Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AirPods Pro microphone scandal - edit: PROOF
- Thread starter Phwoar
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I recently bought a pair of AirPods Max, and while I don't take them out on the street, I use them all day for meetings and phone calls. Just about everybody with whom I've interacted has commented on the vast improvement of my voice quality. I'd previously been using AirPods Pros.
The Pros have systemic microphone/noise cancellation issues that Apple desperately needs to address with the 2.0 model. Hopefully the hardware division has QA in cities like NYC, and they can test the microphones on active city streets, subway platforms, and other places where the ambient noise is likely to steal their focus from the wearer's speaking voice.
The Pros have systemic microphone/noise cancellation issues that Apple desperately needs to address with the 2.0 model. Hopefully the hardware division has QA in cities like NYC, and they can test the microphones on active city streets, subway platforms, and other places where the ambient noise is likely to steal their focus from the wearer's speaking voice.
Ehrm not too far off how my AirPods 3 behaved, although my impression was the opposite. When it's just my voice it started noise surpressing. People I talked with on the phone were VERY annoyed. I completely overlooked this thread.
After two exchanges for new pairs I told the Apple Store staff I didn't like the product anymore and would like to exchange them for AirPods 2 instead. Now people hear me just fine and honestly it feels like an upgrade over the 3's in more ways than that. Fit, for one.
After two exchanges for new pairs I told the Apple Store staff I didn't like the product anymore and would like to exchange them for AirPods 2 instead. Now people hear me just fine and honestly it feels like an upgrade over the 3's in more ways than that. Fit, for one.
I have had exactly the issue described since buying my APP in June 2020. It doesn’t have to be loud sounds. People will comment that the tweeting bird in a tree 20 metres away sounds like it’s on my shoulder.
I can only use them for calls inside a vehicle with the windows up. Useless outside with background noises.
I had them replaced a year later and no different. Today I gave up and got rid of them. Do I now purchase the APP2 when they come out? Are they likely to have the same issues? Who knows. Or do I try the Beats Fit Pro?
I can only use them for calls inside a vehicle with the windows up. Useless outside with background noises.
I had them replaced a year later and no different. Today I gave up and got rid of them. Do I now purchase the APP2 when they come out? Are they likely to have the same issues? Who knows. Or do I try the Beats Fit Pro?
Only just started browsing this forum and noticed this years-old thread. purchased the APP from when it was first released. Then came COVID and I had a mask on when talking on the phone outside. People reported that they couldn't hear me when I was talking on the phone via the APP while out on the streets. I thought it was the firmware detecting my muffled voice through the mask as background noise, and cutting it out.
Recently tested it in a quiet room with a friend via a phone call and they heard me fine. Admittedly have I rarely ever used the APP for phone calls these 2 years (especially since I realised people can't hear me and I'd have to fidget to disconnect it and use the phone's microphone). Purchased it mainly for music while in transit. I was thinking the problem's been fixed but perhaps not!
Recently tested it in a quiet room with a friend via a phone call and they heard me fine. Admittedly have I rarely ever used the APP for phone calls these 2 years (especially since I realised people can't hear me and I'd have to fidget to disconnect it and use the phone's microphone). Purchased it mainly for music while in transit. I was thinking the problem's been fixed but perhaps not!
Hahaha Apple is so crap!! Look at this thread!! It's Apple's own thread on APP's.
Started at 4,000 complaints.
Now up to...wait for it...12,301 complaints!
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250813242
And they are still selling these absolute rubbish APP headphones!
It is amazing. Are they desperately looking for a class action?
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/20/technology/apple-macbook-butterfly-key-settlement.html
Such a terrible company. This, and so, so many other glitches. Charging premium prices for their products on the basis of promising superior features like wind noise reduction and seeming not to deliver on their promises at all.
Pathetic.
Started at 4,000 complaints.
Now up to...wait for it...12,301 complaints!
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250813242
And they are still selling these absolute rubbish APP headphones!
It is amazing. Are they desperately looking for a class action?
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/20/technology/apple-macbook-butterfly-key-settlement.html
Such a terrible company. This, and so, so many other glitches. Charging premium prices for their products on the basis of promising superior features like wind noise reduction and seeming not to deliver on their promises at all.
Pathetic.
If one considers that apple potentially sold 200m airpod pros that number is a drop in the bucket. Of course any suit can be filed for anything, the trick is winning.
There’s no use trying to convince him that there actually are working AirPods Pro. We’ve even tried with reason in the thread, to no avail.
According to Phwoar, all AirPods Pro have this defect, users are just lying or never taking phone calls in noisy environments if they like me say that they never experienced the issue. His “PROOF” is that thread, and maybe other threads.
He’s a seemingly very nice guy/gal though. 😊
Yes I agree, you make good points – it is just disappointing from a consumer rights point of view.
I’ve had the same problem with my APP. Brought them back to the Apple re-seller where I bought them for a warranty repair. They repaired them and APP are working well again. No big deal. It’s tech. It can get broken. They fixed it, end of story
No mention of improved microphone or anything to do with making calls on the AirPods Pro 2.
I’m tempted to buy a pair but will wait to see what others think.
I’m tempted to buy a pair but will wait to see what others think.
But as we know, they’re good at reducing the noise for us…just not the person in the other end of the phone. It amplifies background sound for them.
It’s not a matter of who is right or wrong, it’s about facts.
My APP are great but sucks when it comes to call outdoor.
No way. I’ve changed 3 units, all the same. A couple of friends noticed that after I explained what’s wrong with this product.
I suppose the vast majority of people simply don’t pay attention to the call quality of the receiver or address the problem to a bad line.
Cmon how is it possibile that hundreds of people complaints about the same thing?
I've had no real huge problems with this, and when I got my APPs I asked a lot of folks I called how the quality was, including outdoors, as a lot of folks had had issues with my Sony XM4s and Jabra 65ts, and everyone liked the call quality
They've sold literally *hundreds of millions* of airpod pros, hundreds of people with issues isn't even a rounding err, there's always going to be some devices with bugs, maybe even whole lots of them, when shipping that many of anything, nobody's QA is perfect. To go to an extreme there could be, for example, 100,000 people with this problem and it still would be an insignificant portion of the total sold
I have not and will not say that this is a non-issue. I do believe all of you having problems, I’ve replaced my IPP’s three times for the left bud going bananas issue, it’s not a perfect product by any means.
I just don’t believe most users, me included, don’t notice this problem, or ignore it, or straight out lie about it. I’ve had many calls outdoors by the sea, often in quite windy conditions. I’ve even asked persons I’ve talked to based on what I’ve read in this thread, but everybody I talked to says I sound great. One time I tried to talk while a storm was raging - it didn’t work that well. But that’s expected, there’s only so much microphones can do.
I have never had one single issue with my Airpod Pro's. Looking forward to getting 2nd gen next week!
Oh gosh you may want to rethink that approach😁! Maybe you have very polite friends. I too used to think everything was fine until I began, like most people on here, to discover the awful truth!!
But seriously now, all jokes aside, I seriously hope that APP Gen2 do not have this issue.
Really honestly. Because if the second-generation do not have this issue, it means that Apple has finally listened to the thousands and thousands of complaints made on its own feedback thread, about the microphone quality on the APP's.
If I get a pair of the new ones, I really like the idea of the volume control. Let's just hope they have fixed the microphone issue many of us have had!
To me, it is excellent that they have seemed to reduce the traffic noise in that video at 7 minutes 37 seconds.
I’m very concerned that the quality of the call continues to cut in and out though. This happens twice in the video by CNET.
The cutting in and out suggests there is still the same compression issue in the microphone, that you simply don’t get with a pair of wired EarPods.
More rigorous testing required – I’m not certain yet, but it is super unfortunate to hear his voice cut out like that.
I reserve judgement until I see/hear more testing by normal everyday users.