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I had the issue where sometimes only one was charged. I noticed that sometimes the LED didn't blink when inserting one of them... and fidgeting with it, helped, but sometimes switching the position of the case from vertical to horizontal would make it disconnect (as reported by the charge widget on my iPhone).

(I tried resetting them, re-pairing, etc. and it didn't help)

I took it to the Apple store, showed the guy the issue, and he claimed it was most likely a firmware issue and not the case. He said the Airpod disappearing from the charge widget was the firmware misreporting, and not a bad/loosy connection. I had my doubts and was sure that it was a physical issue with the case... but he replaced the single airpod (he updated the new one's firmware first) and the issues went away.

This is a problem I've fixed with a Q-tip more than once. that contact is finicky and it doesn't take much lint to break it.

Airpods have also just needed rebooting from time to time, in my experience. Not daily, weekly perhaps. Not my favorite thing about them.

Never heard about being able to reboot the airpods. How do you do that?

There's a button on the case, flip the case open and press it for a long time (ten seconds I think).

I tried cleaning the AirPods and case with a q-tip with rubbing alcohol, several times... and they were new (1 month of use) and visibly clean.

Why wouldn't you try a different brand first?? I haven't used airpods yet because I tried a samsung pair first and they still work. I had an android phone when I got them. Now I have an iPhone. They work on whatever!

For me the AirPods Pro are one of my most loved and used pieces of tech in recent memory. Assume OP uses iPhone and there are a handful of unique features AirPods offer when paired with iPhone that I assume Samsung pods would not. Things like syncing across devices via iCloud account… spatial audio… IOS integrated noise canceling control. And for me the fit and sound is fantastic.

I disable all the touch functionality of the pods. Over the past years of owning them I've had to re-disable dozens of times. That is my only gripe.

Because a “different brand” don’t automatically pair to every device connected to my AppleID (7), don’t have an interface on every device to adjust settings, don’t show the battery percentages on every device individually for each side and the battery case and don’t automatically switch.

BTW, AirPods “work everywhere” as standard Bluetooth headsets

Well OP is talking about how his airpods weren't working, yet they they're getting another pair which seems sorta odd.

The battery percentage thing does seem appealing, idk I guess I just charge mine often enough it hasn't really been an issue.

Auto switching does sound good though, maybe someday I'll try airpods.

It really isn't.

AirPods are a case where I broke my rule of thumb with Apple, not to buy in to a new product line until the fourth iteration. And sure enough, they've been a little flaky, my first-gen not-Pros developed a terrible crackle and had to be replaced.

But fixing flakiness with Apple stuff by buying a new one works more than you might think. They do actually iterate on reliability (not you macOS).

Man, finding them in the cushions might be worth the cash all by itself. The ones I have do the one-ear thing like one in ten (?) times, and I swear quietly and stick them back in the case. Reboot them a few times a month.

So, fine really, could be better. If they were a bit worse I'd run out and get the new ones.

> they've been a little flaky, my first-gen not-Pros developed a terrible crackle and had to be replaced.

Can confirm. Here the 3 of us have 2nd generation AirPods. In one of them the mic is no longer working, on another one of the AirPods won’t connect 90% of the time, and the last one has a combination of these two issues. Another family member is on their second pair already.

AirPods are great, while they are working.

Edit: forgot to mention that 3 of those pairs were replaced while under warranty.

Hmm, I haven't had issues with my Galaxy live buds. But you might be a heavier user?

The main annoyance is just that I have to re pair them to switch devices. But so far so good otherwise. I'm interested to see if they ever make a new version.

Repairing to switch devices is more than a little annoying when you have a phone, watch, computer, tablet, and two set top devices.

Because it might feel like a betrayal if they’d use some other brand. For fruit company lifers it’s a lifelong fan association, it’s not merely a consumer-manufacturer relationship like mere mortals who (also) use other brands.

Indeed. Both of my original AirPods Pro developed the buzzing/crackling issue, had them both exchanged under the program, and now one of them is creaking again.

Also found the 1st gen noise cancellation not quite as good as with Bose (in ear as well as over ear).

And now I'm here pressing reload in the browser so I can buy the 2nd gen...

Hah, glad I'm not alone in this. Proud of myself for not immediately buying the new ginormous watch tho

i believe this happens when a stray hair gets into the driver

I wish I could be proud of myself.

So glad they finally make a watch for my mountaineering & diving lifestyle.

Narrator: "He has never been diving our mountaineering."

(LOL, also, you can have them put a memoji on the case.)

I used the "how to connect a replacement airpod" steps (on both) to fix the issue where only one airpod would connect.

I get this a lot with my Powerbeats Pro which have the H1 chip too, so it could be an issue with that chip?