If you rushed out to buy a pair of AirPods Pro wireless earbuds when they launched in October 2019 and didn’t buy AppleCare+, the warranty just ran out, unfortunately. But if your AirPods Pro aren’t sounding their best, Apple might still fix them for free.
Apple has launched the AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues, which covers all AirPods models made before October 2020. According to the support page, “a small percentage of AirPods Pro may experience sound issues.” Apple says impacted models may exhibit one of these issues:
Crackling or static sounds that increase in loud environments, with exercise or while talking on the phone
Active Noise Cancellation not working as expected, such as a loss of bass sound, or an increase in background sounds, such as street or airplane noise
To check to see if your AirPods Pro are covered under the program, you need to either take your earbuds to an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider or contact Apple Support for mail options. The program covers affected AirPods Pro for two years after “the first retail sale of the unit.”
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.