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I use my APP2 primarily for two things: Watching TV with Apple TV and phone calls. I have a MacBook Pro 16" (2021), latest Apple TV, iPad Pro 12.9" (2021) and an iPhone 14 Pro. Phone calls are an endless source of frustration: Phone rings, I grab the APP2 case, pop the AirPods into my ears, swipe to answer on my iPhone, the phone usually shows that the internal iPhone speaker is selected (not speakerphone). If I wait about 5 seconds, I can hear the calling party. It's a bunch of hello, you there? Hello, hello, hello? If I tap on the APP2 speaker selection, most of the time, the call gets terminated. Apple, WTF? Does anyone else have this problem? My clients are getting impatient with how stupid this is when they call me. What happened to swiping to answer and immediately being able to say hello? Apple, please figure this out and get it fixed!
 
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I wish sites like MR would buy products like these brand new when they are released - and DO NOT open them. Leave them sealed until the next hardware version comes out.

Then open them - and test the NC on them against a pair of the same model that hs been used for 1 or 2 years and received the regular firmware updates...

I am 100% that over time - Apple lessens the effectiveness of NC via over the air firmware so that when the newer models are released they sound 'that much better' than the model they are replacing.
 
I love AirPods Pro, but every few days the custom transparency mode gets screwed up (stops working) and the pods require complete unpairing/resetting and re-pairing again.
 
Most frustrating product ever! I'm on a computer zoom call, phone rings... I switch to AirPods on phone. AirPods decide zoom is more important and override my decision and switch to the zoom call on the computer.

I pick up the phone and can't hear anything. I hang up, the person calls me back. Can't hear anything. It connected to the AirPods in my pants!

I get 50+ dialogs per day showing me the battery status. I can't turn off the dialog in settings and it requires a swipe down or a tapping the 'x' to close the dialog. Who designed this, it's constantly in my way.

Apple knows it's no good, and they released updates that turned off the auto switching that was happening.

Now it doesn't connect. On my computer using Youtube and teams it takes a few iterations to get it to connect. The computer shows the AirPods are connected, but I have to disconnect them and re-connect them to use them.

It takes 33s of "hello", "hold on, the AirPods aren't connected yet" before they start working. It involves me putting them in my ear, tapping the audio selector button and choosing AirPods a few times only to see the phone connect and disconnect the AirPods. Then I have to put the AirPods back in their case, then take them out again and put them in my ear again. After a few iterations of connecting and putting them in the charging case, they start working. The last time someone called it was 33s into the call before I got them to connect.

The noise cancellation is excellent though.

My guess is that Apple knows all of this and so do the public because the AirPods Pro 2 is being discounted after only 6 months.
 
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Dan - If memory serves me correctly, I recall in your review of the APP1 after wearing them for a number of months that you complained about the poor fit (and comfort). I also have the APP1 and the fact that they keep on falling out (despite trying all the tips) is my biggest issue. So the APP2 does come with one more tip size, but could you please comment specifically if you've noticed whether or not they stay better in your ears than the APP1. Thanks.
 
Had them for nearly 3 months (thanks to the generous costco return window) and returned them a few weeks ago. The Bose true wireless 2 are simply better for me. Better noise canceling (a BIG deal for driving)
Don’t you want to be able to hear things while driving?
You want it as quit as possible


when playing golf :p

 
I've been happy and amazed at the APP2. Noise canceling is astonishingly good. I've worn them while on my tractor and it blocks the engine noise out incredibly well, but unlike Bose QCII/etc - it blocks a broad range of frequencies.

I'm happiest with a feature that only Apple and Beats headphones offer at the moment... entirely due to Apple only offering this for their own products (which is a shame):

I'm nearly 70 years old and audiologists annually tell me that I don't need hearing aids because I can hear conversations in all of the weird settings that they play over their system. But only due to Apple did I realize that I was still missing a huge amount of life beyond conversation.

Accessibility > Audio/Visual > Headphone Accomodations [on] > Audiogram

using an audiogram from a free app like Mimi makes music sound like it did when I was young... fully rich on all frequencies. Absolutely incredible.

So, since Apple only offers this personal tuning of sound with its own products, it is just another reason for anyone with any hearing degradation at all to prefer AirPods over buds from a competitor.

TOTALLY annoying, is that Apple does NOT offer Headphone Accomodations on macOS Ventura - or tvOS. Makes zero sense why all devices do not have parity. Why can't I listen to my AppleTV with APP2 when my wife is sleeping and hear the sound as well as I can with my iPhone or iPad? Just dumb of Apple.
 
Had them for nearly 3 months (thanks to the generous costco return window) and returned them a few weeks ago. The Bose true wireless 2 are simply better for me. Better noise canceling (a BIG deal for driving), better sound quality, better battery, USBC, and ultimately the fit is better. With the airpods the base version slips out too easily which is frustrating at best and expensive at worst if you're on the go and they wiggle out or even fall out completely. I used a third party "foam" tips and it helped.

The single biggest "awesome" factor is being able to use the FindMy with the case cuz it's so easy to lose. But with airtags being small enough to just stick onto the case of the Bose I'm switching to those.

If someone gave me these for free I'd be thrilled but for just a few dollars more you can get something that's better in every way. I believe the only thing I miss about these was it seamlessly could work on multiple apple devices whereas with the bose I gotta actually click on my laptop to connect when I'm on here. Saving that few seconds every few days was kinda nice. :)
Do we want better noise cancelling while driving????
 
Most frustrating product ever! I'm on a computer zoom call, phone rings... I switch to AirPods on phone. AirPods decide zoom is more important and override my decision and switch to the zoom call on the computer.

I pick up the phone and can't hear anything. I hang up, the person calls me back. Can't hear anything. It connected to the AirPods in my pants!

I get 50+ dialogs per day showing me the battery status. I can't turn off the dialog in settings and it requires a swipe down or a tapping the 'x' to close the dialog. Who designed this, it's constantly in my way.

Apple knows it's no good, and they released updates that turned off the auto switching that was happening.

Now it doesn't connect. On my computer using Youtube and teams it takes a few iterations to get it to connect. The computer shows the AirPods are connected, but I have to disconnect them and re-connect them to use them.

It takes 33s of "hello", "hold on, the AirPods aren't connected yet" before they start working. It involves me putting them in my ear, tapping the audio selector button and choosing AirPods a few times only to see the phone connect and disconnect the AirPods. Then I have to put the AirPods back in their case, then take them out again and put them in my ear again. After a few iterations of connecting and putting them in the charging case, they start working. The last time someone called it was 33s into the call before I got them to connect.

The noise cancellation is excellent though.

My guess is that Apple knows all of this and so do the public because the AirPods Pro 2 is being discounted after only 6 months.

I don't mean to be rude, but that sounds like a "you" problem and not a problem with the APP2. I've had those and the APM for a while. I switch between multiple devices multiple times a day. Sometimes, yes, they switch pairing to another device that's not what I intended. But, most of the time - 99% - everything works great.
 
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Have the APP1 which is still good and has a good battery life still. If the APP2 is physically the same as the APP1, then I won't consider the upgrade.
The stock ear tips are terrible and finding replacement foam tips are a pain and can get pricey. The major limitation of the tips happen to be the case itself in that it's so tight that you can't use larger foam tips!
Bought a pair of the new Beats Fit Pro in Volt Yellow (more of a greenish yellow) from the Amazon flash sale on its release.
The stock tips aren't bad but could be better. The ANC is actually worse than the APP1 even though it does fit relatively better in the ear than the APP1 with the silicone tips. Will have to find some foam tip replacements soon to see if it provides a better fit and ANC.
 
Had them for nearly 3 months (thanks to the generous costco return window) and returned them a few weeks ago. The Bose true wireless 2 are simply better for me. Better noise canceling (a BIG deal for driving), better sound quality, better battery, USBC, and ultimately the fit is better. With the airpods the base version slips out too easily which is frustrating at best and expensive at worst if you're on the go and they wiggle out or even fall out completely. I used a third party "foam" tips and it helped.

The single biggest "awesome" factor is being able to use the FindMy with the case cuz it's so easy to lose. But with airtags being small enough to just stick onto the case of the Bose I'm switching to those.

If someone gave me these for free I'd be thrilled but for just a few dollars more you can get something that's better in every way. I believe the only thing I miss about these was it seamlessly could work on multiple apple devices whereas with the bose I gotta actually click on my laptop to connect when I'm on here. Saving that few seconds every few days was kinda nice. :)
Well, I got them for free for Christmas so I’m thrilled. Overall, I like them although I still have a slight preference for over the ear headphones so I’m patiently waiting for a lighter second generation AirPod Max that comes with a real case in addition to the H2 processor which should give them a noticeable sound/ANC improvement over the current version.
 
Question: The original Airpods Pro came out in October 2019.

Did anyone buy them back then, who are still using them today? How's the battery life?

I ask because I bought the original AirPods in early 2017 and the battery pretty much failed completely by mid-2020. More time has passed for the OG AirPods Pro so I'm wondering if Apple managed to improve battery longevity at all.
 
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I am 100% that over time - Apple lessens the effectiveness of NC via over the air firmware so that when the newer models are released they sound 'that much better' than the model they are replacing.
I'm beyond speechless. Seriously, get some help.
 
Question: The original Airpods Pro came out in October 2019.

Did anyone buy them back then, who are still using them today? How's the battery life?

I ask because I bought the original AirPods in early 2017 and the battery pretty much failed completely by mid-2020. More time has passed for the OG AirPods Pro so I'm wondering if Apple managed to improve battery longevity at all.
The battery was getting pretty low towards the end before I got the Pro 2. I still use them occasionally for yard work where they will get grimy and potentially lost and they are usually fine for a couple hours. The more annoying thing was some of the weird popping sounds like the trash can being emptied on the Mac.
 
I’m on the fence about getting a new set. They only really last about 2 years and I’m hating having to buy a new set of headphones that often.
 
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Had them for nearly 3 months (thanks to the generous costco return window) and returned them a few weeks ago. The Bose true wireless 2 are simply better for me. Better noise canceling (a BIG deal for driving), better sound quality, better battery, USBC, and ultimately the fit is better. With the airpods the base version slips out too easily which is frustrating at best and expensive at worst if you're on the go and they wiggle out or even fall out completely. I used a third party "foam" tips and it helped.

The single biggest "awesome" factor is being able to use the FindMy with the case cuz it's so easy to lose. But with airtags being small enough to just stick onto the case of the Bose I'm switching to those.

If someone gave me these for free I'd be thrilled but for just a few dollars more you can get something that's better in every way. I believe the only thing I miss about these was it seamlessly could work on multiple apple devices whereas with the bose I gotta actually click on my laptop to connect when I'm on here. Saving that few seconds every few days was kinda nice. :)
Why are you driving with noise cancellation on?
 
Question: The original Airpods Pro came out in October 2019.

Did anyone buy them back then, who are still using them today? How's the battery life?

I ask because I bought the original AirPods in early 2017 and the battery pretty much failed completely by mid-2020. More time has passed for the OG AirPods Pro so I'm wondering if Apple managed to improve battery longevity at all.

I got them launch day. I never noticed the battery on the actual AirPods declining, but I also got them replaced for free due to rattlegate in October 2021. I will say that my AirPods case seems like it needs recharged constantly now though.
 
Love mine and I happy that I upgraded from the 1st generation. Major points for me:
  • I absolutely like the sound quality
  • No feedback sounds when I lay to the side on a pillow wearing them. With the 1st generation I would get a strong squealing sound occasionally
  • Noise cancellation is a bit better
  • Find me feature. The ability of the case to play a sound saved my airpods 2 weeks ago when I lost them in a bus
Microphone quality could be better. I usually get complains: my voice comes in too soft and surrounding noises are over amplified.
 
Most frustrating product ever! I'm on a computer zoom call, phone rings... I switch to AirPods on phone. AirPods decide zoom is more important and override my decision and switch to the zoom call on the computer.

I pick up the phone and can't hear anything. I hang up, the person calls me back. Can't hear anything. It connected to the AirPods in my pants!

I get 50+ dialogs per day showing me the battery status. I can't turn off the dialog in settings and it requires a swipe down or a tapping the 'x' to close the dialog. Who designed this, it's constantly in my way.

Apple knows it's no good, and they released updates that turned off the auto switching that was happening.

Now it doesn't connect. On my computer using Youtube and teams it takes a few iterations to get it to connect. The computer shows the AirPods are connected, but I have to disconnect them and re-connect them to use them.

It takes 33s of "hello", "hold on, the AirPods aren't connected yet" before they start working. It involves me putting them in my ear, tapping the audio selector button and choosing AirPods a few times only to see the phone connect and disconnect the AirPods. Then I have to put the AirPods back in their case, then take them out again and put them in my ear again. After a few iterations of connecting and putting them in the charging case, they start working. The last time someone called it was 33s into the call before I got them to connect.

The noise cancellation is excellent though.

My guess is that Apple knows all of this and so do the public because the AirPods Pro 2 is being discounted after only 6 months.
It blows my mind that we keep having problems using the APP2 with iPhone. You would think the APP2’s would instantly connect when taking a call. It routinely takes at least 5 seconds, after answering a call, before I can start talking with the other caller. Why is this? Do certain APP2’s have a problem? This is so frustrating.
 
I wish sites like MR would buy products like these brand new when they are released - and DO NOT open them. Leave them sealed until the next hardware version comes out.

Then open them - and test the NC on them against a pair of the same model that hs been used for 1 or 2 years and received the regular firmware updates...

I am 100% that over time - Apple lessens the effectiveness of NC via over the air firmware so that when the newer models are released they sound 'that much better' than the model they are replacing.
I'd love to see that comparison. The APP2 noise cancelling is indeed great, and better than APP1. However, it does not compare to how good APP1 were at it, for the first several weeks I had them, before the first firmware update I got. Especially, or perhaps mostly, for noises that fall outside the normal purview of NC, like voices.

I'd wear APP1 (while playing no audio) and people talking just on the other side of the room from me would sound like they were upstairs in a house or something. Except all the body of that sound would be gone. So the remaining very faint voices were thin sounding and easy to ignore. Now, however, with APP2, if you're not playing audio, people talking are quieter than not using an NC, yes, but the sound of their voice is full bodied. Not nearly as easy to ignore. (same room)

I don't agree though that Apple is doing that intentionally. Seems unlikely. Weren't there successful patent lawsuits against Apple, which imply that they had to change their implementation of NC? That seems more plausible to me as an explanation.
 
I'd love to see that comparison. The APP2 noise cancelling is indeed great, and better than APP1. However, it does not compare to how good APP1 were at it, for the first several weeks I had them, before the first firmware update I got. Especially, or perhaps mostly, for noises that fall outside the normal purview of NC, like voices.

I'd wear APP1 (while playing no audio) and people talking just on the other side of the room from me would sound like they were upstairs in a house or something. Except all the body of that sound would be gone. So the remaining very faint voices were thin sounding and easy to ignore. Now, however, with APP2, if you're not playing audio, people talking are quieter than not using an NC, yes, but the sound of their voice is full bodied. Not nearly as easy to ignore. (same room)

I don't agree though that Apple is doing that intentionally. Seems unlikely. Weren't there successful patent lawsuits against Apple, which imply that they had to change their implementation of NC? That seems more plausible to me as an explanation.
My guess is that Apple gets sued all the time on various patent infringements and Apple engineers are asked to “work around” the patent. Maybe this could explain why we see degraded performance over time for noise reduction? In terms of slow connecting phone calls, sub-par audio switching (when was the last time your Apple TV quickly asked if you wanted to switch to it as the source for your APP2???), my guess is that this probably has to do with all the various Apple teams working from home and not communicating as well as they used to…full disclosure: I invested my life savings into AAPL in 2006 and that’s turned out pretty well. Therefore, I am beyond frustrated with many of my Apple technology interactions lately (from a user and investor standpoint). Don’t even get me started with Siri and HomePod OG…e.g. "Who's speaking?"
 
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