Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

I had some of the near original APPs. And this thread has been going on since the start basically. People have had issues with the APPs nonstop. If there is some batch that doesn’t cause problems, we have not found them.

Just stumbled upon this forum. I can't believe how many people have the EXACT same problem as me! Bought the pros - love the sound! Hate the reaction. I ended up getting a double ear infection - a round of antibiotics etc! But it kept coming back! And I just cant wear them anymore. I stopped wearing them over Christmas, as I wasn't working and all pain and irritation went away. I honestly thought it was just me having a weird reaction, so did nothing about it. But today, for the first time in nearly two months, I went on a 45 mins walk with my AirPod Pros in (thinking maybe the reaction was just a moment in time) and I am now sitting here with itching burning ears. We all know these pods are expensive, and for the sound quality deinfitely worth it, but not for the reaction. Apple are entering a new era of wearable devices which are going to become more and more symbiotic with our bodies, they need to get the science right! Clinically test the product - not just for sound but for medical issues. Warnings should be on this packaging.

If anyone has a solution - besides jumping through the Apple hoops for a refund - I'd be very grateful. Also, someone mentioned that we are helping Apple by jumping through said hoops, but honestly this is their forum - they could be proactive and not wait for us to call them!!

Xenion, hey no problem I’m happy to be challenged. I too am a professional and chartered electrical and electronic engineer with a BEng in electronic systems engineering and an MSc in systems engineering. If you have the equipment why don’t you run some analysis. I tried to reference a website on here previously but was censored. It showed that the RF power output of standard AirPods was orders of magnitude beyond the marketed specification. Unfortunately the same analysis hasn’t been conducted for the APPs. I do struggle with the concept though that the silicon buds are to blame. If the only part of the device to touch the ear canal is removed/isolated from the analysis and the symptoms persist then they cannot be responsible. Thus some other component is causing the reaction. As no other component comes into contact with the skin inside the ear then surely contact dermatitis/allergy also has to be ruled out. That leaves us with a problem in that the effect now has to be produced at a distance without contact. I accept that potentially a substance could be off-gassing from inside the APPs as a result of the residue from a manufacturing process - especially as the devices heat up through use. However, in such a case the potential for the substance to off-gass would be considerably reduced with use and time. This doesn’t appear to be the case as people have gone back to their APPs after months off only to have the same outcome. It’s an Interesting conundrum to be sure!

@Cnlmanders It's a very good idea! I can't test it as my AirPod Pros are working fine for me right now after I had trouble earlier and swapped the tips against the Apple original replacement tips which are not smells in comparison to the package included originals. Some "daredevil" who has a pair which gives him issues would need to be adventurous enough to give it a shot.

This happens to me too. I got them in December and I wore them for two days. They became double ear infections. Then after antibiotics my ears started to feel better so I tried to wear them again. My inner canal in the morning would be swollen with drainage and really bad itching that it would wake me up at night for like two weeks. I didn’t wear them for a month and my ears got better. I tried the again yesterday and this morning I woke up with drainage and inner canal swollen.

I’ve got this problem and have found them to be just sitting on the shelf now. I used them quite a bit when I first got em (first month out) for months. No problems, had a sound issue with one side. They sent me a replacement. The replacement they sent started giving me a bad reaction. The other one didn’t. The. The other side had a sound issue as I was only using the one that didn’t affect me, they sent another replacement. Now I had two expensive AirPod Pros that gave me ear issues, skin and drainage. I don’t use them now. Wish this was addressed somehow.

EAR DISCOMFORT WHEN USING AIRPOD PROs

I too am experiencing issues with itching, swelling, and drainage in the ear canal after wearing the Apple AirPods Pro’s. I’ve never had any issues like this before.

I too thought it must be the silicon tips and so replaced them with foam tips. The symptoms are still there though perhaps not as severe. I’ve also tried wearing one pod at a time and then only that ear has the symptoms. In conclusion I don’t think it’s the tips. The only thing that is different here is the different sound modes such as transparency etc. I think it must the technology in this that is somehow causing the problems.

Has anyone had any communication from Apple regarding this?

Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities.

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

Hey all! Wanted to give an update. Finally after about 5 months of working on getting a refund for the APPs I received my refund check today.

The history...noticed ear issues in October after wearing them for 3 mos. I contacted Apple Support in November. Sent photos and had 4 interviews with an advisor. In December they sent me a return shipping label and I mailed the APPs back in later December. As said above received the refund today.

It’s certainly a process to get a refund. Be patient is the only advice that I have. Good luck!!

Wow - I'm so happy to learn that I'm not the only one experiencing this. The allergic reaction has not been easy to deal with, and I had to see the doctor. I put the AirPods (pro) aside for a long time (3/4 of a year), and have only used them for less than an hour twice since then. Both times the allergy was immediately triggered.

I was very happy with the AirPods, but unhappy with Apple not providing an option for all those having this unfortunate experience and simply cannot understand how they can ignore such a magnitude of users having this issue.

I guess I can’t speak for the UK, but no one at Apple asked me to reinfect myself/trigger the reaction. They just wanted any proof that I went to the doctor, which I could get by logging into my doctor’s web portal and screenshotting my visit notes. I’d already taken pictures of my ears, knowing how Apple handles safety escalations from past experiences, but they didn’t require any photos for the refund. I’m sure they helped.

I feel like most doctors keep some kind of record of a visit when you go in, even if they don’t have a web portal. They should be able to send some documentation of a visit, no?

I think you might be on to something with the battery thing. As you can see from my previous posts I’ve tried everything. I haven’t tried wearing the pods with no charge though.

The common symptoms appear to be a burning sensation/ itching and discharge followed by crustiness. I think the battery heat etc could well be the cause.....

As I’ve posted before, I also had an experience not too dissimilar to yours although not as severe. Previous use of in ear pods with no issues. Started using APP’s end May 2020. Light use. Early August developed pain and severe ear infection in both ears. Swelling of ear canals, inflamed, soreness, discharge etc. Prescribed antibiotics by GP and off sick from work for a week. Infection took a while to clear up resulting in scaly, itchy skin etc. Ever since the condition flares up again whenever I use the pods. Could be just one or both depending if I’ve used them in one or both ears.

Ive tried all the other attempts to remedy such as changing tips, covering the body of the APP’s etc but makes no difference. Just last week I used them again in one ear and after a few hours had a burning sensation and a yellow brown discharge literally flowing out of my ear.

I suspect the issue lies with either A) The batteries in the pods or B) The technology, specifically when using in Transparency mode.

I tend to use them in Transparency mode most of the time and this by far causes a more severe reaction.

Has anyone else noticed a more severe reaction when in Transparency mode???

Lol, I am the person who made that lengthy post yesterday! So I appreciate the polite rebuke and the compliment at the same time.

I agree, the nut allergy is an extreme example, and Monsanto is a better one, but my point is really that someone had to learn about their food allergy at some point, either by unfortunate experience or in a controlled lab setting. Nuts are ubiquitous, nearly unavoidable, and really deadly for people allergic, so obviously a high priority to figure that stuff out young.

These weird chemicals that Apple is using—how would we ever know to watch out for that? So yes, I agree with you, it’s different from peanut butter. But Apple’s treating it the same.

Methacrylates and plastics and the other chemicals listed on that page encompass a very broad range of possible substances. Honestly I would not be surprised if the plastic in the APPs was different from the original Air Pods.

You’re on the money with Apple using something proprietary. I do believe one of those pages contains a link to a very lengthy document on the guidelines Apple follows for its wearable items.

Here it is: https://www.apple.com/support/assets/docs/products/watch/Restricted_Chemicals_for_Wearables.pdf

I don’t know a whole lot about this stuff, but essentially Apple is following the guidelines laid out by various health and safety orgs.

I completely agree that it’s NOT ok to say “hey, you don’t like it, change the rules,” because that is a pretty big problem with a lot of aspects of the world.

What I take away from this is really that Apple isn’t much different than any of the big, powerful entities out there. They operate on percentages and statistics, too, and if “a couple” (hundred thousand) fall by the wayside, that’s just a small cost to them.

But they will do their best to refund you if they can in the meantime 😂

Thank you again for the reply.

I have been experiencing this a well, and based upon the high number of shared posts, there is obviously an issue with the product. Only after using the airpods, my ear canals start to produce a clear fluid and then it drys and gets crusty and sore. Going to see a Dr. to be sure but there is obviously a direct correlation with using the airpods and the reactions occuring.

Apple needs to be responsible and spend time, money and be transparent to consumers regarding this health issue being caused by their product. I will now have to discontinue using my air pods and will advise my family and others of this issue.