Questions from an airpods newbie

By Missy Hoppe, 11 October, 2023

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

I just got a set of second jeneration airpods Pro, and have a couple of questions. These are the first airpods I've ever seen, much less owned, so I think I have a lot to learn. It took me a lot longer than it should have to figure out which was the left and which was the right; pretty sure they're not supposed to be interchaingable, so wearing them correctly may take a bit of practice. I heard that there was a firmware update released yesterday, so was hoping to get them fully up to date before I finish getting them set up. I have them plugged in, and my phone is right next to them, but so far, nothing has happened. Does anyone know how long this process should take, or if there's any way to make it happen more quickly?

My second question is regarding ear tips. Is there any way to tell which size is which? If I'm being totally honest, they all feel identical to me. I think I need the extra small size, and I seem to have it correct for the right ear bud, but the left says I need to try a different tip. I do have color perception, so if the tips are different colors, maybe I would be able to perceive that? Anyway, I hope they update soon as I'm looking forward to seeing if I can get them working with my apple TV. Any tips and tricks you can share will be extremely appreciated. Thanks!

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Comments

By peter on Sunday, October 22, 2023 - 06:45

Just got a pair of these myself several weeks ago. Very impressive and great to use.

I have no idea how to tell which tips are which short of trying them. Fortunately the process was easier having my sighted wife tell me which was the next size up. Nice that they have that "test" feature to check the fit.

I do find that when exercising on my (loud) treadmill, I occasionally have to push them in tighter with noise cancellation on in order to maintain the best noise cancelation since they can slowly jostle out of place a bit.

My (sighted) wife seems to have difficulty always getting them in their optimal position.

But the noise cancellation is amazingly good - About as good as my Bose noise cancellation headphones.

One thing that does bug me a bit is how the Airpods interact with the phone if one also has an Apple Watch. The Airpods seem to receive audio from the phone, but if one interacts with the watch, sound comes out of the watch. What good is that if you are wearing noise canceling ear buds?

Sometimes when wearing the Airpods and asking Siri a question, the watch will respond through the Airpods, but then it is difficult to restart the music that I was listening to from the phone. Hope Apple can straighten out how the combined phone, watch, and Airpods work.

--Pete

By Julian on Sunday, October 22, 2023 - 06:45

I used to have problems with the air-pods falling out of my ears, in fact, I almost lost one within a week of buying them. I found ear tips made out of memory foam on Amazon, and that solved my problem. They weren't that expensive either. BTW, using them in places with lots of noise and echo with the new adaptive transparency and conversation boost makes it much easier to hear the people I'm with.

By Holger Fiallo on Sunday, October 22, 2023 - 06:45

OK. Do the following, make sure they are connected. Take out one from the case, Listen to something for 10 seconds, put it back and leave the case next to the phone. Make sure the case is plug. Wait for 20 minutes and see if it work. To see if it did, go to setting, bluetooth, your AirPods, flick up to info, and slide until you see the firm version. It should be 6 something. It does work.

By peter on Sunday, October 22, 2023 - 06:45

What did you search for on Amazon? My wife might be interested in these since she is having a hard time makeing the ear tips provided by Apple work as she would like. Do you have a link or a specific recommendation?

Thanks.

--Pete

By David Goodwin on Sunday, October 22, 2023 - 06:45

I recently purchased some SonicFoam tips for my 2nd generation AirPods Pro, having used this brand with other headphones in the past with great results.

So far, my experience mirrors that previous success - the SonicFoam tips provide a more secure and comfortable fit compared to the original silicone tips. I've found sizing down on the SonicFoam tips works best - for me, the small size replaces the medium silicon tips that came with the AirPods Pro.

One thing to note is that foam tips tend to degrade faster than silicone tips. In my experience, a set of SonicFoam tips starts to break down after a couple months of use. However, replacement sets are inexpensive at around $15 for a 5-pack, so the more frequent replacement is manageable.

https://amzn.to/3LXfyT0

By Missy Hoppe on Sunday, October 22, 2023 - 06:45

I was able to get my Airpods to update last night, so am thankful for that. I'm definitely interested in trying the memory foam ear tips, but am not sure they'll work for me. I'm currently using the extra small size that came with my airpods, and even those feel too big and uncomfortable. I know that my right ear in particular has a weird shape; my hearing aids feel very different from one another. Also, I wish that there was a way for each air pod to have separate volume. It doesn't seem as though even the highest volume can work adequately for my left ear, but maybe it'll just take more trial and error. Anyway, I'm going to read up on the memory foam tips that have been linked here to see if any of them are smaller than what I'm currently using. I will say that the Airpods are incredible when connected to my Apple TV. I honestly thought my soundbar was still running the show they sounded so good. Thinking about disconnecting the box that connects my hearing aids to the TV and using the airpods instead, but that won't work if I have friends or family over to watch a movie. In any case, I appreciate all of the helpful suggestions provided here, and I hope that everyone is having a really great day.

By Brian on Sunday, October 22, 2023 - 06:45

Hi Missy,

Would changing the balance under Accessibility > Audio help with your audio issue?