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Apple Wins Partial Dismissal in First-Gen AirPods Pro Crackling Lawsuit
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My APP got the crackling issue and are basically useless - since I had to go to an Apple service center where parking is nonexistent, I simply gave up on that - terrible build quality anyway.
This crackling issue is what made me resolve to never buy another set of AirPods. Even the replacement for my original pair - which Apple made me pay for by the way - developed this issue.
Anyone else having a problem with hissing in their AirPod Pro 3. I noticed it, especially when I fly.
Apple was not able to get an AirPods Pro class action lawsuit filed in November 2024 dismissed, but the judge overseeing the case did throw out some of the claims this week, giving the company a partial win.
The lawsuit covers the first-generation AirPods Pro, accusing Apple of false advertising for selling AirPods Pro models with ongoing crackling or static issues. Shortly after the AirPods Pro went on sale, customers began complaining of crackling, rattling, popping, and static-like noises. Apple issued a software update in May 2020 to attempt to fix the problem, and then later launched a repair program in October 2020.
The customers who filed the lawsuit requested relief due to the defective nature of the AirPods Pro, and they said they would not have purchased the earbuds or would have paid less if Apple was forthcoming about the flaw.
Apple filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in March 2025, leading to the mixed result handed down this week. Claims related to some state fraud and consumer law were dismissed, as were those related to express warranty and implied warranty. Nationwide claims were also thrown out because the plaintiffs failed to present a representative plaintiff from each state, which the court said is required for nationwide counts. Some plaintiff-specific claims were dropped, and a claim for unjust enrichment in California did not survive. The court also denied injunctive relief because the original AirPods Pro are no longer offered for sale.
The fraud by omission claims survived, and Apple is accused of failing to disclose known AirPods Pro defects even after acknowledging them publicly with the 2020 service program. Several of the state, nationwide, and warranty claims can be amended and refiled with more information in the next 21 days, so some of the claims could be revived as the case goes on.
Plaintiffs will need to prove that Apple was aware of the defect and concealed it following the 2020 repair program, and that the company denied valid warranty repairs for those claims to move forward.
The surviving fraud by omission claim could prove to be an obstacle for the plaintiffs later in the decision process, and it could ultimately be dismissed. Citing prior case law, Apple argued that it only has to disclose safety issues after the warranty period has expired, and the AirPods Pro sound defect was not a safety hazard. The court did not reject Apple's argument, and simply said that it was premature for it to consider the issue at this stage.
Article Link: Apple Wins Partial Dismissal in First-Gen AirPods Pro Crackling Lawsuit
Just report it. That account is 2 weeks old and appears to be a troll.
The very first time the left earpiece was exchanged, than after few weeks the right one. After 5 months the left one again. Oh, those sweet memories….
What do you call Apple replacing the defective ones? Is that not Apple fixing the problem?
Same here — very annoying! A simple “We appreciate your business” and an Apple Store credit of some kind would be nice.
Sorry friends but Apple has a $4 trillion company ranking to maintain and can't spare a few bucks to correct our insignificant little Airpods malfunction.
I have gen 2’s and have no static but I did have an issue with one ear bud not working after working out. Then it started working again all of sudden. Too much sweat I guess? 🤷🏽♂️ I bought a pair of cheap $20 earbuds for workouts because I’m worried I’ll mess up my Pros. You’d think the pros would hold up to sweat but apparently not.
Perhaps hard to believe but Apple’s response to this issue resulted in both my wife and kids to write off wanting Apple products. They all had the issue and it wasn’t resolved to their satisfaction. Sure, it’s only 3 people for a multi-trillion dollar company.
Ouch! Apple ended the service program. I went on the Wayback Machine and the last capture was Aug 12, 2025.
Apple also provided additional information of this program;
This worldwide Apple program doesn't extend the standard warranty coverage of the AirPods Pro.
The program covers affected AirPods Pro for 3 years after the first retail sale of the unit.
I traded mine in at BestBuy after the AirPods Pro 2nd generation was released. Believe it or not, I have three of them (all Lighting changing case) with me and none of them showed any issue. May get the current one if there's deal in December.
Corporate lawyer magic at play here. Apple should absolutely not be getting away with this. 100% legitimate issue, they even extended the service program at one point. Another tactic they used was “only limited units manufactured after XX/XX/XXXX are affected “
Replaced my OG pair three times before upgrading to the APP2’s. It’s not like it was a huge imposition because warranty and the exchange program covered the cost, but it was still annoying. Not class action lawsuit levels of annoying, however, and Apple was good about acknowledging the issue and giving owners plenty of time to get a replacement.