Apple Provides Advice to AirPods Pro Users Experiencing Noise Cancellation or Crackling Sound Issues

[lauriinc]

Most of the discussion of the firmware update focuses on the effectiveness of the ANC. But there has also been a very real issue with crackling while using ANC that sounds like a blown speaker. This too is no doubt a software issue. I experienced it during phone conversations when I would speak. Couldn’t hear it when someone else talked and couldn’t hear it during music (that I could tell). Switching apps is not a helpful suggestion!

This is a hardware issue.

My APP's worked perfectly for 4 months but one day my right Pod suddenly started to rattle like crazy in NC and Transparency modes. Apple will replace these, not much questions asked as they seem to already know how widespread this issue is.

I keep my ears clean and wiped the Airpods clean with a moist cloth almost always before putting them back to the case so I'm not sure is it caused by moisture getting into the microphones or is there just some part that fails after time..

 

[Boatboy24]

Anyone have a document/guidance on how these are supposed to be cleaned? Mine don't appear dirty at all, and I clean my ears at least daily. But no matter which tips I use, I can't get a clean seal using Ear Tip Fit Test with my iPhone 11 Pro. When I first bought the APP, I had a clean seal with all three sizes.

 

[MauiPa]

I've had mine since launch and ANC was great with the firmware they shipped with. The update in November rendered ANC as almost non-existent. I'll have to test once the firmware updates on my pair to see if they have fixed it.

Firmware updates should not make the product worse. I've no idea what Apple were playing at. Fingers crossed my Pro's are now as good as they were on day 1.

Weird, cause I have the firmware that you say doesn't work and, yet IT IS FANTASTIC! Are there people out there promoting a false narrative, is there a hardware issue, it is unfathomable that if everyone is being honest, that multiple diverse outcomes all actually exist.

 

[edhudley]

This may be extreme, but I actually feel insulted by Apple, as they seem to think they can toss some crumbs and everyone will be so blindly adoring, just because its Apple. Bass now seems to be reduced while no real change in the ANC they destroyed. Are they actually saying the original shipping firmware is worse than the crap they are pushing out now?

 

[incoherent_1]

Weird, cause I have the firmware that you say doesn't work and, yet IT IS FANTASTIC! Are there people out there promoting a false narrative, is there a hardware issue, it is unfathomable that if everyone is being honest, that multiple diverse outcomes all actually exist.

Just because the firmware works for you doesn’t mean it works well for everyone.

My wife and I bought our AirPod Pros on the same day and are on the same firmware version and have two completely different experiences.

 

[Mescagnus]

AirPods that have the same firmware having different issues (ANC working / not working like before) points to a hardware issue. Are all AirPods manufactured at the same factory? Could the firmware act differently on some batches of chips?

 

[peteullo]

The only times I personally noticed a difference/reduction in noise cancellation quality was during my gym workouts, but I think we all know that’s irrelevant right now.

 

[incoherent_1]

AirPods that have the same firmware having different issues (ANC working / not working like before) points to a hardware issue. Are all AirPods manufactured at the same factory? Could the firmware act differently on some batches of chips?

It could also be a problem on the iPhone-side of things, since the iPhone installs the firmware if I’m not mistaken. For example, maybe one model installed the firmware fine, while another botched it due to variations there.

 

[djcerla]

Mixed news.

ANC sounds about the same (tested with sine, white noise and pink noise), probably a hair stronger.

Transparency mode, somewhat "comb-filtered", less bright than before (it was actually too bright before).

But now my right AirPod does not pass the fit test... always yellow no matter what. Used to be consistently green before.

I already reset both devices, no change.

 

[MauiPa]

This may be extreme, but I actually feel insulted by Apple, as they seem to think they can toss some crumbs and everyone will be so blindly adoring, just because its Apple. Bass now seems to be reduced while no real change in the ANC they destroyed. Are they actually saying the original shipping firmware is worse than the crap they are pushing out now?

I have no idea what you are talking about. My airipods pro are fantastic, and I have 0 issues with them. ANC is so great that people have to tap me on the shoulder to get my attention because I cannot hear them at all. My firmware is still the supposedly tainted one, and I have had no issues. Sorry if the experience is not as good for you.

If you presume that everyone is at least being honest, what could be the reason for two completely different outcomes? A bad assembly batch, like sometimes occurs for batteries on things? Bluetooth is pretty prone to interference, maybe some people have too much interference. I know my AirPods Pro are so much less susceptible to bluetooth issues than amazon and Samsung earbuds I have tried, they are better than my old Powerbeats3 which were also good.

Also, maybe some people are using Spotify, not Apple Music like I am. I understand that Spotify gets streamed in a lossy compression, is then decompressed and then recompressed into AAC or sent as SBC. Could the issue be there somewhere? I have listened to music that has old fashion clicks, sousing like LP skips, that seems simply like a bad encoding job somewhere up the line

 

[Unregistered 4U]

The amount of people who come into the Genius Bar complaining about noise issues and hand me AirPods CAKED in wax is honestly shocking. So many people think their sound has gotten quieter and haven't realised they've just got nasty ears

Based on where that grill is... does wax really go that far outside the canal? I WANT to google, but I’m afraid to LOL

Exactly, which is it?

It’s easy to tell. The liars are the ones that don’t agree with me. /s

...care to describe this “complex testing”?

I did complex testing. I went to a friends apartment complex before I did the testing.

it is unfathomable that if everyone is being honest, that multiple diverse outcomes all actually exist.

Sound differs according to the listener, both mentally and physically. Combine the topography of the inner ear, outer ear and the psychoacoustic differences between people and you get a lot of different truths. There may be some hyperbole thrown in to dramatically state the issue, but the ONLY thing that’s important is do they sound good to YOU. If they do, great. BUT think about that before you recommend any audio gear. They may love it, OR they may wonder why you had them waste their money! Oh, and I guess if someone is questioning YOUR judgement indicating “You CAN’T POSSIBLY be enjoying those things!”or “What do you mean they sound horrible, they’re the best I’ve used!” just let it go. Nothing they can say will change how your ears hear things!

 

[vikingjunior]

I’m just over here with my $149 Powerbeats 4 that sound exactly like the Pro’s. No bulky case, no fiddling with putting them in the case correctly, no crackling, no obsessing over ANC, no 4 hour battery life, no falling out of my ear.

 

[lauriinc]

Also, maybe some people are using Spotify, not Apple Music like I am. I understand that Spotify gets streamed in a lossy compression, is then decompressed and then recompressed into AAC or sent as SBC. Could the issue be there somewhere? I have listened to music that has old fashion clicks, sousing like LP skips, that seems simply like a bad encoding job somewhere up the line

I'm not sure what you were referring on this one, but wanted to give my experiences:

Clicking = I had this sometimes but in my case it was mostly while walking and it felt like the seal of the other AirPod/ear was going on/off (no matter was there any music playing).

Rattling = When my other AirPod simply failed and you get this blown out speaker kind of sound on NC/transparency modes (seems to be hardware related).

I really really loved my AirPods Pro. Had no issues with them and thought the NC and audio quality was more than great and was recommending them to everyone until this happened. When I found out how many are having this same issue and some people are already on their third or fourth replacements, it made me really sad.

Until Apple makes a revised version of the hardware that prevents this issue, I would not recommend anyone buying these.

 

[Colossus52]

Updated firmware didn’t fix my crackling left AirPod. Got on a chat with Apple support yesterday. They are sending a replacement. Shipped this morning. Will be here tomorrow. Was fairly easy to get done.

 

[patrickbarnes]

My AirPod Pros “chirp” with noise cancellation on. The feature is unusable. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[ddtmm]

From my complex testing, I can conclude that the Active Noise Cancellation has not improved. The bass has slightly improved, but the sound is no where as good as the Powerbeats Pro.

Apple F’d with the sound after launch with the AirPods Pro like they did with the HomePod. I am disappointed.

As a prospective audiophile, I am grossed to the core.

I agree with you that they do seem to be screwing up pretty badly. Unfortunately it seems to be their new trend.

As for the audiophile perspective, I can agree with you. I never regarded Apple's audio abilities to be in the audiophile category, and most likely they never will be. They've always been "just good enough" for most people. Their speakers are mediocre at best and the pods are no different. For what it's worth, if you're an audiophile, stick to audiophile-grade gear - expensive as it may be, but worth it for true audiophiles.

 

[rwilliams]

Just because the firmware works for you doesn’t mean it works well for everyone.

My wife and I bought our AirPod Pros on the same day and are on the same firmware version and have two completely different experiences.

I believe what you’re saying, but how is that possible? And the reason I believe it is because I’ve had mine for several months now and the noise cancellation has been great for me. But so many people have said they can’t notice ANC at all, and there’s no way there’s that many people with defective ears

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Well, it’s ironic that they put this out today. I just got my replacement right in, but I can’t get the two to pair together. The left one is on 2D15, but the right one that I just got replaced is stuck on 2B588.
I’ve literally done everything. I left it closed with just one in, I unpaired them and only paired one, I’ve paired both, I’ve left both in the case clothes next to my phone, I’ve given an hour, and still. When I open the case, blinking red light, and that’s it. It’s not possible to reset them. Basically, I can only use one. Because they’re both on different firmware‘s, and they won’t synchronize

 

[zhenya]

The mid November firmware update (2B584 to 2B588) permanently reduced the ANC performance. The subsequent updates have done nothing to improve this. Extremely disappointing and the support document is bs.

And yet the ONLY reasonably objective test ever published (rtings.com) completely contradicts your opinion. They stated that testing showed NO difference between those two firmware versions.

 

[one more]

From what I understand many people here agree that the original firmware that was running on AP Pro when they were released worked the best. If this is the case, how difficult would it be for Apple to just roll the firmware back to that release version? If this does not work, though, it is a mesh issue and Apple somehow missed it during their testing. Sure it is nice to keep our earphones clean, yet this does not present an issue on their cheapest EarPods or AirPods (non-pro).

 

[Phuz01]

I have been an outspoken critic of the firmware debacle that has lasted almost 6 months now. Confirmed this morning that I have updated to 2D15. I'll echo the sentiment of others here. This is an improvement over 2B588, though it still feels shy of the release day firmware in terms of active noise cancellation.

It seems as though cancellation of white noise has improved, but I don't have any way of testing how it compares with bigger, erratic sounds, like a subway train entering the station. I am hearing some sirens and car horns, so I suspect that may not have improved.

The one pleasant surprise is richer bass. Again, it doesn't seem as impressive as on launch day, but it's much more aggressive than it had been with 2B588, and that's a welcome change.

 

[one more]

I would like them to release a cleaning kit and guide for them. I don’t like the idea of grime building up on them.

Or, better still, redesign them and move the mesh in question further down their stem.

 

[falainber]

The amount of people who come into the Genius Bar complaining about noise issues and hand me AirPods CAKED in wax is honestly shocking. So many people think their sound has gotten quieter and haven't realised they've just got nasty ears

It's actually a design flaw. Some earbud designs get affected by this more than other ones. Samsung buds (at least older generation) had this issue too while Jabra Elite are known to be almost immune to the issue.

 

[Micool1]

My Airpod Pros were amazing at launch. I couldn't hear any outside noise when on ANC. Then they screwed it up with the November update. Now there's barely any difference between ANC On or Off and I get the crackling noise. I'll try to get a replacement, but they'll probably end up doing the same over time.

 

[laz232]

Apple says to clean the mesh located on the top of your AirPods Pro, noting that sometimes noise cancellation can be affected if debris or earwax builds up in the area highlighted below. In particular, Apple says this buildup could result in a loss of bass sound or an increase in ambient noise.

Airpod Pro owner here.

I wonder if the people that write/review the documents are mentally deficient, or perhaps have never seen an Airpod Pro. The mesh is effectively unclean-able due to the close spacing (for IP rating).

Great work Apple - did you put your head keyboard designer on this one /s?