My Airpods 4C165. When I use them to talk to someone, they can't hear me clearly, as if my voice is coming through water.

If your AirPods have software 4C165 I suspect a software update will help. Please see

About firmware updates for AirPods - Apple Support

Note that Airpod software update is fully automatic, it just happens if all the conditions noted in the help doc are correct. Also check your iPhone is fully updated, Settings/General/Software Update

I returned the headphones to the service. It turned out to be a fake. I bought used headphones from an unofficial reseller (in a pawn shop). I was misled by the fact that the headphones had a warranty in the apple program, a paper receipt, system animations, a software version and good hinges. I also saw a video on youtube where it was claimed that many details of the original headphones can be seen in the top cover if you shine a flashlight through it. This could all be a fake.

After that I bought airpods 3 from an official seller. Now I am satisfied. The sound is much better than the fake (not louder, but better). System sounds are also different. So the conclusion, either take a friend with you who knows how the original airpods sound, check the software version, or buy from an official seller.

This describes my problem. My Airpods Pro 1 gen are version 4C165 and won't update even though I followed the instructions from the official site and I'm using the latest iphone 16.6 firmware (20G75) at the moment. When talking, you can hear all the noises, the headphones do not connect to the iPhone or Macbook for the first time.

This are fake AirPods coz pple has never released a C series firmware version