AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#101

Post by crossroadsguy » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 5:01 PM UTC

wombat-man wrote: post #31

paultopia wrote: post #11

the most annoying thing about the airpods pro for me is that a good percentage of the time (maybe 15%, give or take), only one of the actual airpods will connect when I stick them in my ears. I got a buzzing a few months ago and swapped them out under the service program, hoping it would also fix the only-one-airpod-connecting issue, but, well, it didn't. (A large percentage of the time I realize that this is because…

Why wouldn't you try a different brand first?? I haven't used airpods yet because I tried a samsung pair first and they still work. I had an android phone when I got them. Now I have an iPhone. They work on whatever!

Because it might feel like a betrayal if they’d use some other brand. For fruit company lifers it’s a lifelong fan association, it’s not merely a consumer-manufacturer relationship like mere mortals who (also) use other brands.

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#102

Post by currency » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 5:07 PM UTC

eludwig wrote: post #24

chollida1 wrote: post #15

Can any other runners comment on the new airpods for durability. I've killed 3 pairs due to sweat from running seemingly shorting them out and then they never seem to recover. the sound is great but I can't really tell much a difference between them and the $50 pair I tend to buy from amazon. That could be due to my 40 year old ears though. They do connect really well and allow me to connect to both my phone and lapt…

Just anecdata, but I have been running with non-pro AirPods for years with no problems like one you describe. I tend to sweat a lot, so by the end of the run they are pretty wet. No shorting or other electrical issues. The only problem I've had was ear wax buildup (yeah, gross, I know) with the first/second AirPods generation (the ones with the long stem). I was able to use alcohol & hydrogen peroxide to clean them u…

>>The only problem I've had was ear wax buildup

I purchased a hearing aid cleaning kit[0], and the little wire loop tool is excellent at removing wax.

[0]https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B089QMMSWW/

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#103

Post by wombat-man » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 5:25 PM UTC

random42_ wrote: post #100

samatman wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really isn't. AirPods are a case where I broke my rule of thumb with Apple, not to buy in to a new product line until the fourth iteration. And sure enough, they've been a little flaky, my first-gen not-Pros developed a terrible crackle and had to be replaced. But fixing flakiness with Apple stuff by buying a new one works more than you might think. They do actually iterate on reliability (not you macOS). Man, fin…

> they've been a little flaky, my first-gen not-Pros developed a terrible crackle and had to be replaced. Can confirm. Here the 3 of us have 2nd generation AirPods. In one of them the mic is no longer working, on another one of the AirPods won’t connect 90% of the time, and the last one has a combination of these two issues. Another family member is on their second pair already. AirPods are great, while they are work…

Hmm, I haven't had issues with my Galaxy live buds. But you might be a heavier user?

The main annoyance is just that I have to re pair them to switch devices. But so far so good otherwise. I'm interested to see if they ever make a new version.

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#104

Post by klinquist » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 5:29 PM UTC

paultopia wrote: post #20

FabHK wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. Both of my original AirPods Pro developed the buzzing/crackling issue, had them both exchanged under the program, and now one of them is creaking again. Also found the 1st gen noise cancellation not quite as good as with Bose (in ear as well as over ear). And now I'm here pressing reload in the browser so I can buy the 2nd gen...

Hah, glad I'm not alone in this. Proud of myself for not immediately buying the new ginormous watch tho

I wish I could be proud of myself.

So glad they finally make a watch for my mountaineering & diving lifestyle.

Narrator: "He has never been diving our mountaineering."

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#105

Post by mmastrac » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 5:32 PM UTC

As someone who sits on video calls often, please, please do not use your AirPods for conference microphones. I cannot understand about 25% of what people are saying, especially those people w/deep voices.

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#106

Post by LetsGetTechnicl » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 5:36 PM UTC

Bluecobra wrote: post #55

LetsGetTechnicl wrote: post #39

Buying AirPods Pro when I lost my original AirPods was probably one of the worst purchases I've made recently. They keep falling out no matter what I do, until I got these silicon "shark tip" covers that mimic the kind of eartips a lot of sports headphones have. It's so annoying.

What brand/model tip did you end buying? My favorite ear tips for the longest time have been the triple flange ones from Etymotic but they are a little behind the curve and still only sell wired earphones.

I bought these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QCF2729

They're like silicon sleeves for the AirPod Pros that give them shark tips that make them more secure in the ear.

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#107

Post by themensch » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 6:11 PM UTC

spaghettiToy wrote: post #98

themensch wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An excellent question, let me elaborate. - On the first instance I contacted apple via their customer support chat. It took about 30 minutes to get replacements shipped to me. - On the second instance, the problem was well-established, so they just shipped me new ones. - On the third instance, they asked me to go in to a local Apple Store, and that did take a bit longer. In fact, I'm due for round 4 here soon. There'…

I'm still fuming at your story. But I'm happy that you perceive this as a good experience. I wish whatever tricks Apple used, they could implement at the Post Office and Car Dealerships. I don't even care if I have to undergo exploitive psychology, I just don't want to be miserable with things outside my control.

Well, I don't consider it a _bad_ experience; I understand that my usage has contributed significantly to the problem. If Apple were to give me the runaround here, my story would likely be very different. I may have abundant patience but it is finite.

I wouldn't dare prescribe my regimen for how I deal with things beyond my control, but for interested parties I would say daily meditation and exercise have helped me turn down the volume on such things.

I do appreciate your ire, as I share it.

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#108

Post by olyjohn » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 6:31 PM UTC

PascLeRasc wrote: post #53

andsoitis wrote: post #2

My experience of the Service Program has been very poor. One of my AirPods Pro has an annoying tick. It's like a metronome (regular) and orthogonal to the music I'm listening to. I've taken it to the Apple Store, but instead of the service rep putting it in their ear to confirm the issue, they use some machine that checks and, in my case, "computer says no!" to my complaint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n_Ty_72Qd…

The employee should not have to put it in their ear.

That's Apple's fault. If they want to fix them, they need to be able to listen to them. So Apple should have tools so a human being can hear them. Relying on some computer to tell you everything is fine, when it's obviously not, is bullshit.

If they don't want to diagnose their hardware, then they should just exchange them with no questions asked. Getting denied on a repair "cuz the computer said so" is crap.

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#109

Post by GordonS » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 6:50 PM UTC

wmeredith wrote: post #77

GordonS wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's "fun-tac"?

I googled it for you: https://www.loctiteproducts.com/en/products/fix/general-purp... It's mounting putty or sticky putty. You moosh it into your airpods and it grabs all the little debris that may be stuck to them. There's also keyboard cleaning gels made specifically for this purpose: https://nerdtechy.com/best-keyboard-cleaning-gel

Huh, thanks, that does sound quite useful!

Re: AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

#110

Post by steve_adams_86 » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 7:43 PM UTC

samatman wrote: post #97

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #16

I had my air pods pro replaced under warranty about 2 weeks before my warranty expired. I was so relieved. It has been two months and the new ones are already experiencing major issues. One doesn’t charge sometimes, even if the case seems to indicate that it’s connected. I thought it was the case, but the same thing happens in another case. The weird shifting noise cancellation the first ones did where both ears canc…

I get the money argument better than the waste one. An AirPod is less embodied energy than one of those birthday cards with a built-in speaker that plays happy birthday. Is this really moving the needle? You could buy three pounds less of off-season fruit from another continent, if you really feel bad about it.

It's not the single set of AirPods that bothers me so much as knowing that, on a larger scale, a lot of AirPods are breaking on a similar time scale and it's a greater trend that causes damage.

I don't think there's much as an individual I can do to make a difference, it's just disheartening to see massive multinational companies dumping out electronics that become non-functional so quickly – even when they're a high enough quality otherwise that they wouldn't really become obsolete for a very long time.