AirPods: Difference between revisions
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==Consumer impact summary== | ==Consumer impact summary== | ||
AirPods are designed in a way that makes them unrepairable, leading to customers having to buy a new pair after a few years of use. Apple can replace them, but won't repair them or help you do it yourself. According to an expert from iFixit:<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Dalvin |date=20 Apr 2023 |title=Apple Doesn’t Repair AirPods. Here’s Why. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omMPJEoZGJE |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=omMPJEoZGJE |archive-date=2026-02-02 |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=Youtube |publisher=Wall Street Journal}}</ref><blockquote>If you want to take this apart, non-destructively, to replace the batteries, as far as I know, that's impossible.</blockquote>The rechargeable batteries in AirPods can see fast-tracked degradation at a certain number of battery cycles,<ref name=":1" /> with two-year-old sets lasting for less than half of the advertised five hours.{{ | AirPods are designed in a way that makes them unrepairable, leading to customers having to buy a new pair after a few years of use. Apple can replace them, but won't repair them or help you do it yourself. According to an expert from iFixit:<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Dalvin |date=20 Apr 2023 |title=Apple Doesn’t Repair AirPods. Here’s Why. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omMPJEoZGJE |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=omMPJEoZGJE |archive-date=2026-02-02 |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=Youtube |publisher=Wall Street Journal}}</ref><blockquote>If you want to take this apart, non-destructively, to replace the batteries, as far as I know, that's impossible.</blockquote>The rechargeable batteries in AirPods can see fast-tracked degradation at a certain number of battery cycles,<ref name=":1" /> with two-year-old sets lasting for less than half of the advertised five hours.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elalj |first=Simo |date=2024-04-16 |title=How Long Do AirPods Last? (Battery & Lifespan) |url=https://www.refurb.me/blog/how-long-do-airpods-last-battery-lifespan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723215441/https://www.refurb.me/blog/how-long-do-airpods-last-battery-lifespan |archive-date=2025-07-23 |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=RefurbMe}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Apple Service and Repair for AirPods |url=https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair?services=service |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260220050147/https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair?services=service |archive-date=2026-02-20 |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=Apple}}</ref> | ||
Up until September 22, 2023, Apple used their proprietary Lightning connector on the AirPods' charging case.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borresen |first=Jennifer |date=22 Sep 2023 |title=iPhone 15 pro uses USB-C charger: An exploration of how Apple got here |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/09/22/iphone-15-pro-usb-c-charger-explained/70916655007/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260104044745/https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/09/22/iphone-15-pro-usb-c-charger-explained/70916655007/ |archive-date=2026-01-04 |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=USA Today}}</ref> | Up until September 22, 2023, Apple used their proprietary Lightning connector on the AirPods' charging case.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borresen |first=Jennifer |date=22 Sep 2023 |title=iPhone 15 pro uses USB-C charger: An exploration of how Apple got here |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/09/22/iphone-15-pro-usb-c-charger-explained/70916655007/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260104044745/https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/09/22/iphone-15-pro-usb-c-charger-explained/70916655007/ |archive-date=2026-01-04 |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=USA Today}}</ref> | ||
Apple has a program to service batteries and purchase replacement individual AirPods and charging cases. The replacement of one or both AirPods or the charging case has a lower price with AppleCare+ than without. Apple offers battery servicing for free with AppleCare+ and for a fee without. | Apple has a program to service batteries and purchase replacement individual AirPods and charging cases. The replacement of one or both AirPods or the charging case has a lower price with AppleCare+ than without. Apple offers battery servicing for free with AppleCare+ and for a fee without.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
===User Freedom=== | ===User Freedom=== | ||
Revision as of 05:07, 20 February 2026
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| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2016-12-13 |
| Product Type | Wireless earbuds |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://apple.com/airpods |
AirPods are wireless earbuds designed by Apple. They first debuted on September 07, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7, and were released on December 13, 2016.[1][2]
Consumer impact summary
AirPods are designed in a way that makes them unrepairable, leading to customers having to buy a new pair after a few years of use. Apple can replace them, but won't repair them or help you do it yourself. According to an expert from iFixit:[3]
If you want to take this apart, non-destructively, to replace the batteries, as far as I know, that's impossible.
The rechargeable batteries in AirPods can see fast-tracked degradation at a certain number of battery cycles,[3] with two-year-old sets lasting for less than half of the advertised five hours.[4][5]
Up until September 22, 2023, Apple used their proprietary Lightning connector on the AirPods' charging case.[6]
Apple has a program to service batteries and purchase replacement individual AirPods and charging cases. The replacement of one or both AirPods or the charging case has a lower price with AppleCare+ than without. Apple offers battery servicing for free with AppleCare+ and for a fee without.[5]
User Freedom
The features that AirPods are marketed with restrict interoperability, because the customer can only get them within the Apple ecosystem. When used with non-Apple products the functionality is on par with a basic wireless headphone.[7] However there have been projects attempting to regain marketed features of AirPods with non-apple products, such as LibrePods.[8][9]
Incidents
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product line. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the AirPods category.
Example incident one (date)
- Main article: link to the main article
Example incident two (date)
...
Incidents affecting all of the company's products can be found in the company article: Company article
Products
- AirPods (1st generation) (December 13, 2016[1])
- AirPods (2nd generation) (March 20, 2019[1])
- AirPods Pro (1st generation) (October 30, 2019[1])
- AirPods Max (December 15, 2020[1])
- AirPods (3rd generation) (October 26, 2021[1])
- AirPods Pro 2 (previously 2nd generation) (September 23, 2022[1])
- AirPods 4/ANC (September 20, 2024[1])
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Every Apple AirPods Generation: A Full History of Release Dates - IGN". IGN. 2 March 2025. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04.
- ↑ "Apple reinvents the wireless headphone with AirPods". Apple. 7 Sep 2016. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04. Retrieved 24 Nov 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brown, Dalvin (20 Apr 2023). "Apple Doesn't Repair AirPods. Here's Why". Youtube. Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2026-02-02. Retrieved 24 Nov 2025.
- ↑ Elalj, Simo (2024-04-16). "How Long Do AirPods Last? (Battery & Lifespan)". RefurbMe. Archived from the original on 2025-07-23. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Apple Service and Repair for AirPods". Apple. Archived from the original on 2026-02-20. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
- ↑ Borresen, Jennifer (22 Sep 2023). "iPhone 15 pro uses USB-C charger: An exploration of how Apple got here". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04. Retrieved 24 Nov 2025.
- ↑ Thomas, Christian (2025-03-26). "Don't use AirPods with Android". SOUNDGUYS. Archived from the original on 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ↑ https://github.com/cysgodi/librepods
- ↑ Hardwick, Tim (2025-11-21). "This Free App Unlocks AirPods Features on Android Devices". MacRumors. Archived from the original on 2026-02-02. Retrieved 2026-02-02.