Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

I called support, and got the same deal, see your Dr!! I’ am medically trained and to have the Apple call centre make judgement of the many individuals in this thread and many other forums is most likely beyond their expertise. Apple, people are genuinely concerned and have suffered. provide refunds to those affected.

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

Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities.

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

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - it’s not the silicon buds (yep they do smell noxious though!) as I’ve replaced them with different 3rd party buds and still had the same problem. I was having a lockdown chat with my mate last night and he mentioned he had the same problem and had tried replacing the buds with memory foam ones - didn’t fix the issue for him either. The symptoms are not consistent with an allergic reaction but they are consistent with burns! Think about sun burn and it’s effects - doesn’t hurt straight away, it’s delayed and the effects are cumulative over time, bad burns result in pain, itching and weeping, scabbing and crusting and eventually dead skin shedding - well these are the symptoms I have when I wear my APPs. The skin inside the ear is thin and sensitive - yet you can stick your fingers in there all day, have all sorts of allergens get in there that would cause allergic reactions in your eyes, nose or throat; lay on a pillow covered in cat/dog hair that you are allergic to without any ear reaction and yet the focus on this group is continuously brought back to allergic reaction.  Maybe there is a (very large) faulty batch or manufacturing process that has resulted in APPs that push out too much Radio Frequency (RF) power that is causing burns. Remember these things communicate with each other using Bluetooth radio through your skull and the very first point of signal attenuation is your ear.  So to put this to bed once and for all I inserted the original tips by themselves in to my ears for several hours - no problem at all!  So removing the primary suspect from the investigation leaves an alternative hypothesis - its RF radiation burns from the APPs themselves. That may also explain the claims that Apple AirPod Max over the ear headphones are having the same effect on some people when they don’t insert anything into the ear canal at all. 

Sorry, not to directly "attack" you here @Endorph1n but your statement or guess in the direction of an RF related issue causing this skin reaction is too far fetched to be plausible. I actually got a professional training in this field and an engineering degree plus lots real world laboratory experience with various RF equipment of all kinds (incl. SDR, BT, NB, WiFi, 4G/5G,..). I would be venturing out so far to say that what you are suggesting is physically impossible given the used antennas, modulators, batteries and imaginable max RF output. The reason why I am so directly countering this statement here is to make sure no crazy rumours are sparked such as 5G caused Corona or the the Bluetooth of the AirPods causes skin burns. It is the same kind of non-sensical statement.

Of course, it might be anything else. My likely guess is and stay the silicon with some respective aggressive chemical either in the silicon or something the products are treated with to make them clean / last longer or softer. There is lots of post-production chemicals sadly being used. I had similar problems with an entire clothing collection (5.000 pieces) I had made in china and being delivered with a shipping container. They contained lots of weird chemicals added for easier handling/transport and sadly all needed cleaning after arrival. My guess is that either the tips or the post-process needs fixing. However, just my2cents. I have no confidence that this will ever got publicly resolved. It will just disappear either with new batches or with some AirPod Pro 2nd Generation.

Prior to getting APP, I tried the Sony earbuds WF-1000XM3 and didn't have an issue. They come with full set of foam eartips as well in the box. The problem I experienced is they stayed lose in my ears but the quality was good but not as good as APP. Regular Apple AirPods also work fine but they kept slipping out. I tried the new Bose Quitecomfort and they had the same itching reaction as APP. Older model of Bose earbuds didn't have any problems. I also had a major reaction with Powerbeats so I would probably stay away from those as well. This is one Apple product that didn't work for me. I have now given up on in the ear buds and purchased Bose 700.

I had this ear drainage problem too. Didn't use the airpods pro for about 3 weeks. Then I use it for few hours while mowing my lawn, with very low volume and after few days no more irritation or drainage. It can be that some users use it with high volume.

I would suggest not using them at all if you are getting continuous fungal infections. As many times as you may sterilize them once they are in your ear canal that moisture is retained. Did your doctor suction your ear as well? To remove the fungus before starting you on antifungals. Aluminum acetate is also a good medication when treating fungal ear infections.I hope this helped

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Ok here’s my latest: I had a really long call with a senior Apple advisor, who said I should be able to get a refund under consumer law from Argos, where I bought the AirPods pro. I had bank proof of purchase for £219 and also showed Argos this site, lists of symptoms etc. and the manager insisted that I had no consumer rights as (she said) she saw a post in which Apple had said the reaction was due to customer misuse! The retail manager said I was thus not entitled to any refund at all as the reaction was down to me and not the product and Apple had not acknowledged there was an issue. There is not yet any service report (although I was told at Apple that there were many cases like mine). I told the retail manager that there were thousands of us but was dismissed and disbelieved. So I called back Apple, with my case number, hoping they might speak with the retailer for me, and eventually got put through to another senior advisor who is now going to escalate my case within Apple but wants photos and a doctors report. My ears have actually just healed after four weeks of infection following about ten minutes usage. I did call my dr some months back but there were no face to face consultations due to covid and, as I had already identified a link between the AirPods and the severe reaction, the verbal advice was simply to stop using them. I suppose I could send Apple the sheets of dead skin that peeled off my ears as I did keep some of this in case I got referred to a dermatologist - but I can’t take photos of clear fluid or the inside of my ear canal, or even the visible part of my ear, which just looks red - and who is to say that is ‘abnormal’ - so there is no ‘evidence’ other than the pain and constant tinnitus I am left with. I am not happy that the only way I will be taken seriously is for me to deliberately induce another infection, put my health and hearing at further risk and thereby misuse the NHS in order to get medical ‘evidence’ that Apple will accept. As a former consultant in the NHS, I find that pretty unconscionable, particularly since this reaction is now do well documented. I am considering informing our director of public health as I do think this is a matter of public health. I am between a rock and a hard place and continue to feel very aggrieved that Apple are still blaming their very considerable customer base. I replaced my tips, which made no difference, sterilise them and use alcohol wipes, have listened at very low volume but I just have to put these near my ears and the reaction returns so I am back to square 1.

I sent in for a refund in December 2020 and just received it this week. I also decided to try the older version AirPods without the silicone tips. It’s not working for me. I still get mild itching in the ear I put one in that lasts a few days afterward. I’m kind of at a loss. I have an extreme and noticeably much more severe reaction when using the silicone tips but not using them doesn’t completely make the issue go away. I wonder if the AirPods are emitting something that is getting trapped in the area between the silicone & my ear causing an even worse reaction? Since 2020 I’ve used 3 sets of Apple headphones that by appearance look very similar. The AirPods Pro, by far, caused the most extreme uncomfortable and longest lasting reaction. The older version AirPods without silicone cause some irritation. I have no issues with the wired set that comes with the iPhone other than slight pain from the harder acrylic creating pressure points. Maybe it has something to do with the battery inside the AirPods?

I’m the same. I tried lots of things including comply foam tips but they were just as bad, unfortunately. I also tried sterilising the tips in Milton after each use, wiping down with alcohol wipes and cleaning my ears with a q tip soaked in witch hazel and cider vinegar, then letting them dry - and listening at low volume. Like you, I loved my AirPods and bent over backwards to make them work but I am suffering badly and fear I am damaging my hearing - so am reluctantly seeking a refund and exploring alternatives.

I’ve posted here before. Same issues with ear infections as everyone else. Over a period of months I have been experimenting with the AirPods Pro’s to try and narrow down the causes. I’ve tried one ear at a time, sanitising to pods, replacing the silicone tips with foam tips, and even trying a different pair of AirPod Pros. Nothing makes a difference. I’ve never had any issues with using in ear headphones ever before.

I’d like to know if anyone has narrowed it further down to the materials / chemicals used in manufacturing the pods or whether somehow the technology is the cause. I.e the Transparency/ isolation modes etc.

in conclusion I can be certain that it’s not the silicone tips. That it’s the actual air pods that are causing these symptoms. Just not sure if it’s the materials or the technology inside that’s causing the problem.

Lastly I think there could be a good case for a legal challenge to Apple over the issues caused by their product. I have evidence of GP appointments, prescriptions and photos. I challenge Apple to comment here before this gains further momentum........

The thing I find confusing is why having the silicone tips on made the reaction 100 times worse and more widespread over the surface area of the ear affected. Adding a silicone cover over the body of the AirPods Pro made the reaction worse yet causing it to spread to my outer ear. After I returned the AirPods Pro I went and bought the original AirPods. I barely had a reaction to those without the silicone but still had a reaction of mild itching. I decided not to test my limits so returned those. Also odd, I can wear a silicone insert under my face mask to hold it away from my face for exercise making it easier to breath. I’ve worn it for up to 3 hours and don’t have any reaction to that type of silicone touching my face.

Even though this thread has reached 100 pages you need to realize that out of the number of AirPod Pros sold this probably represents a very very small percentage of people affected with this issue. If I had to guess I would bet less than 0.1%. I have looked into other big name manufacture's forums and I have seen similar reports on other products as well. But as stated many times in this thread Apple has step up and returned many peoples money. It has also been well know through the years if you are firm but nice to the rep they will be more responsive, if you're demanding and ignorant you will probably get a poor response.

I would prefer to have a set of AirPod Pros I could wear too but the original AirPods work fine for me. I didn't deal with Apple support to get e refund, I just gave mine away to someone who is able to wear them.