Metal shavings stuck to Airpods case

The absolute best way to clean this off perfectly is scotch tape. Place the tape over the case magnet areas that have the metal shavings stuck on them and using a mechanical pencil with the lead retracted so you are using the plastic tip to push the scotch tape directly on to the areas with the metal shavings stuck on them. Let it sit on there for 30 seconds or so and then slowly remove the scotch tape. Viola! This works because the strength of the tape is stronger than the magnet.

I use a big 1 inch square rare earth magnet to get the shavings off mine and it seems to work really well. No issues with the AirPods acting funny after. Just to be safe I do it with the AirPods out of the case.

Hi

I haven't read all the comments so I don't know if this have been suggested already.

I am a machinist and surprise surprise - I have the same problem!

My solution is simple enough though.

I use tape.

It takes a little while but it can be done. Apply the tape, press it in tight in all the nooks and crannies and peal it off again. The magnetic field isn’t that strong so the adhesive of the tape peals the metal right off =).

Just don't expect to get it all in one go. It usually takes me a couple of strips to get it all off.

I hope it helps

- Lauge

The absolute best way to clean this off perfectly is scotch tape. Place the tape over the case magnet areas that have the metal shavings stuck on them and using a mechanical pencil with the lead retracted so you are using the plastic tip to push the scotch tape directly on to the areas with the metal shavings stuck on them. Let it sit on there for 30 seconds or so and then slowly remove the scotch tape. Viola! This works because the strength of the tape is stronger than the magnet.

FYI if the metal shavings make there way into the charger area on the airpod case it could very well short out the airpods or the charger case. I would try to keep the internal case as clean as possible.

I have the same problem, it’s veryyyy easy to clean with a piece of scotch tape, use your fingernail to crease the tap into the inside edge on the case. Then do it a few times till it’s clean.

Use tape, works for me. This is the video:Airpods case metal shavings cleaning/去除Airpods盒子上的铁削/AirPods ケースに鉄粉掃除 - YouTube

I am a welder and locksmith / Safe and vault technician, I will tell you first hand that until you work with metal to the point that someone in my field does you never start to notice how much loose metal is around the world and nearby. Everything that has ever been produced from metal will have minuscule remnants that most of the time we dismiss and ignore. Another thing to point out is this is the first time for most users of these devices to be carrying around a neodymium magnet in there pocket, anyone who believes these shavings are from the air pods themselves I highly recommend just carry a small magnet in your pocket for a day and you will see these minuscule iron shavings collecting on its edges. That will be true whether you work in a high rise office building, a hospital, or a school.

yes it will mess it up. How does the metal shavings even get in?

Everyone seems to be having this problem. My assumption was that it was from the hinge. The hinge was the only moving metal parts in my pocket where I keep my Airpod case.

As for cleaning the crap out of there, try post-its. Those seem to work better than anything else I've found, as long as you do it regularly and don't let it build up to outrageous levels of metal, dust, and grime.

Metal filings are a part of the day to day dust we are all subjected to in our daily lives. I work on a railway so metal dust and filings are a part of my life. You may receive some filings from the hinge but my guess is that it is only a small amount, most comes from our environment. Even if you haven't been effected yet, you probably will eventually over time. Some people may live where there are higher levels such as near factories or railways. More than likely you pick it up from the pens, keys or pocket change you may carry. Don't carry pocket change? Other people do and if it is in the same pocket they carry their dollar bills guess what, it will make it to your pocket. It may not even come from your pocket but simply off your fingers as it is picked up from your daily routine.

The only real fix is for Apple, as well as all headphone manufacturers to remove the magnets from their products.

I'll agree with that... 100%

I've given some thought to this and paid attention to my daily habits with the Airpod case.

I realized that the pocket I keep it in also is the pocket that I keep my cash, or any change I might have, along with a pocket knife. The magnets are collecting the dust from those items.

I also work with metal (welding, grinding etc) and I have a lot of shavings on my case, because the shavings get in my pocket from what im working with. This is definitely not an issue with the case or the airpods. But most people don't realize that metallic dust is everywhere, all over buildings and furniture and table tops and your clothes, just like other dirt and dust, and its sometimes incredibly small. Its obviously more common in metal shops. Apple should just make the case black. I don't see any other solution to this issue because A) the magnets are too useful on this product to remove, and B) you aren't going to get rid of the metal dust in the world, or somehow make it not attracted to the magnet... and C) i dont think there is any negative impact on the headphones or your health. It just looks dirty...

I work no where around metal filings. I think it too the filings are coming from the hinge. In fact I can tell that the hinge is looser (more play) since when I first received my airpods. I cannot believe no one else has figured out the hinge is creating the filings. It is quite obvious. Thank you, alan

if you look very closely using a magnifying glass you'll see that the metal shavings actually cut into the plastic making it impossible to remove them after a while. Eventually the shavings rust and the brown rust dust impregnates the furrows in the plastic causing permanent discoloration.

I just went through the Genius Bar process for the same issue (metal shavings collecting in the case). They Genius was going to replace them but they didn’t have a topic in their issues selection for this so they had to escalate it through two levels of engineering. The Apple engineers decided from pictures alone that it couldn’t be metal from the product itself. They assert that if it were from the hinges the shavings / parts would be larger somehow. They told me my option is to keep it clean and “deal with it” basically, no replacement.