AirPods Pro 3 - not a good fit

I’d return them and find a highly discounted pair of Pro 2 if I were you.

I’ve had the Pro 1, Pro 2, and Pro 3, and the 3 are the worst of the bunch for me.

I’ve never had a fantastic seal on any (even though the test says it’s good), and the noise cancellation works better for others than it does for me (because the L tip isn’t quite big enough), but the Pro 2 were better than the Pro 1.

the Pro 3 just doesn’t fit me at all, and I can clearly hear someone speaking with noise cancellation on. I could hear them with the Pro 2, but they were muffled and understandable.

I wish apple would release an XL tip already, and I’ve just submitted feedback for that.

I’m returning the Pro 3 and sticking with my Pro 2.

Leewos wrote:

First let me say I appreciate & applaud Apple’s return policy as it was flawless and FAST. I was so disappointed I had to send them back.

I went with a different mfg of EarPods which a colleague had and recommended. It has a rounded end where it enters the ear canal. The AitPod 3’s” have an oblong end that the tips snap onto, and that was my problem with fit and subsequent ear canal pain. I don’t know what the ends of the 2’s look like without the tips. The new buds I purchased are comfortable, excellent fitting, no pain, fully noise cancelling if programmed to be or transparent or normal and don’t fall out or feel like they want to or could. The EarPod doesn’t have that long piece coming down and the whole unit fits into the ear. They are part of the Anker line called Soundcore Space A40.

"EarPod" is the name of Apple's wired headphones.

First let me say I appreciate & applaud Apple’s return policy as it was flawless and FAST. I was so disappointed I had to send them back.

I went with a different mfg of EarPods which a colleague had and recommended. It has a rounded end where it enters the ear canal. The AitPod 3’s” have an oblong end that the tips snap onto, and that was my problem with fit and subsequent ear canal pain. I don’t know what the ends of the 2’s look like without the tips. The new buds I purchased are comfortable, excellent fitting, no pain, fully noise cancelling if programmed to be or transparent or normal and don’t fall out or feel like they want to or could. The EarPod doesn’t have that long piece coming down and the whole unit fits into the ear. They are part of the Anker line called Soundcore Space A40.

I am sorry to hear you are not satisfied with the fit. You have 14 days to return them if you purchased them from the Apple Store. Or you can check some of the AirPod ear hooks available from third parties. Many of them are highly rated.

mshep02 wrote:

I was hoping the Pro 3 would solve the issue I had with Pro 2 feeling like they were going to fall out of my ears when I’m jogging (they never have, only felt like they were). The medium ear tips always fit perfect. Now with the redesigned 3 where they took the shapes of millions of ears (apparently none like mine???) and made a “better fitting” earphone, I find myself disappointed. As I’m talking or the muscles in my scalp move my ears, the stems of the buds start to flare out and look silly. I’ve tried twisting them, resetting them in my ears, I’ve tried the Large, Medium, and Small tips so far, each of which claim to have a good acoustic seal. The large flew out of my ear while I was talking to someone. The small and medium flare out the longer I wear them. Medium will fall out of my ear if I don’t fix it when it’s flaring. And Small I had to twist so the stems point straight down to feel secure. Still testing the small, but this is ridiculous. The stem is sitting right against my earrings. I can’t jog with the stem sitting against my earrings or the clanking is all I’ll hear. Jumping in place I hear it. Never had this problem with fit on Pro 2 or Pro 1.

Return them (if you're still in the window). Give Apple feedback here:

Product Feedback - Apple

I've had problems with AirPods from the first ones. I've bought over-the-ear loops and third-party tips. The AirPod Pro 3 is the first one that, out of the box, fits.

I’ve been using AirPods Pro 2 for years — easily the best-fitting earbuds I’ve owned. Recently upgraded to the AirPods Pro 3, and as many others have mentioned, they just don’t fit right. They sit slightly away from the ear (about a millimeter gap) and tend to fall out with even small head movements.

Several people, including Apple Support, suggest twisting the stem toward your mouth for a tighter fit. It does help, but it also causes discomfort after a while.

I suspect the speaker design is the issue — on the older version, the speaker sits recessed within the earbud head, whereas on the new Pro 3, it protrudes outward, pushing the entire earbud slightly away from the ear.

Chadk1 wrote:

I’ve been using AirPods Pro 2 for years — easily the best-fitting earbuds I’ve owned. Recently upgraded to the AirPods Pro 3, and as many others have mentioned, they just don’t fit right. They sit slightly away from the ear (about a millimeter gap) and tend to fall out with even small head movements.

Ears are almost as individual as fingerprints. There's no way every design is going to fit everyone's ears. As I noted earlier, the AirPods Pro 3 is the first Apple earphone (including all versions of EarPods) that has ever fit my ears.

You can try what I did for my previous versions, experiment with third-party tips. I found some for my AirPod Pro 2s that took them from unusable to a perfect fit.

The seal is noticeably worse than AirPods Pro 2 for me. Any sort of yawn or mouth opening movement will cause the noise cancellation to fail. Even moving my head side to side has the same effect. The issue isn’t the silicone tips, it’s the shape of the actual buds, which obviously can’t be adjusted. As a heavy user I’m wondering if I’ll be able to use AirPods in the years to come unless I stock up on gen 2’s now.

I was hoping the Pro 3 would solve the issue I had with Pro 2 feeling like they were going to fall out of my ears when I’m jogging (they never have, only felt like they were). The medium ear tips always fit perfect. Now with the redesigned 3 where they took the shapes of millions of ears (apparently none like mine???) and made a “better fitting” earphone, I find myself disappointed. As I’m talking or the muscles in my scalp move my ears, the stems of the buds start to flare out and look silly. I’ve tried twisting them, resetting them in my ears, I’ve tried the Large, Medium, and Small tips so far, each of which claim to have a good acoustic seal. The large flew out of my ear while I was talking to someone. The small and medium flare out the longer I wear them. Medium will fall out of my ear if I don’t fix it when it’s flaring. And Small I had to twist so the stems point straight down to feel secure. Still testing the small, but this is ridiculous. The stem is sitting right against my earrings. I can’t jog with the stem sitting against my earrings or the clanking is all I’ll hear. Jumping in place I hear it. Never had this problem with fit on Pro 2 or Pro 1.

I ordered these last September and finally received them. I've never had pods so I was looking forward to them as I wear hearing aids and using headphones wasn't comfortable. Well, I tried them today. It took all of 10 minutes for my ears to become painful with them in. I had an "excellent seal wearing the xxs or xs, and they stayed in, but something was putting pressure on something inside my left ear. It was even uncomfortable to remove them. I tried different sizes to see if I was pushing them in too far....but. it didn't matter. The thing is, the part that is attached to the tips of the airpod is the same size, no matter what size tip you select. It's that part, offset at an angle that's my problem. My hearing aids were moulded to each of my ear canals. That's why I dont have a problem with them. So, unfortunately, these will have to be returned.

marcella1975 wrote:

The Pro 3 was the biggest disappointment I’ve ever had with an Apple product… the Pro 2s fit me perfectly, I can sleep even on my side wearing them. With the 3s, as soon as I put my head on the pillow, they were digging in and I just couldn’t wear them anymore… hopefully they tweak it a little so it fits everyone better.

The Pro 2s fell out of my ears if I breathed. I had to get third-party eartips to make them work for me. The Pro 3s are perfect. My point here is that everyone's ears are different. It is simply impossible for Apple to make something that will fit everyone.

Same here — the new AirPods Pro 3 don’t fit well for running. They make a constant shaking or rattling sound in my ears during movement. It feels like the design wasn’t properly tested for active use. Definitely not recommended for runners. In my opinion, this is a failed product in that regard.

I had the same issue, I sleep with the earpods so the discomfort with Airpods Pro 3 becomes even more noticeable. Tried everything, they just fit worse because they are more "bulky" than Airpods Pro 2. Eventually had to return them because the ANC and sound quality can't outweight the discomfort. Back to Airpods Pro 2, which fit superb.

Right now I have both the AirPods Pro 2 and the Pro 3. After a week of using them side by side, I can say that although I immediately noticed the much better ANC on the Pro 3, the main issue remains the fit: they constantly feel like they’re about to fall out, especially when I smile or move my jaw while eating. Also, when I walk I hear an annoying “tap tap,” as if the earbud isn’t sealing properly in the ear canal and is bouncing around inside (or maybe mine are defective, I’m not sure). I think I’ll go to the Apple Store where I bought them to request a return (I’m still within the 14-day window). I’m really disappointed because the ANC is noticeably better than the previous generation. I’m posting here because I’m hoping there’s still something I can try before returning them. I’ve tested all the ear tip sizes without any improvement in stability or comfort.

To add:

Returns & Refunds - Shopping Help - Apple