AirPods Max fakes look TOTALLY real to iOS including Warranty coverage!!

[ThunderSkunk]

the suspiciously low price ($240)

Every pair of apple headphones I've bought aftermarket have been counterfeits, from every generation. I even went on a tear trying to get some 1st & 2nd gen wired earpods (bc they were the last that actually fit in my ears well), and showed up Apple-identical packaging, but plugged them in and they sounded like a 1930s walkie talkie. Only then noticed some of the finer details on them & the package weren't quite right. Somebody actually bothered to counterfeit those things 20 years later.

And now, after all the airpods batteries died, I'm back to using my old big yellow 1970's Sennheisers again, which somehow still sound & feel great. + a record player! Jeez.

 

[bigjnyc]

Facebook marketplace is littered with these. I was searching for a pair but quickly caught on. The price is usually a dead giveaway..... But yeah airpods, airpods pro and airpods Max fakes have gotten scary good.

I overheard a conversation the other day where someone was claiming to have purchased a pair from Aliexpress.... Then purchased a pair from Apple.... then a few days later returned the box with the fakes inside and the Apple store employee didn't even notice.

 

[Wando64]

Depending on the serial number, it could show up as real but when sent in for service get flagged as fake.

In that universe, Apple "quietly" decided to release some AirPods Max made with plastic ear cups instead of aluminum, but nobody on the internet felt that was worth discussing.

Cool.
Next time if I am ever in doubt about the correctness of information provided by iOS I'll give a call to the OP to check.
I am sure that, and posting about it on MR, will make iOS much better in the long run.

 

[f1vespeed]

Yes but… someone else has asked this already, did you get in touch with Apple support to confirm whether they are indeed ‘fake’?
If iOS tells you that they are ‘real’, than a call to Apple is the least you should be doing.

I might still call Apple just to be heard and to see if they want to know the serial number, but I doubt anything will come of this. They are most definitely fake on closer inspection.

 

[f1vespeed]

Maybe use them as your gym headphones or something like that. If they get stolen it’s not as bad.

You know, I've grown kind of attached to these fake AirPods and will probably be using them and keeping around as a reminder of a valuable lesson learned.

It's quite common for older folks or the less tech-savvy to get scammed on the internet. This is the first time it happened to me, simply because I trusted Apple's software so much to recognize another genuine apple product or reject a fake.

It made me realize that I have gotten older and just don't realize what's possible. Technological scams have caught up to my millennial level and I can't trust my current instincts anymore. It sadly reminds me of my dad driving way too fast in a BMW because he believed all the acronyms like TCS and ASC would keep it from ever losing grip.

I've had tremendous luck before in scoring good deals like this on craigslist, which is why I've kept rolling the dice. Sometimes, the too-good-to-be-true prices do happen on genuine articles. Not just apple products like MacBooks and iOS devices, but just about everything. It's what keeps craigslist interesting despite the high level of shadiness. But this has been a learning experience for me.

 

[RecentlyConverted]

You know, I've grown kind of attached to these fake AirPods and will probably be using them and keeping around as a reminder of a valuable lesson learned.

It's quite common for older folks or the less tech-savvy to get scammed on the internet. This is the first time it happened to me, simply because I trusted Apple's software so much to recognize another genuine apple product or reject a fake.

It made me realize that I have gotten older and just don't realize what's possible. Technological scams have caught up to my millennial level and I can't trust my current instincts anymore. It sadly reminds me of my dad driving way too fast in a BMW because he believed all the acronyms like TCS and ASC would keep it from ever losing grip.

I've had tremendous luck before in scoring good deals like this on craigslist, which is why I've kept rolling the dice. Sometimes, the too-good-to-be-true prices do happen on genuine articles. Not just apple products like MacBooks and iOS devices, but just about everything. It's what keeps craigslist interesting despite the high level of shadiness. But this has been a learning experience for me.

I think you should contact Apple about these. They have cloned a H1 chip, and probably only have the one serial number. If Apple is aware of the serial number used, they could flash up, a be aware this item may be fake, rather than the do you want to pair box.

 

[nathansz]

Were they a good deal for what you got?

I bought a pair of “air pods” from Ali express just to listen to podcasts at work sometimes

They were $1.29 CDN with free shipping

They are actually great for the price!

 

[MacBookPro88]

The fakes look just as good as the real things. It's when you dig into them is when you know they're fake. Like they wont seamlessly switch from your phone to your MacBook. They don't show up in your Dynamic Island when you connect them to your phone. Small things like that.

 

[bigjnyc]

The fakes look just as good as the real things. It's when you dig into them is when you know they're fake. Like they wont seamlessly switch from your phone to your MacBook. They don't show up in your Dynamic Island when you connect them to your phone. Small things like that.

The newer, really good ones do show up in the DI... I came across a YT video of some guy reviewing DHgate fakes and they even showed up in the DI... I was flabbergasted. seamless device switching did not work however, so they haven't mastered that yet lol.

 

[MacBookPro88]

The newer, really good ones do show up in the DI... I came across a YT video of some guy reviewing DHgate fakes and they even showed up in the DI... I was flabbergasted. seamless device switching did not work however, so they haven't mastered that yet lol.

Yeah, it's crazy how good the fakes are getting lol

 

[magicMac]

is it possible these are using real H2 chips from recycled/refurbished AirPods, so iOS recognises them as legit ?

 

[dmccombs]

I got scammed today on Craigslist on a pair of APMs that had my iPhone running iOS 18 completely fooled. They showed up as having a WARRANTY!

BE CAREFUL BUYING USED APMs on CL/FBM.

- They popped up as AirPods Max, with the REAL white square AirPods dialog.
- Under Settings, they show up as AirPods Max, all the settings are there
- They actually have a WARRANTY displayed in Settings.

Since iOS says they're real and have a warranty, and the packaging and hardware dupe was totally convincing, I paid the guy and left, despite the suspiciously low price ($240). I thought, black friday, market must be flooded, kid needs cash. Stupid of me obviously.

Indications they were fake later on:
- Distortion at higher volumes
- Bit of friction in the digital crown
- Earcups are plastic if you tap on them but hard to tell at first, and are rounded off a bit around crown and button.
- Clamping force uncomfortable
- Smart cover has a seam in the foldover part that shouldn't be there
- Won't fit back in smart case with the paper earcup packaging

I am amazed that they are spoofing not only the H1 chip but also convincing iOS that these are legit serials under warranty. It kind of makes me mad at Apple that they can detect non OEM parts in repairs, but not this.

Can you post a picture with the earpads off, so it shows the speakers and holes that allow for the headband to be popped off?

 

[f1vespeed]

I think you should contact Apple about these. They have cloned a H1 chip, and probably only have the one serial number. If Apple is aware of the serial number used, they could flash up, a be aware this item may be fake, rather than the do you want to pair box.

Will do. I probably shouldn't stay silent on it.

 

[f1vespeed]

Were they a good deal for what you got?

I bought a pair of “air pods” from Ali express just to listen to podcasts at work sometimes

They were $1.29 CDN with free shipping

They are actually great for the price!

I would not say they are a good deal. The sound is pretty unrefined, and they are very uncomfortable.

I just got a genuine pair, and compared to those and the clamping force on the counterfeits are pretty bad and the geometry is wrong. They press too hard on the neck below the ears.

Regardless, I would not recommend supporting these counterfeiters by buying a pair on purpose.

 

[f1vespeed]

Can you post a picture with the earpads off, so it shows the speakers and holes that allow for the headband to be popped off?

Real on the left, fake on the right

 

[HiVolt]

I am amazed that they are spoofing not only the H1 chip but also convincing iOS that these are legit serials under warranty. It kind of makes me mad at Apple that they can detect non OEM parts in repairs, but not this.

I think there is a limited detection method because its not physically attached, and only via bluetooth.

 

[dmccombs]

Real on the left, fake on the right

Wow, interesting. Are you able to detach the earcups from the headboard on the fake airpods, like you can with the real ones?

These look like really good fakes.

 

[sparksd]

Real on the left, fake on the right

I notice that the symbology on the lower inside differs between the two; the real one on the left matches my APMs.

 

[JPack]

The fake stuff often has that WEEE garbage bin logo and CE. Most likely because the market in Europe is closer and more accessible.

They don’t need to salvage the H chip as they can easily clone the functions and handshake. Given that, the serial number is a cinch. They just take any valid serial and program it in.

 

[f1vespeed]

Wow, interesting. Are you able to detach the earcups from the headboard on the fake airpods, like you can with the real ones?

These look like really good fakes.

As far as I can tell, they cannot be detached. The hole diameter is too small for a SIM eject tool. I tried jamming a needle in there but it seems to be hollow inside.

 

[f1vespeed]

The fake stuff often has that WEEE garbage bin logo and CE. Most likely because the market in Europe is closer and more accessible.

They don’t need to salvage the H chip as they can easily clone the functions and handshake. Given that, the serial number is a cinch. They just take any valid serial and program it in.

Am I wrong to think Apple should have been able to engineer this possibility out, either during the initial design, or by updating iOS now that this problem is sizeable?

 

[f1vespeed]

I think you should contact Apple about these. They have cloned a H1 chip, and probably only have the one serial number. If Apple is aware of the serial number used, they could flash up, a be aware this item may be fake, rather than the do you want to pair box.

I contacted Apple. The support agent told me multiple people had contacted support about sound quality issues against the same serial number. Apparently a lot of people get these and don't figure out that they're counterfeit... they just call in with issues like "one side of the airpods sound weird".

She did not have a way to report a counterfeit in her system, she had to report it as a miscellaneous issue.

It appears apple is sitting on their hands on this issue, content with letting people learn their lesson.

 

[dotzero123]

It’s driving people to buy at Apple or authorized resellers. So what’s the problem? (For them)

 

[v0lume4]

I didn’t know they could do that with the warranty status page on your phone. I’m curious to know how that works.

 

[Parowdy]

The best way to spot a scam is “If it’s too good to be true it probably is”. Ask yourself why would the seller do this. It you can’t come up with a good answer then walk away.

I’ve bought AirPods Pro 2 with the USB C case for 170€ instead of 270€ from a dude on eBay who said he used them for a week in hospital, didn’t like them and wanted to just sell them, still under warranty until next year and all…
100% legit. What I didn’t know was that he himself didn’t pay full price. He could have actually made a profit with them and didn’t. Only noticed because he included a copy of his receipt in the box without me asking.

However that was on eBay, a personal transaction with fakes this good is obviously very different.