Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

And to accompany the Apple support reminder, below is a rundown of our most common symptoms reported in this group with the AirPods Pro.

Common Symptoms

• Itching (Very common)
• Pain (Very common)
• Crusting around outside of ear (Very common)
• Fluid drainage (Very common)
• Ear pressure
• Headaches
• Ringing of the ears (later stages for some)
• Partial hearing loss/distortion (later stages for some)

Remedies

• Stop wearing them (best solution)
• Prescription medicine from doctor in some cases
• Time (weeks to months to fully recover)
• Very mixed, often temporary success with coverings or new tips (stop wearing them is best method)

And to accompany the Apple support reminder, below is a rundown of our most common symptoms reported in this group with the AirPods Pro.

Common Symptoms

• Itching (Very common)
• Pain (Very common)
• Crusting around outside of ear (Very common)
• Fluid drainage (Very common)
• Ear pressure
• Headaches
• Ringing of the ears (later stages for some)
• Partial hearing loss/distortion (later stages for some)

Remedies

• Stop wearing them (best solution)
• Prescription medicine from doctor in some cases
• Time (weeks to months to fully recover)
• Very mixed, often temporary success with coverings or new tips (stop wearing them is best method)

Advocating

• Contact Apple Support directly and report this allergy shared by many of their APP users. Tell the support agent, "I want to raise a Safety Escalation." And relate your story and the stories here.

And to accompany the Apple support reminder, below is a rundown of symptoms reported in this group with the AirPods Pro over the past 10 months.

Common Symptoms

• Itching (Very common)
• Pain (Very common)
• Crusting around outside of ear (Very common)
• Fluid drainage (Very common)
• Ear pressure
• Headaches
• Ringing of the ears (later stages for some)
• Partial hearing loss/distortion (later stages for some)

Remedies

• Stop wearing them (best solution)
• Prescription medicine from doctor in some cases
• Time (weeks to months to fully recover)
• Very mixed, often temporary success with coverings or new tips (stop wearing them is best method)

Advocating

• Contact Apple Support directly and report this allergy shared by many of their APP users. Tell the support agent, "I want to raise a Safety Escalation." And relate your story and the stories here.

And to accompany the Apple support reminder, below is a rundown of symptoms/remedies reported in this group with the AirPods Pro over the past 10 months.

Common Symptoms

• Itching (Very common)
• Pain (Very common)
• Crusting around outside of ear (Very common)
• Fluid drainage (Very common)
• Ear pressure
• Headaches
• Ringing of the ears (later stages for some)
• Partial hearing loss/distortion (later stages for some)

Remedies

• Stop wearing them (best solution)
• Prescription medicine from doctor in some cases
• Time (weeks to months to fully recover)
• Very mixed, often temporary success with coverings or new tips (stop wearing them is best method)

Advocating

• Contact Apple Support directly and report this allergy shared by many of their APP users. Tell the support agent, "I want to raise a Safety Escalation." And relate your story and the stories here.

Just to give you guys feedback:

• Switched official tips for foam tips
• Used a silicon cover for the body
• Also covered the outer tip with plastic
• Waited more than 2 months to try again.
• While healing, used BOSE QC in ear without problems
• Then tried again for 4 hours.

The result was: Ear skin came from completely healed to itchy, reddish and draining within the same night.

And to accompany the Apple support reminder, below is a rundown of symptoms/remedies reported in this group with the AirPods Pro over the past 11 months.

Common Symptoms

• Itching (Very common)
• Pain (Very common)
• Crusting around outside of ear (Very common)
• Fluid drainage (Very common)
• Ear pressure
• Headaches
• Ringing of the ears (later stages for some)
• Partial hearing loss/distortion (later stages for some)

Remedies

• Stop wearing them (best and recommended solution)
• Prescription medicine from doctor in some cases (take this issue seriously, it's your hearing)
• Time (weeks to months to fully recover)
• Very few have had any sustained success with coverings or new tips (stop wearing them is recommended)

Advocating

• Contact Apple Support directly and report this allergy shared by many of their APP users. Tell the support agent, "I want to raise a Safety Escalation." And relate your story and the stories here.

And like clockwork, we receive the apple support reminder from the moderators. To accompany it, below is a rundown of symptoms/remedies reported in this group with the AirPods Pro over the past 11 months.

Common Symptoms

• Itching (Very common)
• Pain (Very common)
• Crusting around outside of ear (Very common)
• Fluid drainage (Very common)
• Ear pressure
• Headaches
• Ringing of the ears (later stages for some)
• Partial hearing loss/distortion (later stages for some)

Remedies

• Stop wearing them (best and recommended solution)
• Prescription medicine from doctor in some cases (take this issue seriously, it's your hearing)
• Time (weeks to months to fully recover)
• Very few have had any sustained success with coverings or new tips (stop wearing them is recommended)

Advocating

• Contact Apple Support directly and report this allergy shared by many of their APP users. Tell the support agent, "I want to raise a Safety Escalation." And relate your story and the stories here.

I feel the same way, and have had a similar experience with Apple. I think there is a serious problem with the Airpod Pros, and I suspect it is not an allergic reaction. I say tis for several reasons:

1. Many do not react to other silicone products (me included)
2. Look at them in your ears, and you will see that there is a great deal of contact between your ears and the BODY of the APPs. I tried different tips from other vendors, and still got a reaction.
3. For many, the problem begins with clear fluid drainage, followed by irritation. This is not a typical allergic reaction, which would begin with irritation, and then fluid resulting from inflammation.

As for treatment by Apple, they are clearly concerned. I spent a great deal of time talking to their safety team, taking photos, doing test (e.g. checking for contact dermatitis reactions to the earphones on my wrists). So far, so good, and I was happy to help.

However, Apple then requested that I send them my APPS for testing, and told me they would refund them. I promptly did so. I have now been waiting for 3 1/2 months for the refund!! I have spent hours on the phone and writing emails, and get told things like "it can take up to 6 weeks to process a refund" (of course I am already at twice that). Seriously? They can ship a product to you in a few days, but it takes that long to send a check! ... and why can't Apple, a technology company, send the funds electronically... ? I am beginning to think I have been robbed.

So, I am slightly late in coming to this thread, but I have also been suffering from these same symptoms (irritation and itching, ear drainage and dried skin) since using AirPod Pros from their launch, but I thought it was just my ears, particularly as I suffer from bad earwax problems. I do wonder those of us posting on this thread have issues with our ears generally or whether it is definitely the AirPods causing the issue? I do also have a number of queries:

1. Has anyone tried any other in-ear headphones/buds that do not cause this issue? How about Beats X?
2. Has anyone found any replacement tips that do not irritate? I have seen foam tips mentioned but not that solve the problem entirely?
3. I have seen a number of theories on this thread about what is causing the problem (the silicon, the AirPod moulding/shell, RF signals etc), but surely it is an irritant in the silicon of the tip that is the most likely cause?
4. Has anyone actually found any other solution to stop the problem happening?

Thanks - and look forward to seeing the responses.

Hey Moeq8...below is a partial post from experiences here. None of these have had good outcomes in general.

Attempted Remedies That Do NOT Work for Most People:

• Cleaning (pods and case - and yes we have seen all types of cleaner to the point of damaging the finish)
• Inconclusive, typically negative results from coverings or replacement tips from Apple or other brands (documented many times over) still means not wearing them is the recommended remedy for most; the tips may not be the only or single cause for many of us.
• Using no silicone tips at all (APPs powered on or off)
• Duct-taping pods' body
• Duct-taping behind-ear loops (used Powerbeats Pro for test)
• Using AGAIN after medicine and ointments - it comes back

I’m very silly. Ever since I had the AirPods Pro I had issues with my ears but I never thought it could actually be the AirPod tips themselves. I just put it down to having a cold etc. I’ve pretty much experienced most of these symptoms:

• Itchy ear or ear canal
• Swelling and inflammation inside your ear
• Sensitive, dry, flaky, or scabbed skin in or around your ears
• Sore or itchy red rash in or around your ears
• Drainage, leakage, discharge, or ooze coming from your ears
• Stinging, tingling, or painful sensations in your ears

So I’ve just ordered some Airfome Memory Foam Replacement Premium Ear Tips for Apple AirPods Pro from Mifo. Fingers crossed my ears feel better with these 🤞🤞

I’ll report back here if the symptoms go away after using these.

• Airpod Pro user with an allergy to Apple's Airpod Pro tips
• I have tried 3 other non-Apple tips and have the same type of allergic reaction.
• Contamination with small amounts of latex or nickel is suspected, but I have no lab to test for such things.
• This could also be a silicone allergy, which is not unheard of but has been described - though "rare" is the term used.
  • It is possible that what we observe with Apple's silicone tips is the same "rare" allergic response - but now you have 100 million+ users (versus some medical devices that might have 100 total patients).
  • If only 0.1% of people have this allergy, that would be 100,000+ people - if 1% of those people post their problem on this thread, it may appear that the problem is wide-spread when in reality it is only a tiny fraction of the user base.

Yeah I wore the regular airpods for over a year and never had a problem until I got the Airpod Pros. I had a strange irritation pattern from the Airpod pros that seemed to be wherever my skin was in contact with the body of the airpod itself. In this picture attached you can see where I had the allergic reaction in the area where the tip of the airpod arm sat on the side of my face; as well as just inside my ear. Sorry to disturb you all with this close up picture but has anyone else had this pattern of irritation as well?

Add me to the list too. My husband purchased the pros on 3/1 as a birthday gift to me and I first used them on my birthday (3/19). Within 20-30 mins both my inner ears got itchy, inflamed and red. I didn’t make the connection to the AirPods and assumed it was seasonal allergies or something. I couldn’t go to the doctor because of the quarantine so I just didn’t use the AirPod pros for a few weeks because I had to let my ears heal. Finally used them again on Tuesday, 4/7 and again within 20-30 mins the itching began. Burned all through the night and kept me from sleeping. I realized it was the AirPods causing the problem and as much as I like them I knew I had to return them as I could not justify keeping $250 ear buds that I could not use. Fortunately for me, my husband did not purchase directly through Apple. He purchased through Sam’s Club, who took the AirPods back without any questions or problems even though the AirPods had been opened, used and were purchased more than 2 weeks prior. I’ve used Bose wired earbuds with silicone tips for years and never had any problems. I can also say the irritation was only in my ear where the tips touch; no irritation on the outside from the arm. I’m just happy I was able to get my money back and I ordered Jabra Elite Active 75T earbuds to replace the AirPods pro. Attached is a picture of my ear from tonight.... you can see it is all red and peeling inside where the silicone touched.... looks almost like a burn. Maybe chemical burn? I plan to call Apple tomorrow to report.

Yes I contact apple through the support on this link. https://getsupport.apple.com

Click AirPods

Then Clicked Setup & Usage

Then just followed the instructions and answered questions, you can ask them to call you