AirPods Pro Rattling Noise

To anyone concerned it seems the latest beta update (ios 13.1.4) fixed this issue. I first noticed the problem in a bus so I’ll update as soon as I’m able to test them on one, but from my testing by shaking my head and walking I cannot longer hear the rattle. :)

i am having the same issue with the left one, rattles when I cough or certain frequencies. Called Apple support, went through the motions of resetting, checking firmware, they are making me go to the Apple store So some Genius can tell me they have to replace it. Sounds like a waste of both are time, just send me a replacement and stop the hassle. Expected more from Apple guess I will share this issue with social media.

I honestly think Apple is aware of the problem. Probably cheaper for them to just replace them when it happens than to fix the design/manufacturing flaw. At some point, our year warranty will be up and we’ll either be screwed or forking over the replacement cost under Apple care. It’s definitely a win for Apple and a lose for us.

I figured I would give an update since I’ve started going in circles with Apple. After being replaced four times under warranty I was sent to a tier two support rep after the rattling and fit check issues persisted after going through all of the troubleshooting steps. The rep had me submit logs from my phone and said she would have an engineer look at them. Two days later I got a call back and I was told it wasn’t a hardware issue and I would have to go to the Apple Store for in person support. I inquired why this was and asked what would be different in the process since I had done this previously, and she remarked about it being replaced with a new pair if the problem couldn’t be remedied. I brought up that no stores were open near me due to COVID-19 and she seemed perfectly happy with me waiting for service.

Two weeks ago I went into the store with my AirPods and met with a genius for an hour. We talked about the history of the problem and the warranty service I have received. He was not able to locate any notes about my call with the tier 2 rep, which seemed odd since the phone rep insisted the next step had to be done in the store. I demonstrated the fit check failing on all ear tip sizes and describe my problem thoroughly emphasizing that replacement AirPods sound great and pass the fit check, but over time the rattling noise starts and from that point on they never pass the fit check again and the rattling persists.

We ended the visit with them escalating this to their head genius who subsequently was going to contact an engineer at corporate for guidance. As part of that discussion the genius asked about this discussion thread which he added a link to in the ticket. A week ago I received a call from the genius and he said this would be escalated to a tier 2 support rep and they would contact me on the phone. I explained that this was the process I just went through and that previous rep told me I had to resolve this at the store. He said he would look into it further and that is how the call ended. It has been another week and I have not heard anything. My guess is that they will recommend a refund for the device soon so they won’t have to deal with me anymore, but I would much rather have AirPods that work as intended especially after the latest updates to the Pros that were announced at WWDC. I also would like to help them solve this problem so that everyone else experiencing the issue can get it resolved as well. Hopefully my next update is more promising.

Thanks for your dedication Alex.

I’ve sat on the phone for hours about a month or two ago.

It was my 4th time replacing an AirPods Pro, so I tried escalating to a supervisor for refund. They refused a refund and just offered another replacement.

I wonder how long they’re going to hide this.

Check This Out...

Me: Yes — thank you — Now I see online but there are several thousand customers complaining of AirPods rattling. Is there a known recall?

Apple: No, but as with any product, some matters are more “common” than others, if 1% of a million customers have the problem, that's gonna be 10,000 people, so issues like that can appear common But with AppleCare and warranty, should be no problem. ...Yeah I forget what the word is, “confirmation Bias” I think , but the 99% aren’t posting online to say that their AirPods work without error. but you best believe that 100% of people are posting or looking online when their AirPods DON'T work!

Me: Good thing airlines don’t think that way... in 2018 if you used Apple's reliability target 77M would die in a plane crash...Only 1%

Apple: Alright! So with that appointment scheduled just take a look here before visiting.

1% is a totally wrong.... this forum is correct ... Air Pod Pros have a design issue (and I would bet there is failure interaction with those who have deeper voices —- the vibration from the mic to the hardware seems to be blowing something out) — once Apple pulls their head out of the sand they could totally fix.

@BreeZee_17 sorry but your response is more antagonising than it is helpful. I’m not sure whether you formally represent Apple or not? I think it is already established that this issue is caused by an endemic hardware defect. It is a latent failure, which manifests after a period of time. I personally have had five (5) buds replaced thus far, so this can hardly be a batch issue. Other users have reported similar experiences.

The risk to all of us is that the warranty period doesn’t get extended when there’s a failure so eventually it will happen after the 12 month warranty on our device has lapsed and it will be a kick in the teeth when Apple then refuse to take action free of charge. At the end of the day, Apple need to be honest with their customers and share some statistics on this issue. What is the actual failure rate? Since Apple have remained silent on this, I have lost faith. If my AirPods fail again I will demand a refund.

I've had my right airpod pro replaced 5 times now. Just clearedy throat and guess what... Here comes ticket #6. Thinking about just getting my money back and getting some decent wireless buds. Too bad Bragi sold The Dash... Those were awesome.

Same here, mine started rattling 2 months after having them in my left AirPod pro. It’s been really annoying and I’ve had my AirPods for almost a year now just don’t have the 89$ to replace it and I didn’t want to call and have a fee so I’ve just been dealing with them. It’s been awfully annoying. It dulls when turning off transparency mode or noise cancellation but the rattling is still there. I’ve been just using my right AirPod and rarely both of them which is sad since both of them is better. But not moving was okay now it’s without moving it rattles. I changed the bud sizes and settings but I figured it was a internal problem. Been meaning to take mine in with a appointment but the replacement fee is going to really hurt with all the bills I currently have at the moment.

Just got my replacements. They’re on 2B588. Hope this is my last time dealing with this issue 🤞🏻

Same issue with my right pod, occurs since a week or two, only in transparency mode or NC. Reset, reconnect, all last sofware versions, no solution. Ordered a replacement. Wait and see.

Does anyone have more info on the "suck" or tape technique of clearing our the microphone? Does this work? Search macrumors.

To me it sounded like a blown speaker. Bad build quality I think.

If you don’t want to get it replaced again, rarely use your AirPods. Use them for special occasion, or else they’ll go bad again in 2 months.