Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

Same problem. Ear swollen, itch and drainage it’s quite violent. I was in pain for a while. I can’t believe there is no easy alternative for allergic people. I love the product but for that kind of budget he should be hypoallergenic. What a disappointment. I hope Apple will propose a solution.

I immediately noticed itching after having the air pods pro in for maybe 20 minutes.

I have tried memory foam tips instead and unfortunately they won’t stay in my ears. I am trying the small size ear tips instead of the medium.

Maybe if a bit of air gets through, it won’t make my ears so itchy.

If I stumble upon a miracle for dealing with this, I will report back :)

Jegalonso wrote:

Today all people having this problem with AirPods pro, are not having any issue with other silicone Air buds, high, medium and low quality, plus the people who is allergic to all silicone tips, the 1% you mention.

You've talked to everyone who has this problem and verified they don't have a problem with silicone in other devices?

Yes, I do think that's the consensus here.

For me, I've used silicone earbuds for years, from cheap to moderately expensive and I have never had a problem before. Actually, I think this is the first time I've have had a contact allergy to anything, and I'm 64. There is something in these earbuds that is different.

I did buy the memory foam tips from Amazon (mentioned above). I gave myself a week for my ear canals to (mostly) heal before trying them. They work really well, and the noise reduction is just as good as with the originals. So, I can recommend them as an option, if you are like me and did not want to return the Airpod Pros.

I haven’t talked to everyone, but only you have to read all cases here and other basic thing, if you are already allergic to silicone tips you don’t buy a silicone AirPods pro to try (>200$)...

The number of people is growing and is a reality, I would be easier to be open with materials and help people like us who love AirPods to see what is the material problem and see alternatives. In some months we will see who is right because is a matter of time, more cases and perhaps a case of big problem and demand.

Jegalonso,

I bought the ones that BellaPhia recommended a few weeks ago, the "AirPods Pro Memory Foam Ear Tips Replacement Complying Buds by Foam Masters | AUTOLINE PRO" from Amazon. Honestly, I don't like the fit quite as well as the originals, but they're pretty good. I got the black ones, thinking that the white might look dirty faster. To put them on, you just pull off the original tips, snap on a little plastic adapter, and put the new tips on. Very easy. They do fit in the case just fine.

Same problem, no drainage, but unusable amount of itching and a sore in one ear. It's a real shame because I love how they sound and the NC is excellent allowing me to keep volume down on calls. However, can't use them as-is.

Have been using in-ear tips for years with no issues at all, even those that penetrate further than these.

I had purchased the Powerbeats Pro late last summer and developed an itchy inner ear, drainage, and a rash on the backside of one ear. Didn't think anything of the headphones, so i chalked it up to some humidity issue. But the drainage got so bad i ended up at the doctor 2x because it lasted weeks (diagnosis was to stop using cotton swaps). I stopped using them so my ears could heal, and went back to using my original AirPods. Meanwhile my new Powerbeats Pro sat on my desk collecting dust.

Fast forward to this past weekend, i bought the new AirPods Pro from a major cellphone outlet (still sold-out everywhere here in Hong Kong), and within 2 days developed the same ear issues. I then realized it was due to the headphones. I never in my life had an allergy to any other brand ear tips (used primarily Shure and Bose for the past 10 yrs, but when the headphone jack went away i switched to AirPods.

I tried calling Apple and they were very responsive, multiple requests for info (such as doctors bill, photos, etc..) But nothing more they could do for me. There is no return policy in HK on goods, so they couldn't do anything for me even with escalation. Much harder to do since i didn't purchase at Apple. I am curious to why i am allergic to both the Powerbeats and AirPods, yet not of other brands?? Anyways, i have ordered another set of silicone tips 3rd party as well as the Foam ones off Amazon, shipped to my friend back in the US, who will ship to me. I will post a follow up once i get and try out.

The foam tips seemed better at first, but my ears are still really irritated and they seem to be getting worse again. I had never had any issues with earbuds before, after years of use. Now I'm not sure I can use them at all.

I've switched temporarily to earphones, to see if I give myself a longer break if my ears will completely recover. I also ordered a different type of 3rd party tips to try, but I'm going to wait a while (if I can have discipline—I don't like wearing earphones nearly as much).

So its been about 3 weeks since I ordered the Foam tips... the exact same ones as Boatchik, the Foam Masters. Unfortunately they only ship within the US so I just had them sent to my friend and he attempted to consolidate with a bunch of medical masks and ship to me. I paid about $75 for priority express International. My luck would have it the USPS stopped guaranteeing delivery time on mail due to the shortage of flights to HK. My package has departed Chicago about 1.5 weeks ago and with no updates since then.

I hope I can get them soon and will definitely post a follow up.

Edit, I did also order a set of additional cheap silicone tips to try out also. Hopefully its just Apple's materials.

Same exact thing as everyone else - this thread is a lifesaver in confirming the cause.

Given that many folks here seem to have had no issue with OTHER silicon tips in the past, I'm trying some of the third party silicon ones like these to see if it's some other component or the type of silicon that's in the Apple ones. I'll post if I have any success.

I have this same problem. My husband purchased these for me and I didn’t wear them for over a month, then decided to wear them around the house and within 45 minutes, my ears felt like they were on fire. I took them out and my ears had swollen, because I could barely hear anything. After about a week my ears were not itching and burning anymore. I cleaned the tips with alcohol and let them air dry, tried to wear them again a month later and the same thing. This is ridiculous, spend $250 and they use a cheap material for the tips. Not happy with these, going back to my other earphones. If they come out with a fix, I may give these to my daughter. Hope they fix these soon.

Just curious, anyone have similar issue with regular Airpods? I’ve been using my original airpods for over 2 years on a daily basis with zero issues. At least for me it’s not the plastic, unless they changed the composition in the new Airpods Pro.

After reading all these comments do you think the best answer is, “‘make an appointment with an allergist”?

Do you know what has been my allergist results? Many allergy test with no reaction an asking me something that I can’t obtain From apple, AirPods pro materials composition to make correct test!!!

Yes, it is absolutely the best answer. My mother would have never been able to wear any of the IEMs that use plastics because she discovered she was allergic to oil-based products. Some she had used for years but some other products she tried set it off. Terrible allergy she had but once she discovered what it was she adapted to it. But that didn't mean asking every company to change their product. And reading the comments here just makes me think people should see smart people in medicine when they have a medical issue, not take to the internet to find their solution. And the fact that some people are allergic does not mean it is a bad product.