Airpods Pro 3 - low frequency sound leak in noise cancellation mode

Hey Team,

I've been using the new AirPods Pro 3 for some days now (model number A3063) and everything has been good and smooth up until now. As of today, when I put the headphones in "Noise Cancellation" mode and I am in a cafe where there is background music playing, all of a sudden the noise cancelling doesn't "cancel" the low frequencies anymore. Furthermore, I get the feeling that the low frequencies are even "enhanced" as if the headphones are adding additional bass to the "outside" music. The sound level of the outside music is pretty low (more like background music) so we are definitely not talking about loud sound source being blasted into the headphones.

This behaviour is sporadic, so if I try putting the headphones back in the case and then back on, sometimes the issue disappears and the outside low frequencies are blocked just fine. I've tried switching between modes when the issue is present, however this doesn't change anything. I am also using the headphones in Noise Cancellation mode, not Adaptive, and I got all Adaptive Audio, Personalised Volume and Conversation Awareness turned off. I've also tried changing tips, but that's not it either.

The AirPods Pro 3 are running the latest 8A357 firmware and I am running iOS 26.0 on an iPhone 16 Pro.

Does this sound like a software bug or could it also be hardware related? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

AirPods Pro 3

Posted on Sep 26, 2025 3:34 AM

33 replies

Dec 2, 2025 11:32 AM in response to slavkolev

Same issue with this low-frequency noise, so I returned the AirPods Pro, A3064, 8B25 to the reseller and got my money back. In the mean time using my Pro 1 and getting another product later. Very disappointing.

Sep 30, 2025 5:00 PM in response to slavkolev

I’m experiencing this same issue. I tried factory reset, and it seemed to resolve the issue at first, but it came back about 30 minutes later. It makes the AirPods Pro 3 very uncomfortable to wear.

Oct 1, 2025 12:04 PM in response to Scott1797

I am having the same issue, noticed it at a festival and near traffic. Certain low frequencies seem to get amplified over time.

Oct 3, 2025 12:13 PM in response to slavkolev

I'm experiencing something similar, but for me it happens when I switch between adaptive and ANC modes, otherwise is fine, but the interaction between them seems to be bugged.

Nov 5, 2025 8:43 AM in response to slavkolev

A3064 - still occurring in 8B14c

卓伟

Level 1

8 points

Nov 24, 2025 6:57 AM in response to slavkolev

我在在安静的房间使用时会听到室友的呼噜声是通过低频传到耳朵里的还有窗外车辆经过的轰隆声也会传到耳朵，尤其是在车间里面机器运转发出的声音传到耳机里尤为明显非常烘耳，声音像是啸叫声还有空调运行的的声音，在安静的房间内左耳有电流声，非常困扰，我去线下检测没有硬件问题使用过程中就有问题，我已经从固件8A358更新到8B25还是有这些问题，重置会变好，下次佩戴会再次出现。

Danndy

Level 1

20 points

Oct 1, 2025 3:49 PM in response to slavkolev

Exactly the same.

When walking outside, from the wind I get a ‘loud bass’ noise that tries to block other noises, which is so uncomfortable. I am unsure whether they are defective hardware wise so idk if I should return them

Oct 12, 2025 8:20 AM in response to slavkolev

I have had the exact same issue for a bit now. During noise cancellation mode, the airpods blocks all noise EXCEPT low bass. It also enhances it louder than with the airpods out of my ears. Strange issue.

slavkolev Author

Level 1

31 points

Oct 30, 2025 3:12 AM in response to slavkolev

This is so disappointing and intrusive that I'm thinking of returning the AirPods Pro 3 and getting another product... This bug practically renders the ANC ineffective and pointless and we've paid that much money precisely for top-tier ANC.

I see multiple threads and hundreds of people complaining about this issue, Apple better address this.

Ptkbp

Level 1

38 points

Nov 13, 2025 9:41 PM in response to Ptkbp

Just a quick update. I have installed all the recent firmware updates, however the issue persists. I have taken these on a plane recently. Taking the buds off fixed the issue momentarily (about 3-5 minutes) before the low frequency leak came back. Still hoping for future firmware updates to work, otherwise might need to get a replacement unit.

Nov 27, 2025 5:02 AM in response to slavkolev

the same here. I am wondering how long does it take for Apple to solve this problem, which occurs to happen for almost everyone (I guess most of users

doesn’t recognize that it happens also in their airpods). It looks like common issue. HELLO APPLE TIME TO CHANGE SOMETHING!