Buzzing on Air Pod Pro 3s on 2 different MBPs

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Level 1

35 points

Buzzing on Air Pod Pro 3s on 2 different MBPs

My Air Pod Pro3 have an occasional buzzing sound while streaming TV or movies, especially Paramount Plus. It is a buzz for a fraction of a second, but then the audio is delayed by that interval behind the video, and after a few, that becomes unwatchable. This first happened soon after I got them in late 2025, while watching on my M1 MacBook Pro. Apple Support set up a Genius Bar visit, where the "genius" told me it passed hardware testing and rather dismissively told me it must be due to my OS, and I needed to restore, so I restored, no change, then was told that using a Time Machine backup still meant remnants of old OS hanging around. This sounded like rubbish, so I didn't do a full clean install.

But a few weeks later, I bought a new MBP, M4 Pro, current OS and a clean install, no Time Machine. The Air Pods had been reset a number of times, were rest again, and the same problem occurred first time using them. Back to a different Genius Bar, same hardware test, no faults shown.

Now left with what I consider defective Air Pods and Apple not really willing to do anything. If it repeats, I am going to throw them in the bin and buy a non-Apple brand, probably Bowers and Wilkins, but before then, any ideas?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Jan 23, 2026 3:47 AM

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Answer 1

immo

Level 4

2,381 points

Jan 25, 2026 4:12 PM in response to Martin Toal

You’re welcome.

Testing Firefox or Chrome could help isolate whether this is Safari-specific.

Safari has been misbehaving for me lately as well with freezing and general instability, so it’s worth a shot.

On Mac, Paramount+ is available as an add-on channel in the Apple TV app (billed via Apple ID).

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Answer 2

immo

Level 4

2,381 points

Jan 25, 2026 7:55 AM in response to Martin Toal

Hi,

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Just to understand the setup a bit better:

How are you watching Paramount Plus when this happens? Are you using a web browser on your Mac, or are you watching via the Apple TV app?

If you are using a browser, have you tried a different one to see if the behaviour changes? Different browsers can handle media and audio streams slightly differently.

Have you also tried watching on a different device, such as an iPhone or iPad, to check whether the behaviour is specific to the Mac? (You can download the Paramount+ app on those devices to test.)

Is the issue more prominent with a specific series or episode, or does it happen across different content?

If you are watching through the Apple TV app, you could also check in that section of Apple Discussions in case others with that playback setup have seen something similar.

Best ,

A

PS: found these, didn't read through but might help

https://www.reddit.com/r/ParamountPlus/comments/1funrvr/out_of_sync_audiosometimes/

https://www.hollyland.com/blog/tips/paramount-plus-audio-out-of-sync?

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Answer 3

immo

Level 4

2,381 points

Jan 23, 2026 1:30 PM in response to Martin Toal

Hi there,

Your issue seems to fall within a wider range of audio behaviors I've been technically documenting with my brand new AirPods Pro 3. I've been trying to escalate to senior tech with detailed reports, but no success yet. Tier one support feels very script-based, so it might be tricky for them to get into the specifics of why these things are happening.

A few questions for comparison:

* You mentioned it's especially prominent with Paramount+. Does it happen with all streaming services, or is there a clear difference in frequency/severity between platforms?

* Does it start immediately, or after 10 to 30 minutes of continuous playback?

* Does it happen with one AirPod solo, or only when both are active?

* The buzzing you mentioned, do you feel it physically in-ear, or is it purely audible?

* Does placing them in the case temporarily clear it, or does it persist?

Mine are brand new with multiple issues I can reproduce on demand, and they refused DOA replacement.

Best,

A

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Answer 4

Martin Toal Author

Level 1

35 points

Jan 24, 2026 1:58 AM in response to immo

Thanks for the reply. To answer your questions:

I have not noticed it on other streaming services, but I assume that the sound on each uses familiar software and it is down to bluetooth to send them to the Pods.
It can happen a few seconds in, and repeats at a variable frequency. Each time, the sound on the TV show is desync-d further until it becomes unwatchable.
Happens in both ears.
Audible, not massively loud, the main inconvenience is the cumulative delay in sound compared to video.
I have tried putting them in the case, no effect. Stopping and restarting the video resynchronises the sound and video.

Once the genius had done the hardware test and found nothing, he was uninterested and wanted me to leave. As someone who has owned almost every piece of kit Apple has produced, this did not please me.

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Answer 5

Martin Toal Author

Level 1

35 points

Jan 25, 2026 10:28 AM in response to immo

Thanks for those. I watch stuff on a M4 MBP using Safari, and I don't think I can stream Paramount through the Apple TV app, or add a separate PP app (one available for iPad/iPhone though). I haven't tried another browser, so may give Firefox a go.

I have not noticed it worse with any particular show, and has happened over a period where I have cycled through a number of different shows. I think it has also happened on Amazon Prime Video, although I tend not to watch too much there, so maybe haven't tested it as much.

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