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So is this a firmware/software issue where the pods are incorrectly stating there is an issue? Or are the batteries actually in need of replacement.

Because one is essentially a bug fix.

The other is a potential recall.

This was the dumbest “article” ever. No investigation into if the batteries actually have issues, just a short blurb about “users reporting” followed by a video/walkthrough of a teardown of the pros…. So worthless.

Edit: the content is not stolen as the video and article are created by the same company.

What I should have put is that this is a clear attempt to drive people to their YouTube page (showing teardown of pro’s) to view pointless content (by their own admission), as you cannot repair the batteries anyways. Nor of course do the determine or offer any insight as to if the battery is even the actual problem.

So in short, turn a couple user complaints from the web into a half-ass article that can feed your YouTube page (and revenue stream) more views, while actually providing no insight into the actual issue.

"...stolen teardown walkthrough..." Please explain how ifixit can steal from ifixit? Both the video and the person who wrote the article work there.

But yes, the bug/recall issue is a very real thing. I would be curious what the parameters are that trigger the warning.

Ah yes so basically 99% of all article on the technology and gadgets sub now lol

I feel like you're kind of missing the point of the article.

Whether the batteries have physical defects or not, they will need to be replaced eventually. The point of this article is to point out how Apple's design makes it almost impossible to do that, which will lead to more and more e-waste.

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Stolen article? It's ifixit. Their whole thing is taking electronics apart and rating their repairability. They aren't investigating the problem, they're investigating if FIXING the problem is at all feasible, which it is not.

Humm, that extra $29 warranty from Apple might be worth then.

I get this argument for a phone, but for an in ear wireless headphone? No shit it's not easily replaceable, it's a lot of tech in a tiny compartment.

There's right to repair and then there's the realization thag no one wants earphones the size of headphones.

Oh for god's sake. Things like this are ewaste only because people toss them vs recycling them. And if you think most people would DIY battery repair on these, you're naive.

Last time this came up someone linked to their article on 'less evil' BT buds but obviously didnt read it. Even the bud that you could theoretically repair are fiddly as hell and several use special batteries. THey're theoretically repairable but not by 99% of DIYers.

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I'm just spitballing but you could have the battery embedded within a plastic headless bolt, then you screw that bolt into the "arm" of the headphones. Have metal contacts like a lightbulb to connect it to the rest of the headphone.

Have a torx screw head exposed from the outside, now to replace the battery you unscrew this bolt to get the battery out and replace it with another battery in bolt unit.

Interesting idea, but I definitley don't want a screwdriver applying any sort of force to be anywhere near a lithium ion battery. That's how you get explosions.

Or just buy the far superior Sony 1000XM series ear buds.

They aren’t superior. The Sony earbuds are big and bulky and are not comfortable in my ears AT ALL.

Apple AirPods are the ONLY earbuds on the market that fit my ears comfortably, AND stay in, and sound good.

Edit: I’m ignoring all the Apple AirPod knock-offs, because they don’t count.

Bought the Bose ear buds and use almost daily for last 4 years. No problems. I won’t be buying the Apple ear buds after seeing this.

People raised this concern when they were released. We all knew they were just going to be thrown out every 1-2 years.

But, hey, Apple has a dumb recycling robot they show all the time! That’s cool though.

Think they meant screwing in by hand lmao

I assume this is relatively subjective though? I know for some they just fall out

Not saying it doesn’t happen but it’s really uncommon. And I second the other guy about most earbuds being bulky and uncomfortable

You sound like an apple infomercial, you might want to evaluate your lifestyle choices

I’m someone who loves good tech, regardless of where it comes from. I own and regularly switch between Mac, PC, and Linux computers. I have owned both Android and Apple phones, sometimes even using both at the same time.

Over the years, as I have purchased and tried out whatever the latest and greatest headphones were available, I have accumulated over 20 pairs and easily $3000-$5000 worth of various headphones/headsets/earbuds. Bose, Audiotechnica, Sennheiser, Logitech, Astro, Apple, etc…

I love gadgets and electronics. In fact, one of my alt Reddit accounts was actually an admin/mod on /r/gadgets for quite some time.

My problem is that I have very small ear canals, and all of the earbuds that rely on ear canal pressure to stay in (the vast majority of earbuds on the market) are painful and uncomfortable for me.

The thing I dislike the most about Apple AirPods is the fact that their batteries are not replaceable. I really wish they would put the batteries in the stems and then make the stems so they could be screwed on or off to easily swap out the batteries. That would be awesome.

Yup, I have the Sony's and wear them, spent 300 bucks on them. I wish I could return them at this point but it has been WAY past a return window. They are horribly uncomfortable, I get gigantic headaches and earaches. Finally switched to comply foam tips which are awesome and helped both comfort and none of the tips maintaining seal, but the shape of the actual bud and weight of it still cause pretty bad pain after about 30 min to an hour. Plane rides are completely unbearable. The weight of the buds STILL, even with proper fitting comply tips, will cause them to slip out over 15-30 min. Sound quality ain't everything folks. And I say that as an amateur audiophile with expensive speakers and headphones. Comfort, especially for a earbuds which you might want to wear the MOST, needs to be probably the highest priority.

As an android user I WISH I had the option for airpods, as many people rave about their comfort AND everything else features, noise canceling and sound wize. But they are super gimped on android tho I know Linus from linustechtips uses them anyway.

Lol, you just make it so the threads stop before it hits the end, with a flexible connector. Unless you turn so hard you strip it (which, dumb) it's fine!

Having to replace the airpods rather than changing the battery is very intentional. $$$$

A lithium ion explosion the size of an airpod? Shall I fetch a tablespoon of sand just in case?

They don’t stay in my ears at all. I’ve never had any luck with Apple headphones even when they were wired.

My Beats X on the other hand are great. I regret buying the EarPods, but had hoped they would work out with the included different sized tips. It’s a shame too because I enjoyed their sound.

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Apple is literally the company still supporting 8 year old hardware what the fuck are you on about?

It should last 5 to 10 years, unless you let it sits with flat empty batteries too often or too long.

lol

I have been using the first ever bluetooth airpods for close to 7 years

Bought haylou gt1 xr more than 2 years ago, when it came out. Works perfectly with daily 6+hrs of use. I bet it will work for another two years... Anything apple has problems with battery... And curiously enough, i can diy my asus smartwatch battery change... Works well, still waterproof.

Not really relevant for me. I lose and have to replace my AirPods anyway every 6 months.

Unless something major has changed in the last two years Airpods really aren’t that gimped on Android. I used them when I had Android and had no problems, and there are apps in the store that replicate the iOS stuff somewhat.

Then sweat wicks in and you get corrosion or a short, not great with a lithium battery that goes partially in your head

Put locktite or petroleum jelly in there, or a rubber seal. Then it's waterproof. Plus if the positive and negative terminals are far enough apart you'll never get a short between them.

Not against sweat, it’s corrosive and once it’s in there you have to worry about electrolysis. There is a reason it is not done. The battery is as isolated as possible against sweat intrusion because of this.

I have a pair going four years strong with some decreases in battery life but manageable.

Apple have a lot of engineering talent. There is not a single reason on this Earth why they couldn’t make the battery a replaceable part. Maybe not “every use can do this on their own” easy, but certainly “as long as the user has some basic tools for PC / tech repair work and the battery is a standard module available to order from Mouser or RS Components etc.” easy.

Which is why I have Sennheiser wireless headphones.

AirPods do not last 8 years. I would be surprised that anyone using AirPods more than a couple of times a week would get much more than 2 years of use before the battery degradation started to become annoying.

I’ve had my original AirPods Pro which I’ve used every day since launch 3 years ago and I have zero battery degradation whatsoever.

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I am 100% speaking the truth. I still get at least 5 hours out of my AirPods.

Sorry my real life experience doesn’t conform to your particular world view.

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Bro it’s not about believing. It’s about real life experience. I know for an absolute fact that I get 5 hours out of my AirPods still. Nothing you say can change that.

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I’m not ignoring anything. I’m just observing real-world phenomena. I wish I had a way to prove it to you, but I can’t really think of a way.

This conversation has become pointless. You clearly don’t believe me and I have no way to prove it.

Have them. (XM4), 13 months old. One earphone battery doesn’t hold much charge. No replacement service and Sony just go “huh?” when contacted.

I doubt that's true, especially the part about Sony support. But if true, you can replace the battery, which was my point when posting the comment.

They first said to contact a reseller. I then asked who, they pointed me at a distributor, who replied and said they only work with their resellers and aren’t involved in direct customer replacements. Back to Sony who were surprised, then suggested I look at the Sony website. The list consisted of a couple of companies that don’t exist any more, PC World, etc. contacting a few of the companies that did exist (eg lord electrical) no repairs.

As for replacing the battery, I don’t have the skills. Cutting into electronics isn’t my skill set.

>My problem is that I have very small ear canals, and all of the earbuds that rely on ear canal pressure to stay in (the vast majority of earbuds on the market) are painful and uncomfortable for me.

Same problem here. Try some Symbio W hybrid tips. They're silicone outers with memory foam inners and they have rescued so many pairs of IEMs from my "these are uncomfortable" box.

Thanks for the tip! Err.. pun intended?

AirPods use the AAC codec for Bluetooth and the AAC implementation on Android has always been known to be poor; this is an issue with Android and not the AirPods but still makes AirPods a less attractive proposition for Android users.

They could make the batteries replaceable, even in airpods, they just choose not to.

How people still manage to find ways to defend Apple crooks when it comes to planned obsolescence is beyond me.

Agreed. Once had to deal with Sony customer care. This was enough experience for me to never buy Sony again. They just ignore you and say the problem is not theirs to fix and leave you empty handed. Horrible customer service

Good there are places like https://www.theswapclub.com/