AirPods causing tinnitus?

I think an ear infection can affect the hair cells etc. in the inner ear damaging things in a similar way that too long or too loud noise can.

We need research to cure these horrible ear conditions that can affects one's perception of reality so much. It can truly be life altering. :(

Good thing is ther is stuff happening research qise. I just wish it would go faster.

Yeah, it just seems like there are so many potential causes - stress, blood pressure, anxiety, neurological problems, physical damage to the most delicate bones and hairs in the body... there will likely be no universal treatment in any of our lifetimes.

I wouldn't be so sure. It might be a decade or so away, but there's a lot of research being done when it comes to restoring hearing via biopharma. It's interesting that in birds any damage to the hair cells heals up within a few weeks. For some reason this does happen in mammals, but we have progenitor cells next to each hair cells that once created the hair cell for us. The challenge is to get them to do their work again. Complex, but not impossible and research had been going on for some time now.

For example Hough Ear Institute has a treatment that has been licensed to pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim:

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/gAeHN2p/TheOklahoman

They (Hough Ear Institute) has been able to regrow hair cells in the lab and shared a photo of their cell on their Facebook on Valentine’s day this year.

And there are a bunch of other companies and institutions doing research about this too.

I'm keeping the hope up that it won't take that long, but yeah – at least a decade it seems.

Now, for tinnitus there might be things coming even sooner. Lot's of research being done about that too. The company Otonomy has a drug in phase 2 trial (OTO-313) with results coming out in August if all goes well.

A lot to learn about hearing research and tinnitus over at https://www.tinnitustalk.com

[Edited by Moderator]

Oh man, this is really depressing, I love my AirPods, they work so well. However they are definitely giving me tinnitus. Purchased them recently to replace my Beats buds which I used to wear for hours at a time no problem (mainly listening to podcasts). Really disappointed, will most likely have to return them.

Airpods pro triggered tinnitus in my right year. I have used AirPods second generation for like 2 years and never had any issue with it. But with this AirPods pro within 4 months of use I got this problem and its very annoying. I hear very high pitch ringing sound in my right year continuously and sometimes when I am at quite place, it gets worse. I thought I was alone but after reading all these posts , I am sure its the AirPods pro that triggered tinnitus in my year. I don’t know how to get rid of this. I invested in Apple just to get quality and reliable products, but it gave me something that I don't know, will bother me for the rest of my life.

Try to remain positive and if the AirPods Pro are causing you problems, make sure you stop using them. Tinnitus is much worse when it's quiet, so the noise cancellation will doubtless make it seem worse (even though it isn't, necessarily). One thing that definitely makes it worse is loud noises and in-ear headphones/earphones are definitely an aggrevator for that - they send the sound right down the ear canal.

Look into how to manage the symptoms - you are not alone - and try to find better ways to listen to your music. It's best not to think about the money you spent on the AirPods Pro if it makes it any easier. Many people suffer from this condition, so there's plenty of us out there sharing information.

Yes!! Has yours gone away?? Please tell me it has -this is awful- I have been using my AirPods Pro for about the same amount of time but the day my ear started ringing I was using it for a lot longer then I ever had prior and now both my ears have been ringing on and off for about a week now … it’s no good at all

No it has not gone away, really worrying. I’ve stopped using them altogether and have ordered some Sony buds to see if I get on any better. If that doesn’t work going switch back to traditional headphones.

If anyone needs advice on this issue, this forum will offer tips and advice from many other tinnitus sufferers: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/

Please note this is not a replacement for sound professional advice from an ENT doctor. Im fairly sure nobody would advise in-ear headphones as a good option for tinnitus sufferers, so please try to look into this with proportion.

I had the AirPods for 14days with mild use in noise cancellation mode, only between 60-80db (never too high) and also developed Tinnitus and have since returned the headphones. I’ve had high pitched ringing in my ears for 5days now, and the only thing I can pinpoint it to is the AirPods. I’ve see my GP and booked a hearing test.

Update: 3 weeks later, still suffering from Tinnitus. Seen GP and hearing test and no issues with hearing/wax/infection. Seems like it’s a case of waiting and hoping, but in all likelihood just habituating to a lifelong issue caused by Apple. Disconcerting how few posts in here are success stories of it going away even after months …

Looking at all the answers and this detailed experience, I now think it might be due to the seal created by AirPods pro.

The silicone fits so tight that it completely blocks any airflow through the ear.

While that is good for noise canceling, I guess it's not good for the interiors of the ears as they might stay moist.

I have noticed myself using earbuds or just picking my ears more frequently when using air pods.

I think all this has something to do with tinnitus.

I highly doubt it's the noise canceling though as all ANC headphones (not buds) use similar technology and they never gave me tinnitus.

Note: I am not a doctor, just trying to speculate some root causes for AirPods manufacturers to think about.

I rarely wear ear phones, but wanted something to listen to YouTube videos and Netflix while I washed the dishes and not bother my family. I have been wearing the Airpods for less than two weeks and I have ringing and wooshing sounds in my ears now. I tried using the bigger eartips, but it's the same thing. I have barely used these things and think I have tinnitus now. I hope it goes away. Glad this post exists so others can see they are not alone.

I had already posted twice over last year and this year, its time for an update: I don't believe the Airpods gave me tinnitus.

After trying the Airpods Pro in 2021, my T did increase yes, but it went back down, until I got anxious about other things possibly giving me T and it went up again. I sold my pros, and somehow got it into my mind that wireless earbuds are harming me. Suddenly, every wireless earbud I put into my ears increased my T. Everyone. Even ones that did nothing before. I stuck using wired earbuds for a year, until I faced my fears and tried wireless again. The first week was tough, but after a while the T remained at the same level. No effect. Last week, I was abroad and bought the Airpods 3. No ANC, just earphones. They did nothing to me. Until I started getting anxious and remembered this and other threads, and suddenly my T spiked again.

In my case, I think it is anxiety. Even when I wear the airpods in one ear only, the other ear whistles as well. This is anxiety and a nocebo effect. I don't think wireless earbuds are harming us.

After my partner gave me AirPods as a gift, I noticed increasing and consistent tinnitus, despite keeping volumes very low and living in a consistently quiet environment. It became worse whenever I used the AirPods.

I stopped using my AirPods entirely and the tinnitus disappeared after two months. When visiting relatives, I used them a few times on work calls and the tinnitus immediately returned.

The technology appears to be faulty. I believe Apple, its competitors and regulators need to take these complaints seriously, as evidence of a possible public health risk.