Much like most earbuds on the market, the AirPods (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Gen) and AirPods Pro seem to suffer from a simple yet annoying problem — occasionally falling out of the ear. This is unnerving, especially for joggers, athletes, and people on the go. Imagine losing your AirPods because it fell out while you’re commuting outside! Incessantly worrying about them falling out and needing to push them inside from time-to-time also isn’t a good feeling. If this is a constant struggle for you, you are not alone! You’ll find that there are countless queries on forum sites like Reddit from people experiencing the same. Fortunately, simple problems require simple solutions. Do your AirPods fall out easily? What can you do to improve its fit? What accessories can prevent your earbuds from falling out? These and many more will be answered here today, so let’s get to it!
3 Reasons Why Airpods Fall Out Easily
In all fairness to Apple, the AirPods aren’t that hopeless in the ‘fit’ department. Their perennial creation has always been known for a snug fit good enough to rival sports-type earbuds. After all, there’s a reason why AirPods are preferred by most folks, from casual joggers to professional athletes. So, how is it possible that AirPods falling out is still a common problem? Well, there are a few reasons for that, the most common being:
Wrong fit Silicone tips on Airpods Pro Getting physically hit
Let’s go over them one by one below.
Wrong fit
The first and most apparent reason why AirPods keep falling out of your ears is due to a poor fit. Naturally, if your AirPods’ earbuds are too big or too small for your ears, it’ll be challenging to get them to stay put. As mentioned earlier, the AirPods are known to be one of the best-fitting earbuds on the market. That’s because Apple designed the AirPods to fit over 90% of their customers. While this undoubtedly represents a significant share of happy customers, it also leaves 10% who might struggle to get their AirPods to stay in their ears. And while 10% may seem like a small number on paper, factoring it against Apple’s sizable global user base shows that it’s still likely for many people to experience fit issues with AirPods. The driving factor behind this is that each person has a highly unique ear shape and size. Some studies even say that ears are a better and more unique means of identification than fingerprints. This makes the one-size-fits-all approach the biggest reason your AirPods don’t properly fit in your ears.
Silicone tips on Airpods Pro
The standard AirPods and AirPods Pro feature different types of ear tips. The AirPods Gen 1, 2, and 3 come with plastic, non-replaceable tips. In contrast, the AirPods Pro feature replaceable, different-sized silicone ear tips that come in small, medium, and large sizes and were introduced to address fit issues. So, which AirPod model stays in-ear better? Well, many thought the replaceable silicone ear tips were the right solution for fit problems. And, to a certain extent, the silicone tips did solve the problem of AirPods falling out of people’s ears. However, the silicone tips birthed a couple of new problems: they were slippery and prone to dirt accumulation. Some users have even reported the AirPods feeling less snug, especially when running/moving long distances.
Getting physically hit
Though quite obvious, another reason why our AirPods fall out of our ears is due to external forces. For instance, you could knock your AirPods out while shedding your workout clothes or fixing your hair. These days, it’s also pretty common to accidentally hit your AirPods when taking off your face mask. And although the AirPods and AirPods Pro fit snugly when properly worn, they can still become dislodged if you hit them hard enough. So, it’s best to be extra mindful in situations like these, or just take them off for the time being to avoid hitting and dropping them.
5 Tips on How to Keep Your AirPods From Falling Out
It can get understandably exasperating when your AirPods don’t fit or when they fall out constantly and you have to keep pushing the stems back into your ears. Fortunately, there are many quick, easy, and free solutions for keeping your AirPods in your ears. From simple habit changes to cheap accessories you can buy online, we’ll take you through the following effective fixes to address this pesky problem.
Make sure you’re wearing them right Try wearing the AirPods upside down Switch to memory foam tips (for Airpods Pro) Apply a waterproof tape Use third-party accessories
1. Make sure you’re wearing them right
This first tip may sound a little too obvious, but there is a proper way to put your AirPods in your ears, which many people aren’t aware of. Needless to say, it doesn’t hurt to make sure that your AirPods and AirPods Pro are correctly worn at all times. As you may already know, the AirPods 1, AirPods 2, and AirPods 3 are roughly the same size and shape as Apple’s wired earphones and sit more shallowly in the ears. On the other hand, the AirPods Pro features silicone tips that sit much deeper in the users’ ears. This difference puts the two AirPod models in separate technical categories. The AirPods Gen 1, 2, and 3 belong to the “earbuds” family, while the AirPods Pro are referred to as “in-ear monitors” or IEMs. Here’s how to wear each type correctly:
How to wear standard AirPods properly How to wear Airpods Pro properly
How to wear the AirPods Gen 1, 2, and 3 properly
Follow this step-by-step guide for wearing the AirPods 1, 2, and 3 properly:
How to wear the AirPods Pro properly
Compared to the standard AirPods, the AirPods Pro needs a little more attention, mainly since they use silicone ear tips. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you wear them properly:
2. Try wearing the AirPods upside down
Here’s a unique tip on making AirPods fit better from a MacRumors user named Awimoway. According to him, wearing the AirPods upside down is something you should try out if the previous tricks did not work for you. Admittedly, I’ve tried wearing wired earphones upside down while jogging. This is a known trick used by runners that has seemingly faded with time because of wireless earbuds. Well, you can still do it! And while it may look strange, there’s no harm in trying it out to achieve a better fit that’ll prevent your AirPods from falling out.
3. Switch to memory foam tips (for AirPods Pro)
Although Apple developed the AirPods Pro’s silicone tips with the good intention of improving overall fit, they still ended up recreating the same type of problems experienced by AirPod users. A solution to this is to try a different kind of ear tip made from another material. After silicone tips, the best material to go for is memory foam. Unlike Apple’s silicone tips, memory foam seamlessly molds itself to the shape of the ear, providing a better seal in the ear canal. A lot of users have been switching to memory foam ear tips, and one of the most recommended brands is Foam Masters. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to change AirPods Pro’s ear tips to memory foam:
4. Apply a waterproof tape
Applying waterproof tape is another popular solution from MacRumors, this time from a user named NewZealandMatt. Waterproof tape retains its stickiness even with moisture present, so using this material can help give your AirPods a better grip that’ll keep them from falling out. Here are the tools you will need for this method:
Nexcare Absolute Waterproof Tape Hole Punch
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to adding waterproof tape to your AirPods.
5. Use third-party accessories
If all else fails, you could look into third-party accessories to improve the fit of your AirPods. Some of these accessories are specifically made to address common issues regarding making AirPods fit better or keeping them from falling out. Here are some of our favorite third-party accessories for AirPods:
DamonLight AirPods Covers
The DamonLight AirPods Covers are silicone ear tip covers that provide additional grip to the earbud part of the AirPods. They come in two variants – one for the standard AirPods and one for the Airpods Pro. These silicone covers are thin enough to fit inside AirPods and AirPods Pro charging cases. So, you won’t need to keep taking them off every time you want to put them away.
Ahastyle Silicone AirPods Ear Hooks
The Ahastyle Silicone AirPods Ear Hooks are AirPod covers much like the DamonLight option mentioned above. What makes the two different is that the AhaStyle covers come with a hook and a silicone tip extension for the regular AirPods. The AirPods Pro version of these covers, on the other hand, only includes a hook. Hooks are often found in earphones or earbuds designed for sports use. So, if you’re thinking of using your AirPods for contact sports, such as basketball, these are worth considering.
GOGOSODU Airpods Strap
Finally, we have the AirPods strap from GOGOSODU. This product doesn’t directly address in-ear fit. Still, it does offer an extra layer of security for your AirPods in case the earbuds decide to pop out of your ears.
Conclusion
The Airpods are indeed a revolutionary device in their own right, but the unfortunate fit issues can take away from their appeal for some people. The good news is that the above fixes can efficiently address this. Hopefully, with these solutions at hand, you no longer have to worry about your AirPods falling out when running, exercising, or playing sports. Did you find these tips helpful? We’d love to hear about what activities you do while wearing your AirPods, and how you manage to keep them where they’re supposed to be. So, if you have your favorite DIY or professional solutions, please share them in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!
