Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

I have fluid behind the right drum- no infection- diagnosed weeks ago from the APP. The physician was dumbfounded thinking it was from the APP as he used them also w/the silicone tips.

ENT appointment in 2 wks.

Wsiting for Apple to mail me a shipping label for return/reimbursement.

Sounds like they won’t go to a lab for safety inspection but will be recycled.

My problem is not and has never been in the middle ear (behind the eardrum) but is in ear canal. And, not to be a downer, but I haven't worn my Airpod Pros since March, and I'm still having liquid in my ear canal and itching during the night. Of course, it's no where nearly as bad as it was when I was using the Airpods, but my ears are definitely not back to pre-Airpod shape. I haven't used any earbuds at all in over a month.

After trying out new tips for a week and a half and seeing the draining in the ears come back, I think I’m gonna have to switch back to my old crappy AirPods. I was really hoping the new tips would fix it for me but I’m still waking up with wet crusty ears.

and it sucks. Because I really love this product so much more than the old ones. It fixed a lot of the issues I had with the originals and made my experience better. So to have to step down to a more inferior product is just kinda sad. But I don’t wanna go through this anymore

It bugs the heck out of me that I don’t know why I can’t use them. Why this is happening. I thought it was the air tips so I changed them. Still got issues. Wish some smart people would study this just so we had an answer

That was my point too, in my discuss about Apple help here. It is very difficult from user side to try everything with no information about the product materials, and every trial at least in my side supposed like a couple of bad weeks and in many cases costs for doctors.

We need some help to try to find the problem or to be sure that this product is not for us. We all here love APP but price to use is getting too high

Yes, my experience was the same. I waited several weeks until my ears healed. Then I used the Comply foam eartips one night for 35 minutes. The next day I had moisture in both ear canals. After a day the itching and crusting returned. By the end of the week the skin was peeling again. Originally when I made the changeover I had cleaned the APP bodies and the exterior and interior of the charging case three times with alcohol wipes. The concern was that there might be a transfer of some substance to those surfaces. It appears to have not made a difference. I have two observations from this. First, it may also involve the substance in the case as well. When I attached the new tips, I closed the case and let them sit for three weeks. Could it be possible that allowed some transfer of substances? Second, I am convinced the difference with these ear canal sealing tips is that the material is in constant firm contact with the skin for extended periods off time. The epithelium of the ear canal is some of the thinnest and most delicate in the body. It is a contact dermatitis. I am a physician. That was diagnosed by my PCP too and that was information transferred to the Apple engineers. The contact dermatitis reaction depends on so many factors including inter-individual sensitivities. One could have a nickel sensitivity and have no problem briefly handling nickel objects. The dermal layer of the hands is quite thick and hearty. However, wearing a ring or bracelet with the same material 24 hours a day could cause an irritation previously unrecognized. I do not think this is rocket science. There are many product and materials sensitivities. Typically in such application you select the most hypoallergenic materials for the long haul. That requires testing and takes money and time. There may also be different suppliers of the same materials with manufacturing variability. I unfortunately declined returning the APP's to Apple for a refund as I thought I had found the solution with new tips with different materials and liked the way they worked. I have thrown in the towel and have gone back to my first generation AirPods and added a wireless charging case. That is a shame since I understand IOS 14 with have all sorts of new features specific to the APP's only. I am signing off. I am sure with time the problem will be quietly solved. My recommendation is to take the refund and wait for something better to come along.

Yes, It took a while of questions and calls, but was worth it. My support agent was wonderful. Apple got valuable info and offered a full refund. I'm waiting on the refund details. Once they say you get a refund than you go to another group that will do the reimbursement and they told me that it doesn't matter where you bought them as long as you have proof of purchase. That is what is needed. I bought mine at Apple and I bought a pair for a friend on Amazon. They were part of the first batch of AAP's which has the serial number in the top of the AAP holder. I guess some have the serial numbers on the AAPs?

Hi, for those who were told, it doesn't matter where you bought them from, can you share the case id for reference (if you have it). I called them yesterday and was told to contact where I bought them from, Best Buy. I even pointed out that i have Applecare+ plan on this but still told to call BB. Appreciate a response. Best Buy was not helpful at all and was told to go to a store to see if a manager is willing to authorize an exception in returning after the return period has expired.

Same here. But only my right ear is getting inflamed and draining big time.

I clean-irrigated it, and I can tell you it collects soft masses in the size of 0.5 cm2 in 2-3 days (even if I'm not using Airpods) on a continuous non-stop manner.

I tried antibiotic ear drops and ear soothing drops to no avail.

My right ear is itchy and painful for 3 months now!

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I wanted to clarify in my response above that this was my impression as to what was going on personally for me and does not necessarily apply to other's experiences with this product which could be an entirely different issue. Always see your doctor if you are experiencing symptoms like those being discussed. Only an actual examination by a doctor will allow a correct diagnosis and treatment. Do not rely on online suggestions to diagnose a medical problem.

My experience with Apple Support has also been very erratic. I've contacted them the first time in March and at that time they told me to "dispose of the Airpods or give them away" (well, thanks?). then a month ago I opened another case and they promised a refund by mailing a check which I have not received after weeks. and it seems here like people are experiencing overall very similar issues but Apple's response has been very volatile and different and on a case-by-case basis.

meanwhile I have purchased chinese knock-off wireless in-ears for 40 dollars and those don't give me any issues.

also I'm not sure posting all this stuff on Apple's own forums is the right way to proceed. maybe we should create a subreddit?

Total agreement. Total. People like to point to us and say “it’s such a small number of you that have the issue so it’s not a priority”. Uh...we matter! And what about all the people experiencing this that don’t post here? Or all the people getting ear infections with no idea it’s AirPods? I had back to back infections for 3 months before I realized it was my AirPods.

I think sometimes you just gotta know when to throw in the towel when something isn’t working out. I could be salty that apple wouldn’t refund my money, but why? What good does that do me? I figured I’ve dealt with this crap for months and I wanna move on. You can sell your AirPod pros for practically the price of 2nd gen AirPods so it’s almost like an even swap.

I’m really disappointed that Best Buy wouldn’t accept them given the medical anomaly. They are usually a little better. I would try selling them to recoup some of your cost. Although quite a lot of people are effected by the APP, Everyone isn’t experiencing this issue.

I spoke to an Apple rep this morning- I’ve been working with Katie.

They are much aware of the situation.

its my understanding that they are trying to figure out if there was an isolated issue with the manufacturer.

Engineers are inspecting the devices.

i received my full refund.