Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

I just want to let you all know that I had the same issues with itchy, draining ears but I ended up trying silicone tips from a third party and also covers for the rest of the APP. Both are from Amazon. Covers are DamonLight AirPods Pro Covers and I"m not sure of the name of the silicone tips are AIRSPO AirPods Pro Ear Tips 2 Pairs Ear Buds Silicone Tips Replacement for Apple AirPods Pro (Small, 2 Pairs)

Good luck. I've been ok with wearing them for several hours at a time since then with no problem. I just don't know if it was just changing the tips or whether getting the covers also made the difference. Both were so inexpensive that I decided it's not worth experimenting to see if I would have a bad reaction again if I didn't use both.

My case: I had the same irritation, itching and drainage! Went to ear doctor and it was a fungus...took it maybe after i left the airpods on a dirty surface, maybe! He said that is unlikely possible to be an allergic reaction...did a 2 week treatment with eardrops, switched to the small size silicon tips from the box...and everything is fine, for now! ALWAYS DEZINFECT YOUR AIRPODS AFTER USING THEM OR PUTING THEM ON ANY SURFACE ESPECIALLY AFTER A CARDIO TRAINING!

I was a bit shocked this week to find out how quickly the reaction happens. I think it gets worse with each exposure. I started the process of a return with Apple which required I put the AirPods Pro back in my ears to get several pictures. I didn’t really want to at this point but compromised and put one in my right ear with the silicone tip to get the required pictures. I also put one in my left ear without the silicone tip and took pics. It took less than 1 minute to take pics of my right ear. Sure enough, I had a reaction in my right ear to the silicone tip again with excessive drainage & itching. It’s lasting a longer this time too and made my right ear and area around it feel temporarily numb like when the dentist gives you a shot in the mouth to numb it. The feeling is coming back now but still very itchy & draining. So strange. I would suggest others don’t experiment because, as I just mentioned, I think the reaction continues to get worse with more exposure.

I know it is not fun to read through all these pages. Believe me! Apple's response is contained within, however. It varies depending on the agent of course; I will do my best to summarize what I have experienced and read over the past year.

Generally, they acknowledge the issue if you push hard enough or find someone knowledgable. They see it as isolated to people who may have certain rare allergies. They list possible causes on their site even. They will refund you generally, sometimes immediately and sometimes with proof and persistance. They have not informed us if they are doing any further research or if future product will be modified from this research....one can only hope.

I encourage to state your experience and point out these posting to let them know that this issue persists to this day.

You should definitely stop using them.

i did not experience any off the symptoms until several months of wear. I stopped wearing on and off in September hoping that my ears would heal. I finally stopped wearing in October and I notified Apple in November. It’s taken awhile but I’ve finally received the shipping label to send the AirPods back for a full refund.

it’s a lengthy process and it’s took close to 2 mos but I am getting a refund from Apple.

My advice would be to stop wearing the AirPods and contact Apple for a refund. Also be patient and kind. The person/advisor you are talking with didn’t build the product and they are there only to help you and to listen. So please be kind.

Best to you!!

I am experiencing the same issue. Itchy ears with drainage. Took me a while to tie it to the airpods. It led to an ear infection that took a bit to clear up with antibiotics

I traded out the silicone tips for foam tips. So far so good.

Same problem. I only just connected the dots after fighting a seemingly persistent infection in both ears that had me and my GP stumped.

I've never had an allergy in my life, so this is bizarre to me; I've used call-center-style headsets with silicone in-ear tips for decades without an issues. I would never wear the AirPod Pros for the entire day, but enjoyed them for months before suddenly my ears started "leaking" all the time - enough that the screen in the eartip got clogged and it started making the noise cancellation squeal. Soaked the tips in warm water to clean them out.

The inflammation eventually got so severe and painful that I ended up in urgent care late at night. My ear openings were swollen to the point that the doctor couldn't even check my eardrum, and I had a constant discharge like I was sweating profusely from my ears. The steroid + antibiotic drops he prescribed cost almost as much as the AirPod Pros! I used a strong Rx cortizone cream for a couple months after that and the condition wouldn't clear, just subside - constantly leaky, crusty, and inflamed. (Of course, I'd resume using my AirPod Pros once the problem subsided, not realizing I was triggering a new cycle.)

On a lark, I searched the web for AirPod Pro Allergy, and what a huge issue I discovered!

I am having the same reaction to PowerBeats Pro. Reaction to the whatever the tips are made of and also the over the ear piece. I switched to a bone conduction headphone to avoid anything in my ears, a little weird with a lot of bass. Brand is Aftershokz(I have no connection to company), these are the headphones my IM doctor suggested especially if using outdoors so you can hear cars. Not the best sound quality but work for ZOOM and outdoor activities fine. Use my over the ear beats when going for sound quality. Hope that apple finds some new materials...

I received the Airpod pros as a gift in Dec. 2019 and the itching did not show up until August, but once it started the symptoms became rapidly worse. So it's not unusual for the irritation to take awhile to take hold. PS after going thru all the steps Apple asked, I did get my refund. the process took about 3 months to resolve. I think the reason they ask for all the documentation is to defend themselves in the event there is a class action lawsuit at a future date. My complaint at this point is, I just wish they would be more transparent about whether they are trying to fix the issue for the next APP release. Many of us enjoyed wearing the APP's until we could no longer do so, and would gladly get them again if we knew the issue had been solved.

I have identified my AirPod Pros as the cause of my horrible ear discomfort over the past few months. I have had itching, sharp pain, drainage, scabbing, and swelling occur. When I discontinue use of them the symptoms subside within a few weeks. I have never had an issue with silicon tips in the past. I don’t buy the noise cancellation theory at all because I never use it.

Just to add to the chorus on this. Purchased AirPods Pro last March and no issues for the first while. Come October/November I had the leaking ears/crustiness issue followed by an ear infection in each ear which resulted in multiple doctor visits and ultimately the ER.

I've switched to Comply foam tips which alleviated the issue considerably but I would not say 100% completely. There is clearly an issue with the materials used or the nature of the noise cancelling technology being employed. It can only be one or the other in my opinion.

I have gone back to my original AirPods with no consequent issues so far.

The AirPods Pro go in ear and I think it creates an airtight seal in your ear. By doing so, it traps air and moisture thus resulting in discharge/drainage and inflammation. I’m still trying to recover from the last ear infection and returned my Airpod Pros for a full refund. I’m traumatized and it’s not worth the misery.

Yes I had drainage had no idea what was causing it but as soon as I took out my AirPods Pro the drainage started. Went to the doctors and said it was allergic eczema. Doctor gave me a prescription and the problem went away. I stopped using the headphones and my problem went away.

Thanks, superstanley31. I am in the uk and have, today, ordered comply foam tips from Amazon. They were only £7.99 for three medium pairs. Looking forward to seeing if they stop this awful reaction. Thanks to all others, also, for helpful responses. I have been worrying for months thinking I had a really serious ear infection and was waiting for hospital dermatology appointments, which are so difficult to get during covid restrictions... Having seen how many people have reported this reaction to Apple AirPods pro, over so many years, I really think that Apple need to step up to the plate. We pay enough for our products and upgrades and I think that this problem is so widespread that they really need to take due responsibility for researching and rectifying it. Health and safety for their customers is just as important as having the fastest tech spec!

I want to share shortly my experience, as I had similar allergic reactions.

When Airpods Pro were released in Germany, I bought immediately a pair. With this pair I haven't had any allergic reaction and I could wear them for hours every day. After a couple of months of usage, I left my current pair at my parents as they were interested in it and I bought a new pair of Airpods Pro for myself again.

Then the problems started. In the first few days of listening with the new pair of Airpods Pro the itching started and the next days also skin within the ear come off. I was very surprised as I did not had the issue with the first pair of Airpods Pro.

First I thought this might be because I am allergic to the silicon eartips. So I bought other low budget silicon eartips. But this did not help. Then I bought a second pair of low budget eartips, but also with these no luck. The allergic reaction persisted when wearing them. As soon as I stopped wearing them the next days the allergic reaction went away. So it had something to do with the Airpods Pro.

As I did not had any issue with the first pair, I went to my parents and got my first pair of Airpods Pro back and left the newer pair at them.

With my first pair I had no issues afterwards and also not with the other low budget silicon eartips.

My conclusion: The allergic reactions have something to do with the Airpods Pro themselves and not with the eartip material itself. Somehow certain people are allergic to certain AirPods Pros. Perhaps one manufacturer is using different materials e.g. a different glue or plastic, than another manufacturer. There must be a difference in the production .

(BTW: my parents did not run into the allergic reaction issue with the newer pair.)