AirPods Pro 3 - not a good fit

Leewos wrote:

First let me say I appreciate & applaud Apple’s return policy as it was flawless and FAST. I was so disappointed I had to send them back.

I went with a different mfg of EarPods which a colleague had and recommended. It has a rounded end where it enters the ear canal. The AitPod 3’s” have an oblong end that the tips snap onto, and that was my problem with fit and subsequent ear canal pain. I don’t know what the ends of the 2’s look like without the tips. The new buds I purchased are comfortable, excellent fitting, no pain, fully noise cancelling if programmed to be or transparent or normal and don’t fall out or feel like they want to or could. The EarPod doesn’t have that long piece coming down and the whole unit fits into the ear. They are part of the Anker line called Soundcore Space A40.

"EarPod" is the name of Apple's wired headphones.

if you do a search on the popular shopping website for:

Gcioii 3 Pairs for AirPods Pro 3 Ear Hooks Covers (2025)

I got these and to me, they completely solves the AirPods pro 3 problem and give me a perfect fit.

Sure you have to remove them for charging but it gets to be second nature.

I ended up using the medium tips for a few days and they did get a better fit over time not sure if it was the foam becoming compressed or just me getting used to the. I’ve ran in mine now and although they stick out of my ear more (seems to be the case for everyone) they are secure. At first I was using the small tips due to thinking medium was too big but small made the ANC not work when moving my mouth. Now I’m happy with fit the sound is a lot better.

I am sorry to hear you are not satisfied with the fit. You have 14 days to return them if you purchased them from the Apple Store. Or you can check some of the AirPod ear hooks available from third parties. Many of them are highly rated.

Chadk1 wrote:

I’ve been using AirPods Pro 2 for years — easily the best-fitting earbuds I’ve owned. Recently upgraded to the AirPods Pro 3, and as many others have mentioned, they just don’t fit right. They sit slightly away from the ear (about a millimeter gap) and tend to fall out with even small head movements.

Ears are almost as individual as fingerprints. There's no way every design is going to fit everyone's ears. As I noted earlier, the AirPods Pro 3 is the first Apple earphone (including all versions of EarPods) that has ever fit my ears.

You can try what I did for my previous versions, experiment with third-party tips. I found some for my AirPod Pro 2s that took them from unusable to a perfect fit.

The seal is noticeably worse than AirPods Pro 2 for me. Any sort of yawn or mouth opening movement will cause the noise cancellation to fail. Even moving my head side to side has the same effect. The issue isn’t the silicone tips, it’s the shape of the actual buds, which obviously can’t be adjusted. As a heavy user I’m wondering if I’ll be able to use AirPods in the years to come unless I stock up on gen 2’s now.

I ordered these last September and finally received them. I've never had pods so I was looking forward to them as I wear hearing aids and using headphones wasn't comfortable. Well, I tried them today. It took all of 10 minutes for my ears to become painful with them in. I had an "excellent seal wearing the xxs or xs, and they stayed in, but something was putting pressure on something inside my left ear. It was even uncomfortable to remove them. I tried different sizes to see if I was pushing them in too far....but. it didn't matter. The thing is, the part that is attached to the tips of the airpod is the same size, no matter what size tip you select. It's that part, offset at an angle that's my problem. My hearing aids were moulded to each of my ear canals. That's why I dont have a problem with them. So, unfortunately, these will have to be returned.

I have the same issue. I recently upgraded from my perfect fit AirPods Pro 2 to the AirPods Pro 3 and they absolutely do not fit my ear.

The medium ear tip pass the isolation test, and the ANC works well, but somehow they keep moving with the slightest movement, either talking, eating... Changing for the large tip does not help, and the smaller sizes doesn't even pass the test. It's the first ever AirPods ever to do so.

Additionally, they seem just to not fit my ear, the problem doesn't look to be in the tip, but in the shape of the earphone itself. It looks like the stems just"poke out" of my ear way more than with the previous version.

Exercising at the gym is just annoying now, because I have to keep adjusting the AirPods in my ear every 60 seconds. For the first time since AirPods' launch, I've been using more the iPhone or other Apple device speakers than the AirPods, and that's so annoying. I simply avoid having to use the AirPods Pro now. It's sad.

I feel really disapointed and just want to go back to the AirPods Pro 2. But guess what? I can't find them for sale anymore. SO, SO, SO frustrated!

Yes --exactly! I keep hearing people say "change the tip", but it is not the tip! It is the whole unit! It is too big for my ear. And the tips are so long they practically rub against my cheek! I don't get it! I expected the new model would be more compact, not larger. I also am a runner and have had the new ones fall right out of my ear (no matter what size tip I put on). My original AirPod Pros never fell out. And as for the 14 days to return... they were a Christmas gift and were purchased for me in October, so no chance of a refund. Plus, I swear the original AirPod Pros had so much better sound.

WatchfulWren wrote:

Yes --exactly! I keep hearing people say "change the tip", but it is not the tip!

When people say that, they often mean to third-party tips. I usually change the tips to foam tips. They work better with my ears. In addition to being a better fit, they are less slick.

It is the whole unit! It is too big for my ear. And the tips are so long they practically rub against my cheek!

The stem on both versions is 1.22 inches long.

Ears are as individual as fingerprints. There is no way one set of earphones is going to fit everyon correctly.

Same here — the new AirPods Pro 3 don’t fit well for running. They make a constant shaking or rattling sound in my ears during movement. It feels like the design wasn’t properly tested for active use. Definitely not recommended for runners. In my opinion, this is a failed product in that regard.

I had the same issue, I sleep with the earpods so the discomfort with Airpods Pro 3 becomes even more noticeable. Tried everything, they just fit worse because they are more "bulky" than Airpods Pro 2. Eventually had to return them because the ANC and sound quality can't outweight the discomfort. Back to Airpods Pro 2, which fit superb.

Right now I have both the AirPods Pro 2 and the Pro 3. After a week of using them side by side, I can say that although I immediately noticed the much better ANC on the Pro 3, the main issue remains the fit: they constantly feel like they’re about to fall out, especially when I smile or move my jaw while eating. Also, when I walk I hear an annoying “tap tap,” as if the earbud isn’t sealing properly in the ear canal and is bouncing around inside (or maybe mine are defective, I’m not sure). I think I’ll go to the Apple Store where I bought them to request a return (I’m still within the 14-day window). I’m really disappointed because the ANC is noticeably better than the previous generation. I’m posting here because I’m hoping there’s still something I can try before returning them. I’ve tested all the ear tip sizes without any improvement in stability or comfort.

Hey, thanks so much for sharing your experience. I thought I was the only one not liking the fit of the new airpods pro 3 after so many compliments on how they “finally fit”. For me, as soon as I put them in (size M, which is the size I’ve always used on all of my airpods pro), they just seem to be too long now, pressing hard into my ears. I tried to switch to a smaller size but what happened was I felt it fit less securely. I tried to compare the fit between the S and M ear tips. M fits better but both felt odd. Went back to my Pro 2, and it just stayed in there, comfortably… So bummed since I was so looking forward to the Pro 3 :(

The Pro 3 was the biggest disappointment I’ve ever had with an Apple product… the Pro 2s fit me perfectly, I can sleep even on my side wearing them. With the 3s, as soon as I put my head on the pillow, they were digging in and I just couldn’t wear them anymore… hopefully they tweak it a little so it fits everyone better.