Apple has announced a new AirPods Pro service program which will provide free service for units which exhibit crackling or static sound issues, or problems with active noise cancellation, as long as they were manufactured before October 2020.
AirPods Pro Service Program
This is how Apple explains the issue on its AirPods Pro service program page:
An affected AirPods Pro may exhibit one or more of the following behaviors:
- 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
If you realize that your AirPods Pro exhibit the aforementioned issues, you might want to head to your nearest Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider to get them serviced. Note that the staff will double check your AirPods Pro before deciding whether they are eligible for the service program or not. If they find the issues, they will replace the affected left and right units. However, the AirPods Pro case will not be replaced.
Apple has also mentioned a few caveats to the AirPods Pro Service Program:
- The service program will not extend the warranty of your AirPods Pro
- The program will provide coverage for 2 years after the AirPods Pro were purchased, which means that users will get one additional year of service coverage for these issues even after the warranty period ends.
Even though AirPods Pro are beloved by customers, the issues with active noise cancellation have often been reported by users, especially after firmware updates. It seems that Apple has realized that this was a hardware issue and fixed it in the new batches that went into production for sale in October 2020 and onwards.
It has been rumored that Apple will be launching new smaller AirPods Pro in 2021, with smaller stems, while the regular AirPods will get an AirPods Pro-like design with replaceable ear tips. All these new products will see improvements in battery life and connectivity.
Have you faced any issues with your AirPods Pro and got them replaced? Share your experience in the comments below!
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