The best AirPods are among the most popular earbuds and headphones on the planet, with their iconic protruding stem design resulting in a huge influx of the best true wireless earbuds manufacturers paying homage to the bud's design.
But that popularity has also given rise to a troubling trend for fakery. The high price of Apple products – particularly their flagship earbuds, the AirPods Pro 2, and headphones, the AirPods Max – along with the rarity of great AirPods deals, has lead to people pouncing when they appear at a discounted sum. Unfortunately, not all of these Apple AirPods deals are quite what they seem, with fake buds popping up all over big online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.
If you’ve bought or received a pair of AirPods but are unsure if they’re the real deal, there are a few telltale signs that you should keep an eye out for that will help you determine whether they are what they say they are. But more often than not, if a deal seems to good to be true, than it probably is.
Steps for how to tell if your AirPods are fake
Check the serial number
The quickest way to check the authenticity of your AirPods is to look up the serial number, which can be found on the underside of the lid of the charging case. It also appears on the bottom of the right earbud.
Enter that number at check.coverage.apple.com, and if your buds are authentic, you’ll be able to review your Apple warranty status. If your serial number is fake, this won’t work.
Connect to an iOS device
When you pair AirPods or AirPods Pro with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you’ll see a little AirPods icon next to your device in the Bluetooth settings menu. You should also be able to view the serial and model numbers once connected.
Check how they look
Checking the serial number is the simplest way to know if you have fake AirPods, but there are a few design anomalies that could give the game away even sooner.
First, Apple packaging is always very neat, and the lid of the AirPods box should fit snugly and tightly, with the entire package wrapped in plastic. Of course, this is quite easy for fraudsters to replicate, so you shouldn’t base your conclusion on the packaging alone.
Even so, typos are a dead giveaway that your AirPods are fake, both on the outer packaging and in the accompanying documents inside the box.
The earbuds themselves can be checked pretty thoroughly against the product images on the Apple website. In particular, look out for misaligned vents and microphones.
Check the bottom of your earbuds for clues, too. The original AirPods have an oval-shaped vent at the bottom (not circular), while the AirPods Pro have no vent at all.
Finally, be sure to check the charging case. It should come with a Lightning port, not USB-C, a status light on the front, and the lid should snap magnetically into place. It's also worth checking Apple's official steps for a more detailed run through of how to identify AirPods.
In the instance that you do identify fake AirPods then it's best to report to Apple about it by filling in a form on their contact legal page.
How to avoid fake AirPods
The simplest way to avoid buying a fake pair of AirPods is to purchase directly from the Apple Store, a trusted retailer, or through Apple’s Amazon store. Reassuringly, Apple monitors over 100 online marketplaces around the world, removing any illegitimate online listings, so it's still okay to go to other trusted retailers you may know.
Of course, there are plenty of legitimate AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 2, Apple AirPods Pro, Apple AirPods 3 and AirPods 2 available to buy on Amazon and eBay from third-party sellers – and if you’re looking for a bargain, you may want to buy secondhand.
If you are on the lookout for secondhand buds, check out seller reviews and carefully examine photos of the product – but bear in mind that these won't always be legitimate.
In many cases, it may be better to look for cheap AirPods alternatives instead of trying to buy second-hand buds, particularly if you're worried about being ripped off with fake AirPods.
There are lots of fantastic true wireless earbuds out there, and many are cheaper than Apple’s earbuds. The best budget wireless earbuds offer fantastic audio and an unbelievably long battery life for a low price. For noise cancelling alternatives to AirPods, check out our roundup of the best noise cancelling earbuds.
If it’s the design of the AirPods that you're a fan of, then there are plenty of manufacturers making earbuds with long ear stems. Check out wireless earbuds from Urbanista, JBL, and Huawei for cheaper alternatives.
Those who really have their heart set on a pair of AirPods should keep an eye out for deals – they may not always see huge discounts, but you will be able to pick up Apple's earbuds for a little less than the retail price.
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