Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

I have purchased these, but I have received them yet.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085FS9D3M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was going to use them, they post on here how I got on.

Some people on this tread say they great and allow them use they're AirPods again, and some say they didn't make a different.

While I suppose some folks COULD be allergic to both the plastic and the tips, the fact that the rash, oozing, etc. is happening places where the tips don't touch doesn't actually seem to be evidence of that.

I'm pretty sure that we're all dealing with ear eczema, which I believe is a specific king of allergic contact dermatitis. And with *allergic* contact dermatitis, the reaction usually extends beyond the zone of contact with the allergic materials. Here's the relevant quote from Wikipedia:

"The main difference between the rash caused by allergic contact dermatitis and the one caused by irritant contact dermatitis is that the latter tends to be confined to the area where the trigger touched the skin, whereas in allergic contact dermatitis the rash is more likely to be more widespread on the skin." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergic_contact_dermatitis

This also matches my experience - some of my symptoms were on parts of my ear that NO part of the AirPods touched.

Mine wasn’t at first use. I bought them in late Oct when they released and I didn’t start noticing anything that I remember until mid-Jan with the flaking in both. It wasn’t until late Feb that the drainage started. I stopped using them altogether (Not flying since early March) and switched back to AirPods. I used them last week for about 30 mins and the drainage that night was miserable. I decided to clean them thinking it was bacterial and when they were drying I found this thread. I bought some memory foam tips to try but haven’t yet.

I have the same reaction using my AirPod pro, having ear drainage. My doctor said I get allergy on the silicon or rubber of my AirPod pro tip. My question is, is there’s recall or improvise on the AirPod pro silicon tip Apple will do?

I posted my experience many pages ago but now with a wider audience, has anyone else had a similar reaction to the Beats Powerbeats Pro that came out last year? I actually bought them several months before AirPods pro and not only developed the in ear drainage, I developed an oozing rash on the backside of one ear where the Powerbeats Earhooks go. Went to doctor 2x not knowing headphones would have caused this since I never had any issues with the old similar Powerbeats.

After several months of just going back to my regular AirPods with no issues, I bought AirPods Pro and the in ear issue started all over again. I have tried several different 3rd party replacement tips, and after fully letting my ear heal, I can now wear them using some super cheap knockoff silicone tips I found here in HK.

Happy for those that were able to return or send to Apple for "testing". I was told even after sending Apple my doctor bills and opening a case, that they could not do anything for me.

I strongly urge you to contact Apple support, if only to put another case on their radar. Some folks here have gotten refunds long past their 14-day return period. They’ll ask a lot of questions, ask for photos, but you might be able to make a difference further down the line.

The pictures only took about 2 minutes to take. I would suggest you contact them, some people are just getting refunds straight away and others are having to send them back for testing, apple are paying all costs for shipment.

Mine are currently with them for testing and I am just waiting to here.

I have the same problem. It came to the point that My ear became itchy and had a fluid discharge. I have been using various IEMs for years and never had a problem like . At first I thought it was the metal thing that contacts the charger. Because I’m allergic to zinc. Then I found this thread. Long story short I mod the large stock eartips and put my RHA eartips. What I did is I cut down the large stock eartips then I insert the Rha eartips like in the pictures. Man my long time problem has gone. Now I love my airpods pro again.

I started having this problem about a month ago. I had a telehealth appt and was prescribed antibiotics which didn’t help. I finally went in to be seen and the dr diagnosed me with a FUNGAL INFECTION that was, in her opinion, caused by the AirPods Pro. It was only in my right ear which is the ear I usually put one in (leaving the other ear free). It is hot here and I live near the beach and she said that wearing them outside caused a seal that was a breeding ground for fungus. I was told to put Antifungal drops (Lomotrin) in my ear 3x a day for 10 days. If it doesn’t clear up I need to see an ENT because they can be difficult to treat and it was a “significant infection.” I’m so sad because I’ve never loved ear buds more. Hope this can help someone and save the time and $ I paid to be seen!

I have been having similar issues and opened a case with Apple. I wear the AirPods pro for 45 Mins to an hour, my ears start itching exactly where the pods sit. By next day my ears start draining some slimy liquid, itching gets worse in the ear, crusting occurs and then 3 - 4 days later stops as long as I AM NOT using the pods. Cleaned the pods with alcohol prep pads as a precaution didn’t work, tried three times same issue each time. Clean my ears with alcohol pads, burns a lot.

So my theory is the pods are heating up but we don’t feel the heat for some reason, the skin is burning causing the ears to react, Hence the discharge, skin itching and crusting. Are there in dermatologists in the forum hi can opine on this. I hope Apple comes with a solution, I was really looking forward to using the pods but can’t.

What I’d like to know is why Apple isn’t reading their own community forum regarding this issue. I’m seems simple enough! I replaced my tips with another silicone tip and haven’t had the issue since then so I kept mine. But when I reported it they said they’d never heard of the issue before. Which floors me since there are so many on this forum that are troubled by them.

I also experience itching and ear drainage that turns into a crusty film in my ears when I use my AirPods. This is a major bummer because I otherwise love the AirPods. It's the only way I can get sleep at times when my husband is snoring.

It is good to hear they may know more about it than we think. Their M.O. is to have a solution before they respond to an issue; they may not acknowledge it though, but they would come up with an alternative.

One can hope the next iteration of the product is manufactured with different materials.

Keep the silicone out of your ears until then!

Ok, I tried a new experiment today because I’m apparently a glutton for punishment. Others here may have already tried this but I wanted to absolutely rule out this has anything to do with the functionality of the AirPods or the noise cancellation or volume of music causing any of this. I haven’t used my AirPods for months and have had no problems with my ears, no drainage or itching or crustiness.

So today I put one of my AirPod Pros in my left ear and left it there for maybe an hour without listening to anything. Just had it in my ear. I didn’t really notice any discomfort initially but now, two or three hours after I took it out of my ear, the itching is back and I’m sure the drainage will follow. I’m hoping I didn’t have it in long enough to start up the amount of discharge that creates the crustiness and all that and takes weeks to go away. I cleaned my ear out with peroxide in hopes it will help. But like I said, I must be a glutton for punishment because I went ahead and have put my ear through all this crap again when it was perfectly fine, just to prove a stupid point, all in the interest of science. Lol

they asked if I would send mine to them but they couldn’t tell me what they would do about it. I bought them through Amazon so Apple couldn’t guarantee that I would get a refund. I didn’t want to be without the option to I send them back to amazon in a timely manner or try some options like foam tips. Fortunately Amazon gave me a big extension to try working on remedies like foam tips. So far they work great although I’m not sure if I’m losing some sound quality. I’m just glad I can wear them with no ear reaction. I we oaks still like to get reimbursed $30.00 for foam tips.