AirPods causing tinnitus?

Was your ENT able to explain how would airpods cause this? There must be some scientific explanation behind this. My doctor said it could have been an irritation/mild infection of some sort and gave me ear drops. I stopped using them for almost a month now and it seems to be coming and going. I just don’t see how airpods would cause this unless you were blasting the volume which I wasn’t...

Thank you for putting this here. I thought I was the only one. I'm facing this issue with my AirPods Pro too. I'm in my late 20s and I am proud to have extremely good hearing. I got these in Dec '19 and started hearing short high pitch ghost notes like a fly buzzing in and off. This continued for sometime through Mar '20, when I quickly connected the symptom with my use of AirPods.

Initially it was in my left ear only, so I raised a replacement thinking it was a faulty AirPod. The issue has not subsided, and now it's in both my ears! Although the buzzing subsides 10 - 15 minutes after using them but recently I'm experiencing random episodes of very strong buzzing that sometimes makes me dizzy.

A common denominator seems to be the symptoms are noticed in the left ear first. My symptoms occurred after using them for video editing for hours at a time, and at a low volume. Did you also use them for extended periods? Some people say they hear a buzzing from the buds (mostly left ear) even when they're being worn without audio playing.

I’ve got the same result using AirPods Pro with my XS Max. It all started after 2 weeks of usage since Jan. I use em only 2-3 hrs per week since March, but the tinnitus stuff is here, and it’s really annoying. I’ve got insomnia and the quality of my life goes down.

Support? How do you like dam Apples?

I got Air Pods for my birthday. I was so excited. I used them for a week (for some work calls and personal on low volume because I like ambient noise) and by the end of the week I actually felt a sharp pain in my right ear. I immediately took them out and sent them back. Ever since Then I noticed slight ringing/buzzing in my ears but more predominantly on the right. I might have had an underlying issue or sensitivity before but something with these air pods exacerbated the issue and I have NEVER felt a sharp pain like that before in my right ear. Before this I used regular ear buds. These air pods have highly sophisticated technology in them (batteries, sensors etc) more so than a wired ear bud. I heard people talking about a high pitched sound coming out of the device and I hope Apple is investigating this. I am only 48 years old and I pray that my ears recover from this and don’t get worse.

Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities.

I want to make sure you reach the right team for help with your AirPods Pro. I recommend that you contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here: Contact Apple Support

I have tinnitus as well and seem to think that wearing the AirPods a lot just for occasional calls is somehow doing damage. I’m not listening to music just using for notifications and occasional calls.

I noticed a banging noise in my ear (I have complete hearing loss in one ear though for as long as I can remember). However, I started using the Apple Airpods some months ago and in the last few days I noticed the banging sound which only "I" can hear in my one good ear.

It appears to be louder at night and quit uncomfortable, based on the research I have done plus people's experience on this forum I do not believe there is much an ENT Specialist can do for me at this time. I think Apple needs to do more research and figure these out, we can't all be wrong.

Deggie, No one said AirPod Pros caused 100% of the tinnitus. Some people, like myself, have tinnitus caused by regular AirPods, not Pros.

Of course this problem is not in the media...yet. Apple controls the media as closely as they control these posts.

And, since you don’t believe there’s a connection, why do you ask what type of IEMs people used before AirPods? As you gather your anecdotal data, let the class action lawsuit begin.

As I stated once and will be stating many times again, it’s unconscionable, but not at all surprising, that Apple is not investigating this. Maybe you should tell them to.

Airpods have ruined my life.

Three months ago, I was listening

to music on the Spotify Connect app on my smart TV. I was using the

Spotify app on my iPhone to control the music via WiFi. I then needed

to make a call, so I put in my Apple Airpods. Unexpectedly, the

Airpods automatically connected to my phone via Bluetooth, and the

Spotify music started streaming right into my Airpods at an 85 dB

volume, which gave my ears quite an acoustic shock. I have had

ringing (tinnitus) in both my ears ever since that fluctuates in

intensity, but always present. I believe Apple should've built in a

default volume limit (that needs to be manually overridden) whenever

music automatically switches to Airpods in order to protect

listeners' ears from unexpected volume blasts at or above 80 dB

(levels above which is considered harmful to hearing). Or better

yet, Apple could've put in a safe default volume limit instead of set

volume limit to “off.” Or Apple could've defaulted “automatic

ear detection” to OFF, as I didn't know that would mean any media

playing and linked to my phone would switch to over to Airpods as

soon as I inserted them in.

I was diagnosed with tinnitus and

hearing loss after the incident by my ENT doctor. Also, a hearing

test with an audiologist showed mild hearing loss in my right ear,

although both ears showed a dip at the 2000 Hz frequency.

Thanks Apple for giving me

lifelong hearing loss and tinnitus. I will never use Airpods again.

JimmyCMPIT

Many posters have been diagnosed by an ENT. I’m not a medical professional but I do know there’s a relentless, unbearable ringing sensation in my ear. I tried to see a doctor today but there’s this pandemic thing going on so the earliest appointment I could get is Friday. I’m disturbed that so many posters have not experienced any relief. I’m also disturbed, that Apple has not investigated this issue. It’s good they’re not issuing refunds.

What do you suggest now?

[Edited by Moderator]

MacbookProRetinaGuy

Have you had any relief from your Tinnitus? Any resolution from Apple? I just noticed this topic has been posted many times since May 2018. Apple and their “volunteer moderators” keep shutting the topic down so people can’t reply. They have to start a new question. There’s less traction and Apple is obviously taking no responsibility to address or research the issue —despite this being a serious health issue reported by hundreds of people in the forum. I suspect they’re hoping it will die prematurely—like the batteries in their faulty AirPods.

This stuff is ruined my quality of life. I've got insomnia and nervous breakdown. My job performance went down. I hear that noise for 3 month every second of my life. My mental health and relationship with other people (family, friends, colleagues) are under threat.

Plus I've spent around two weeks going through doctors and hospitals. Not to mention the money. Not to mention that I got the product that is far from cheap I never use anymore.

So guys, if you are going to a court with this stuff - I'm all in. The damage is done, and its real.

Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities.

I want to make sure you reach the right team for help with your AirPods. I recommend that you contact Apple Support directly. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here: Contact Apple Support

I_rina is a Community Specialist who will post a standard boilerplate regarding this issue telling you to contact apple support. She is not an executive with Apple that will tell you what is being done about this issue, which is not something Apple has ever done anyway. Have you contacted Apple Support? If you have, and you relayed the information you have then you have done everything that you can.