Airpods - new owners views, problems and questions

[Scoop24]

Mu frustration grows. The Airpods connect without issues 50% of the time. Today when I tried to use them I finally got "this is not your airpods, press the button on the back to connect them".
What is going on?

All I can say is this if it's not working properly Return them and re buy .. I had a faulty one where my right ear kept disconnecting so I returned it and got a new one . Which works perfect, exactly as it is intended too .. 50% of the time isn't even close to working properly ..

[doublepost=1483559699][/doublepost]

Yeah, really bad to be honest. Also, if that notification goes to my Apple Watch instead, the interference is pretty bad and sometimes the AirPod connection drops and disconnects. It irritating me so much that I'm returning mine tomorrow. We have another pair of AirPods in our household and those don't disconnect or stutter. My first set crackled from the left AirPod. This set disconnects and sufferes from interference. The other set of AirPods were set up on my own iPhone and they're prefect and don't suffer from any problems at all. There's clearly a quality issue on these things.

Agreed..

 

[RAMM]

I've paired my Airpods to my work machine, a MacBook Pro with Yosemite. Can't upgrade the OS without IT approval, and even if I was on Sierra, I'm not comfortable leaving my iCloud credentials on my work machine.

Anyway, when I remove my Airpods, they disconnect from my Mac, and then whatever I'm listening to starts to play through my speakers. Either music or sports talk radio.

For the last two days I've been doing most of my AirPod listening at work, also on a MacBook Pro 15" (late 2015 model), running macOS Sierra (10.12.2). I paired the 'Pods via iCloud (automatically). Every time I remove a 'Pod from my ear, playback stops. Is your ear detection somehow switched off? Could it be related to your not being on macOS Sierra?

 

[Sanlitun]

We have two pairs here. Mine are fine, but my wife's pair has an issue where the right pod is not always charging.

Opening them in the morning after they haven't been used all night will show the left pod 100% but the right at 7%.

It seems that it may actually be discharging while in the case. We are going to try un-pairing and a reset, and if that doesn't work then back to the store.

 

[ericg301]

For the last two days I've been doing most of my AirPod listening at work, also on a MacBook Pro 15" (late 2015 model), running macOS Sierra (10.12.2). I paired the 'Pods via iCloud (automatically). Every time I remove a 'Pod from my ear, playback stops. Is your ear detection somehow switched off? Could it be related to your not being on macOS Sierra?

Yeah I think I have to be signed into iCloud to take advantage of those features, on Sierra. Otherwise Yosemite just sees them as regular BT earbuds (although double tap to pause still works).

 

[4451]

As an update to Post 175
I had ordered these by mistake a few years ago when I was looking for higher quality covers. It turns out these work even better than the regular foam covers I mentioned. The full covers sometimes block both IR sensors (at least one needs to be uncovered to auto detect) and need to be adjusted so that the outside sensor is uncovered. With these that is not an issue and you still get the added bass and overall better/more comfortable fit (at least for me).

On Amazon (make sure to order the HG-01) HieGi Middle Empty Foam Cushions

I got these today and they work great for me too. Airpods were going back without them as they just were not secure in my ears. Hopefully someone comes up with something a bit more elegant for those of us with odd shaped ears but for now I am happy with these Foam Cushions

 

[mous94410]

Anyone use Snapchat with the AirPods ?

When you launch a story, do you hear a little noise just before the sound begins ?

 

[CoriG]

As an update to Post 175
I had ordered these by mistake a few years ago when I was looking for higher quality covers. It turns out these work even better than the regular foam covers I mentioned. The full covers sometimes block both IR sensors (at least one needs to be uncovered to auto detect) and need to be adjusted so that the outside sensor is uncovered. With these that is not an issue and you still get the added bass and overall better/more comfortable fit (at least for me).

On Amazon (make sure to order the HG-01) HieGi Middle Empty Foam Cushions

Thanks for this! I bought them and they have improved the sound greatly! I can't wait to try them at the gym -which is really loud. Were yo able to put them in the case and close it completely?

 

[rstark18]

Thanks for this! I bought them and they have improved the sound greatly! I can't wait to try them at the gym -which is really loud. Were yo able to put them in the case and close it completely?

Yes I can close the case completely. It's tight but closes fine.

 

[Diiiiips]

Thanks for this! I bought them and they have improved the sound greatly! I can't wait to try them at the gym -which is really loud. Were yo able to put them in the case and close it completely?

Are you not able to close the lid? Do they feel more secure in your ear? My right ear feels rather loose

 

[CoriG]

Are you not able to close the lid? Do they feel more secure in your ear? My right ear feels rather loose

I am able to close the lid... but not completely... the magnetic part is not completely engaging. I guess I am afraid that the top will open in my purse.

I never had a problem with the AirPods not being secure in my ear.... i just wanted more noise isolation... I am excited to try them at the gym and see if they muffle out a bit more of the ambient noise.

 

[ascender]

Sitting next to someone with them on in the office now and there's a lot of sound leaking out of them - is that the norm or is he maybe just a bit deaf?!

 

[Rambaldi]

Yeah I think I have to be signed into iCloud to take advantage of those features, on Sierra. Otherwise Yosemite just sees them as regular BT earbuds (although double tap to pause still works).

This seems to be hit-or-miss though, as pairing them manually with Apple TV 4 (which yes, is an Apple product, but does not take advantage of iCloud sign-in and otherwise treats them as regular BT headphones) allows for the ear detection and auto play/pause to work. I'm in the same boat with my work computer - really annoying that auto pause doesn't work as I am constantly taking my headphones in/out.

 

[hubieonekanubie]

I literally just hung up the phone with a Senior Technical Support Specialist with Apple. One of the questions the "safety team" had her ask me was "What material are your AirPods that are causing the ear pain made out of?" Then went on to ask if they were metal, leather or plastic. I responded with "you're an apple employee and are asking that question?". I then asked if there were different models made of other materials other than plastic, and without a beat, said no. Never once did she indicate the first question was something out of the ordinary. The line of questions went down the path of trying to figure out if the issue is an allergic reaction, which I told her it was all fit issue and I really just want to see what their recommendation/resolution will be if anything other than live with it or return them.

 

[JNGold]

Sitting next to someone with them on in the office now and there's a lot of sound leaking out of them - is that the norm or is he maybe just a bit deaf?!

They are not in-ear (canal) with no seals to isolate sound into the ear.

 

[xraydoc]

https://smile.amazon.com/Spigen-Air...8&qid=1483057562&sr=8-1&keywords=AirPod+strap

Doesn't that just turn them in to PowerBeats?

 

[ascender]

I still think the Powerbeats are a very different headphone though. They're a pair of traditional bluetooth headphones designed for playing music and using while exercising, but they have the bonus of the W1 chip giving some of the new benefits.

The AirPods seem to be designed primarily to showcase what Apple think bluetooth headphones are/will become and are trying to cover all the bases in terms of how they'll be used.

 

[The Game 161]

Sitting next to someone with them on in the office now and there's a lot of sound leaking out of them - is that the norm or is he maybe just a bit deaf?!

he must have it full volume for it to be heard like that

 

[ascender]

First impressions....

• Sound quality is exactly the same as EarPods to my ears. I wouldn't call myself an audiophile but I do like my music.... Playing the same track and swapping from AirPods to EarPods, there's absolutely no discernible audio difference.
• But... I think the EarPods get a bit of a rough deal when it comes to audio quality. The default position with many people seems to be that they're rubbish, but if you get a good fit, I've always found you get a nice clear sound and balanced mix.
• Fit is obviously exactly the same as EarPods, so I'm using earhoox on mine meaning they're rock solid
• The lack of wires definitely helps with keeping them in your ears once they're in.
• Audio quality for calls is crystal clear both ways, definitely the best bluetooth set I've used for this purpose. In fact I'd go as far as to say they're the best set of headphones, wired or not, for audio calls.
• They're incredibly comfortable to the point of forgetting you're wearing them.
• Seamless switching from iPhone to MBP is nice and works fine for me.
• Volume from the MBP seems on the low side though. Its like something's limiting the max volume compared to that on the iPhone. This problem seems to have gone after switching to the iPhone and back. Strange....
• I still think they've dropped the ball by not having some sort of locally cached command set for frequently used Siri commands like the audio controls.

They're a very cool piece of tech, definitely one of those special things that only Apple seems to do - maybe the first thing they've done like this in a long time actually. The attention to detail, feel of the charging case etc is brilliant.

You're definitely paying the money for the tech rather than an amazing sounding pair of headphones. They're a good enough sounding pair, for music, videos etc, so I think in my case they're exactly what I will use for a lot of my listening whenever I'm using my laptop, iPad, even Apple TV late at night I guess?

 

[The Game 161]

as somebody who has the air pods and beats solo3 i have found I'm using my air pods far more. I feel they are more useful due to their size as sometimes at home loud sound is not always needed. With solo3 you can't hear anything else in the background and sometimes its nice to hear out for things incase somebody comes to the door or even watching some tennis/football i can still listen to my podcasts without not being able to hear the tv in the background.

air pods are what i use in the gym so i feel they are what i pick up first. if i'm cleaning then solo3 is likely what i pick up first..

still loving the air pods after about 3-4 weeks with them.

 

[wav]

Just got these about 2 or 3 days ago and I'm very impressed with them.

One thing I'm wondering about though, is that a couple of times I've had music playing on my iPhone, I put the AirPods in my ear, but they don't connect. Nothing happens and the music just continues from my iPhone speakers.

They usually connect just fine, and I understand if it won't work 100% of the time, but it would be nice if it did.

Just wondering if this is what everyone else is experiencing or do yours connect 100% of the time?

 

[Bmoreguy03]

They get dirty too easily

 

[gwynne]

Delivery last night.

Out of the box, the 'wow' factor is pretty high (insta-pairing with my iPhone 6). I haven't had any connection problems yet, meaning I put the thing(s) in my ear and they connect. Audio significantly better than I expected but not amazing. My background is I've been using older LG Tones for years for podcasts and audiobooks, but I use 'real' headphones (Sennheiser/AKG/etc) for music. I don't know audiophile jargon, but my usual Spotify playback songs sound a little ... squashed and distorted through the AirPods. (Right now I'm listening to some Mastodon distort at moderate volume. Streaming quality extreme, no EQ.) That said, these were bought to replace the LGs anyway (which conveniently died a few days ago), so I never intended them to be my primary music solution anyway. They're great for audiobooks so far.

Range far exceeds the Tones.

I have very tiny ears and the main UFO shape of the buds is possibly going to cause me long-term annoyance/discomfort. When I do use earbuds, they are these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093VVP0Q/

...with a MUCH smaller tip than is pictured there, basically the smallest you can buy. (also replaced the tips on the LG Tones with tiny ones.) So the AirPods feel huge in my ears. No danger of falling out, though.

Except ... I figured out the scenario in which I'm going to kill or lose one of these. I was changing clothes last night, took off my t-shirt, and managed to rip out one of my ear and it went flying. I expect an eventual water landing somewhere.

I do own an Apple Watch but I don't like having to rely on it (or Siri) for transport controls. But I'm used to years of having transport/volume controls on the unit itself with the LG Tones. I've switched the double-tap to play/pause for now, but not sure it's the best solution.

Overall the functionality is exactly what was promised/advertised (they never promised me non-siri transport controls, after all). If I can keep from losing them, I think they'll be a good replacement for the LG Tones for audiobooks and podcasts during driving/housework/exercise/etc.

That said, the size may be a problem with my ears. I haven't had a couple uninterrupted hours of testing yet.

 

[richard371]

Got mine yesterday and here are my observations:
1. Charger case is nice.
2. Fit/stay in my ear fine although I have only tried walking
3. Same dropouts in congested area just like any BT headset I've used before.
4. Sound quality is not bad but my Byron BT sound better and fuller but my coworker has the same 2 pairs and she thinks the Airpods sound a little better so its subjective. Some people like more bass I like a good mix of bass, mid, treble.
5. Look is a bit weird but as more and more people wear them society will get used to it. I just don't like to attract stares. I've already seen 4-5 people wearing them here in SF.
6. no better seamless moving from iphone to ipad then any other BT headset. Still have to swipe up and select the device you want when switching devices just like my Byron BT. Only advantage is pairing is easier and there is no on and off switch to worry about. I was hoping I could listen to music on my iphone then pick up my ipad and play it and without having to swipe up and select the airpods. This isn't a big deal though.

For me the Byrons are just as small an light, look better (subjective), sound better (subjective) and are 99 vs 159. They also seal in the ear better blocking out background noise. Also we notice because the airpods don't seal in the ear people sitting next to you can hear the music and might get annoyed.

Still 50/50 on weather I will keep them.

 

[tivoboy]

I continue to have dropped connections WHILE on a call. originally I thought it was multiple pairings, to ipad and macbook pro. So, I removed the pairings with the ipad and macbook pro, and still I get random call disconnects while on an active call. Just drops, no moving around, no other devices come into range, full power, etc..

I've tried un-pairing and re-pairing and that hasn't helped the problem. At this point, while nice I can't use them for a true work calling headset - as good as the found quality is - it's just too unpredictable.

Hopefully a future FW will fix this, otherwise they will go back.

 

[ANTAWNM26]

he must have it full volume for it to be heard like that

Lol. That totally didn't answer the question. He asked about leakage. Yes it's normal considering these AirPods didn't address complete seal in ear for no leakage