Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

The last time I used my AirPods Pro (not this time... one prior to this time) the reaction in my left ear was so bad that I could hear almost anything out of that ear, and the pain was enough that my wife thought I had an ear infection. That was before I was convinced that it was the AirPods Pro. I’m now convinced and will not be wearing them again until replacement memory foam tips arrive. Hopefully those will soon be replaced by Apple silicone replacement tips because I don’t want to see noise cancellation affected.

I purchased Foam Masters- I washed all of the silicone + foam tips in soapy water and let air dry and cleaned the device well w/70% alcohol. So far, I’ve tried the foam and doing great. But I’m going slow- leaving them in for starters no longer than an hour.

I ordered the foam replacement tips from Foam Masters that another user here suggested. They’re decent tips, although I wish they were white instead of black. Anyway, someone here suggested washing them with soap which I did and then noticed the card that came with them suggested always keeping them dry and wiping them with a cloth to clean them. They still work but their ‘memory foam’ characteristic is somewhat diminished. So buyer beware.

On to the results. I have worn the Airpod Pros for several hours over the last couple days with the foam tips and while I have not experienced noticeable discharge or crustiness there is still a definite mild irritation in my ear canals. So, a much better experience, but not awesome. I did like the fact that the Foam Masters tips included three different sizes of tips, although I found that the middle size, the one that is basically the same size as the Apple tips, fit me best. But it’s nice that they had a couple other options. And they do hold the AirPods in my ears much better than the OEM tips. Hope this helps.

I bought my memory foam tips from Amazon called Foam Masters. They were the expensive ones. Like $29 I think. I selected them after reading through all the comments on Apple at that time when it was “only” about 22 pages long of complaints. The tips work for me. Also I purchased the AirPods from Amazon and they are very relaxed about taking a return. I got them in April and I can still get a refund if these tips don’t work. I’ve worn them for a couple of hours now and have been fine. I’m still hoping Apple comes up with a replacement tip that is safe. The original silicone tips that caused itching and infection also happened to fit the best

I’ve had ear infections almost non stop for the past few months and am so glad i found this thread! It took me longer than i care to admit to figure out it was from my AirPods. I mean...why would i think they did it? I’ve never been allergic to anything in my life. And at the time i started to get the infections, i had my AirPods for maybe 4 months? So I didn’t think it was my AirPods based on timing alone.

My ears would get crusty, swollen, red and leak really bad. Like i would wake up to my ears feeling incredibly wet and be confused how the **** that happened. I thought it must be “swimmers ear” or some kind of ear infection due to having water in my ear. Maybe from showering? I got debrox. Didn’t fix it. Peroxide in the ear. Didn’t fix it. My ears got so bad i was literally deaf in my left ear. But when i stopped using my AirPods? After a few days my issue would go away.

Finally after my ears were pretty much back to normal I figured i was over my infections, so i put my AirPods Pro back in and well...within an hour my ears were leaking again. Thats when i figured it had to be them. Still doesnt make much sense to me. I’ve never been allergic to silicone. Maybe nickel?

I ordered some different tips on amazon to try and I’m hopin that fixes it. I love my AirPods and wouldn’t want to use anything else. But i care about my ears and my health more. If these new tips dont fix it, gonna have to go back to the 2nd gen AirPods and I’ll really miss the pros

I would like to keep mine as well and agree its the tips. I have the Foam Master Memory foam tips and no longer have any irritation but they definitely don't fit as well as the original seemingly "poisonous" silicone tips. I would ideally like to get reimbursed for the cost of replacement tips, doctor visit co-pay, and medicine plus get replacement tips from Apple when they figure out how to reproduce them safely. If I can get any reimbursements for my expenses listed here, I would still ultimately be happy if they just get me new tips that cause infections. I'm wondering how we can be on that list. I have submitted my report to Apple but nothing is happening except it is in their records. If they did a recall, then at least the people that have this problem could be on notice to apply to get replacement tips when they become available. I would think Apple has potentially some serious product liability if they don't do something to help those impacted by this.

[Edited by Moderator]

I had exactly the same experience with Powerbeats Pro, ear drainage and a rash behind the ear. The rash was basically everywhere the loop touched the ears. I gave the beats to my son-in-law and he is not having any problems. After trying other several other earbuds, I finally settled on AirPods Pro. They sound amazing but the itching has come back. There is something about the material Apple is using that's causing allergic reaction. I'll try the foam tips a try to see if that makes a difference.

Update on my experience...I had purchased knockoff tips on Amazon. They were working symptom-free for several weeks but all of a sudden I noticed gradual itchy then slight scaling but then slight draining in the middle of the night. As they came in a pack of two pairs, I put in the other pair and went symptom free again. This got me thinking, that maybe there’s a coating that wears off over time. I also noticed there were now black tips for sale on Amazon and I wondered if maybe a bleaching agent they used to make them white was to blame so I bought the black ones and have been wearing them symptom free for about three weeks now. These are the ones:

https://smile.amazon.com/AhaStyle-Replacement-Silicone-Accessories-Compatible/dp/B085M7DDF5/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=ahastyle+airpods+pro+tips&qid=1594779652&sr=8-6

As someone who uses the APP almost exclusively in transparency mode and has the reaction, I gotta say this is completely off-base and should not be considered as a possibility.

Deggie is correct, there is no way noise cancelation or EMF causes any of these symptoms. Noise cancelation is literally the cancelation of one soundwave (outside noise) by another, generated by the APP. The result is silence and lack of vibration, with the exception of the music/audio you’re playing, not a destructive force.

Ringing in your ear is tinnitus, and can be caused by any number of things. In this case, it could be the swelling of the ear canal as the result of the reaction/infection, which cuts off more noise from outside and makes the internal internal ringing more noticeable. The ringing itself can be caused by hearing loss, jaw clenching, blood pressure...the list goes on and on. I’ve had tinnitus since I was a child, and will admit that mine became more noticeable when using the APP, but it’s ONLY because of the relative silence they provided, which just made my internal ringing that more obvious.

The seal of the APP tips is the clearer factor to me. A skin reaction to some chemical plus very little outside airflow seems like it would complicate things. Possible abrasion from the movement of the APP in one’s ear could take it one step further, combined with itching it and making it worse...immune system flares up and will not calm down, and from that point has recognized the allergen in the APP as a threat and is now on high alert for it.

I think they’re saying it’s the seal that’s causing pressure issues, which cause itching/infection/drainage, ringing, not the ANC. The seal is something you can’t get around with the APP, unless maybe you switch to a tip with better airflow.

Update: last time I posted I said that I was going to try sticking an AirPod in my ear without the tip on it. I did that and got no reaction. Yesterday I put the original Apple tips back on the AirPods and stuck them back in my ears and went most of the day like that and I had little to know reaction. I always get a little occasional itching or other odd feeling but that’s more about just having something in my ears. I have sensitive ears. But it’s not the same as the reactions I was getting. I had no discharge last night, crustiness or noticeable irritation. Have I become immune? I’m not prepared to say that just yet.

Yesterday I received the medium size AIRSPO replacement tips from Amazon. I’m trying them today. I would say that the medium size to the naked eye looks exactly the same size as the stock Apple tips. But in my ears, they feel and sound very slightly tighter, you know that echoing you get with closed buds where you can hear a loud hollow thud when you tap your chest - it’s slightly louder with these than the stock ones so that’s why I think these are ever so slightly tighter.

I’ve been using the airspo tips for several hours now and no discernible negative effects. I think I do like these better than the foam tips though.

I started wearing my APP for online work conferences since working from home, switching on and off with wired devices. It took me a while to isolate the cause of my itchy, flaking, draining ears to the use of APP. Like others here, I’ve used other inner ear silicone devices with no prior inner ear issues.

I purchased memory foam replacement tips and have used them twice for workouts so far with no issues. I am astounded at the number of people reporting the same problem with APP.

I highly advise that you simply return them and move on. It is good you discovered this early.

If you also start to have a discharge of fluid and any pain, definitely abandon them. These symptoms afflict most of us.

You can take the route of trying new tips or coverings; it has very mixed success and typically reduces the quality.

And a reminder to any new visitors, to learn about the ear allergy (itching, crusting, drainage, pain and sometimes ringing in the ears that afflict users here) and how to deal with it (stop using), please read above. At best, Apple Support will let you return the product; there is very mixed success with that, however.

Have you actually seen an allergist and been tested? And have you also seen an ENT? And no, it won't be pressure melting earwax (that would have to be tremendous pressure) nor anything related to EMF.