebo effect). Could still be a perception issue and not really an increase in the symptoms.
3. Something physical or electrical with the AirPods and/or their placement in my ears is actually causing an increase in tinnitus symptoms.

Note: It was the frequent and recurring pattern of my tinnitus symptoms becoming worse while using my AirPods. Imagine my surprise when I find this topic already underway on one of the Apple discussion forums. Perhaps this is a worthwhile study to undertake since the cause of tinnitus is still unknown and there is no treatment or cure available yet.

I have suffered from tinnitus for over 30 years. I recently had a barotrauma injury to my left ear on a recent flight causing increased tinnitus. After having the fluid clear and the tinnitus level return to original normal, I visited the ENT who checked out everything. My ears were fine, albeit with tinnitus that returned to the prior level.

I purchased the AirPods Pro and was amazed by them right out of the box. They indeed provide immediate noise-cancellation. I have an air purifier running in my living room, and while I wouldn't describe it as noisy, the AirPods Pro immediately eliminated the noise from the air purifier I thought the electric had been cut, but the TV was still on and I could hear it clearly. I took the right pod of out of my ear and both turned off and I could instantly hear the air purifier as I normally would. I found this amazing.

After listening to podcasts for about 2-3 hours -- no loud noises, no music -- I took the pods out of my ears to watch TV instead and I noticed that my tinnitus is louder than ever. This is very disappointing. Since tinnitus is a noise recreated in the brain due to the lack of a signal from some part of the ear that the brain expects to receive, I have no idea how noise-cancellation technology could be making this condition worse but that is in fact what is happening. I can listen to podcasts for 2-3 hours on a plane ride using a cheap pair of wired Sony earbuds or even the older wired Apple earbuds and I never experience an increase in tinnitus.

I cannot use these AirPods Pro, and I will return them. As a sufferer of tinnitus, the last thing you want is for it to get louder. Had I even know this could possibly be an issue I wouldn't have bothered to order them.

That’s really scary!! I used the AirPod Pro for one day and I have high pitched sounds in both of my ears, so I returned them. The sounds are persisting for a week till now! I didn’t use high volume at all!

What is happening here Apple??!!

Look JimmyCMPIT, no doctor is going to be able to pinpoint the exact cause of someone's tinnitus. I saw my general physician, I saw an ENT specialist, and there is nothing to be done but be careful on my ears and hope it clears up on its own.

All we are doing is sharing our own individual experiences using the Airpods Pro, which for me happened to EXACTLY coincide with the onset of tinnitus. I was not listening to them at loud volumes, I use ear plugs at concerts and am cautious about my hearing. I can't see any logical reason why the Airpods SHOULD cause tinnitus at low listening volume but that is my experience. It's been 1.5 months since I used the Airpods and the ringing still persists.

I'm happy for you that you havent had the same experience.

I am curious if you (or anyone else on the forum) had the tinnitus developed with some sort of ear infection. There is an entire discussion 'Allergic to AirPods' - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250896003 where some folks who report such allergic reaction also report some form of tinnitus. This was my case.

I tired to get a refund. Apple wouldn’t budge. I’m currently Pursuing the idea of a class action. I’ve printed out this discussion in hopes of reach back out to everyone on here if and when I get something moving forward. My issues started one week after purchasing back in December. I stopped using mine in early January and I still got 24/7 ringing in both ears.

I'm acutely aware of my own body and I've never experienced ringing in my ears until after using the AirPods. I don't need to see a doctor's to know this. Yes, it came following two days of using the AirPods. Gas & oil also denies polluting well water in PA. The denial is not surprising. Customer loyalty is fragile. Be careful!

just to be clear I never had any load music using my iPod pro’s I used to listen to audio books. The constant high pitched sound started 2-4 weeks after I got them. When I suspected it might be the AirPods and si read other people experienced the same thing I stopped using them. I had the old style AirPods for years without any issues. I notified my doctor but and ordered a hearing test, but as we have shelter in place he recommended wait I schedule the appointment.

@Ben-13

My AirPod Pros were screeching, and the ANC sounded like everyone/thing around me was under water. I had mine replaced twice through this:

AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues - Apple Support

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