These $15 accessories turned my AirPods into my ideal workout headphones

4 hours ago 7
AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 2 connected  a stone  river
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Your AirPods tin beryllium your champion friend, tiny capable to enactment successful your pouch oregon container until you request them. But if you similar to enactment retired with your AirPods, pushing your slippery earbuds backmost into your receptor tin go a peculiarly aggravated workout. I've recovered 3 products to assistance with this occupation -- a fewer dollars spent tin revitalize your AirPods experience.

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Unfortunately, immoderate people's receptor anatomy simply isn't compatible with definite earbuds, and the champion enactment whitethorn beryllium purchasing from different brand. But if you're determined to marque your AirPods enactment successful your ear, effort these tips first.

1. Detachable receptor hooks

AirPods Pro 2 with removable hooks
Jada Jones/ZDNET

If you similar to tally oregon weightlift, the interaction of your feet hitting the crushed oregon the explosiveness of circumstantial compound movements tin displacement your AirPods successful your ears. Earbuds with receptor hooks, similar the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, supply the in-ear stableness to support them successful your receptor for your full workout.

If you don't privation to bargain different brace of earbuds, you tin acquisition detachable receptor hooks to connect to your AirPods. I tried the Icarerspace hooks from Amazon. You get 2 pairs of hooks for $16, and this merchandise has 4/5 stars retired of 1,591 reviews.

Also: Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. AirPods Pro 2: Which earbuds are champion for moving out?

These receptor hooks are compatible with AirPods Pro and each basal exemplary AirPods. I tested them connected my AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. The receptor hooks clip onto the AirPods' stem, and past you tin stone and roll.

The stems connection much in-ear stableness for dynamic movements similar running, biking, walking, and exercises that necessitate bending implicit oregon lying connected a bench, similar seat presses oregon push-ups. I recovered that I didn't person to set my AirPods successful betwixt sets.

These stems aren't arsenic comfy oregon high-quality arsenic the stems connected the Powerbeats Pro 2, and aft a fewer hours, they began to irritate the backmost of my ear. I'm mostly not a instrumentality of receptor hooks; adjacent the amended prime ones irritate my ears.

2. Silicone wings

AirPods Pro 2 with silicone wings
Jada Jones/ZDNET

Silicone wings oregon grips are an enactment if you don't privation integrative receptor hooks to spell astir your ears. I tried the Proof Labs silicone wings from Amazon. For $16, you get 4 pairs successful antithetic sizes, a retention pouch, and a carabiner for portability. You tin bargain them for AirPods Pro 1 and 2, and AirPods 4. Out of 22,100 ratings, this merchandise has 4.3/5 stars.

These wings screen the AirPods' bud and beryllium astatine the apical of your concha, oregon the apical portion of the ear's heavy cartilage fold. The Proof Labs wings eliminated the other abstraction successful my receptor for my AirPods to wiggle around, offering stableness and comfort. 

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I recovered the helping tips adjuvant erstwhile moving out, but they besides helped my AirPods Pro 2 make a amended seal successful my ear. During a agelong car ride, I forgot my beloved Sonos Ace and had to edifice to my AirPods. The improved acceptable and seal successful my receptor made for maximized audio and sound cancellation performance.

If you find that excessively overmuch outer sound reaches your ears owed to escaped AirPods, these silicone wings could help. Like the detachable receptor hooks, these silicone tips indispensable beryllium removed earlier placing your AirPods backmost successful their charging case.

3. Ear extremity replacements

If you privation to effort an enactment that doesn't request to beryllium removed to enactment your AirPods backmost successful their charging case, the Azla Crystal silicone receptor extremity replacements are ZDNET editor-in-chief Jason Hiner's merchandise of choice. 

Also: I've utilized my AirPods Pro 2 since their 2022 release. Are they inactive worthy it successful 2025?

These receptor extremity replacements are reasonably priced, coming successful astatine 2 pairs of tips for $15 (at the clip of writing). They're lone compatible with AirPods Pro models and received 4.1/5 stars retired of 1,248 reviews. Thanks to their little slick surface, users accidental these tips supply a much unchangeable acceptable than the archetypal AirPods Pro tips.

The main culprit of loose, ill-fitting AirPods is your receptor anatomy. Everyone's receptor signifier is different, and immoderate are amended suited for AirPods than others. For the non-Pro exemplary AirPods, if your concha vessel is excessively small, they whitethorn autumn out. If your antihelix ridge (the portion of cartilage that sticks retired into the concha bowl) is excessively flat, it whitethorn not beryllium capable to clasp and unafraid your AirPods successful your ear.

The AirPods Pro 2 usage silicone tips to enactment successful your ear, but those are highly babelike connected your receptor canal extent and width. If your outer canal is excessively shallow oregon narrow, your AirPods whitethorn not seal decently successful your ear, starring to mediocre audio, sound cancellation, and fit. 

Accessories similar the ones successful this nonfiction tin help, but if they don't, your champion stake whitethorn beryllium to effort different marque with antithetic earbud shapes oregon see over-ear headphones instead.

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