In 2020, Apple publicly acknowledged that some AirPods Pro models had sound problemsas well as clicking and glitches in the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) function. These issues led the company to launch a replacement program that allowed affected users to return their faulty headphones to receive a new pair.
However, a new class action lawsuit claims that these replacements did not solve the problem and that Apple continued selling defective units of the same model without making significant adjustments.
Apple sold defective AirPods again
The lawsuit, brought by a consumer group and reported by ClassAction, claims that the clicking issues and faulty Active Noise Cancellation were not limited to AirPods Pro manufactured before October 2020, as Apple initially claimed. Instead, the court document alleges that all first-generation models have these failures, regardless of their manufacturing date. According to those affected, the company replaced them with products with the same defectthus questioning the effectiveness of the exchange service.
Users began reporting the issues shortly after the launch of the AirPods Pro in October 2019. The affected earbuds feature static and clicking sounds that are intensified in noisy environments or during phone calls. In addition, Active Noise Cancellation, one of the device’s star features, also fails, with a loss of quality in the bass or an increase in background sounds.
Apple extends the service program, but without effective solutions
Faced with growing pressure, Apple decided to extend the service program for an additional year, covering three years from the first sale to the public of each affected unit. However, the plaintiffs consider that this extension is of no use, since users who received a replacement pair have returned to experience the same problems with the new headphones. The legal team representing consumers argues that the replacement devices do not present any significant difference in their design or internal components that would prevent or fix the sound defect, which is leading to general anger among affected users.
The lawsuit alleges that, instead of fixing the manufacturing defect at its root, Apple has “delayed” affected customers through a service program that only serves to exchange a defective pair for another with the same problem, without ensuring that the error was solved. In other words, the company would have continued marketing the first generation AirPods Pro without correcting the defect design that causes sound and noise cancellation glitches.
For now, consumers don’t have to do anything else. If the class action lawsuit is successful and Apple decides to offer compensation, users will be notified so they can file their claims. The complaint highlights that Apple, despite being aware of these problems, continued to sell the first generation devices until September 2022, when it launched the second generation of AirPods Pro, which apparently does not have these flaws.
