It’s frustrating when an AirPod falls out of your ear — especially if it decides it has had enough of being an AirPod and it jumps onto the subway tracks. That’s exactly what happened for Ashley Mayer.
But thanks to a makeshift sticky stick (duct tape on the end of a broom), this particular bud will live to see another day … or play another song?
AirPods do have a tendency to slip out if they don’t fit your ears just right. To most of us it’s a somewhat minor inconvenience, until one of them ends up in a place where it can’t be easily retrieved.
“The AirPod fell out of my ear several feet away from the edge of the subway platform,” tweeted Mayer. It ended up on the tracks, which made getting it back incredibly dangerous.
How to save an AirPod from subway tracks
Mayer says she is proud of herself for not “lunging after it and becoming the first ever AirPod-related subway death.” But she wasn’t willing to just give up on the missing bud.
Mayer asked subway staff if the AirPod could be rescued, but the process would take two hours — and she would have to be present for the whole thing, she explains.
So, a more inventive solution was required. Mayer took a trip to a local store and picked up a broom and some duct tape. The duct take was applied to the handle to make it sticky.
Game on.
(The romaine is for dinner, not rescue.) pic.twitter.com/3iqDCT7UFQ
— Ashley Mayer (@ashleymayer) July 11, 2019
After returning to the subway, Mayer waited for an oncoming train to pass, then went fishing.
The AirPod is alive and well
The mission was a success. Mayer was able to recover the missing bud — and some subway dirt along with it.
He’s filthy but he’s mine (again)!
— Ashley Mayer (@ashleymayer) July 11, 2019
“AirPod has been thoroughly cleaned and is now recharging (literally, figuratively),” she later tweeted. “Please send thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.”
How to tackle AirPod suicide
If you have issues with AirPods falling out of your ears, you can buy little straps that wrap around your neck and prevent them from dropping. But that kind of defeats the purpose of wireless headphones.
Alternatively, you might choose to get Apple’s new Powerbeats Pro instead. They’re designed for sport, so they have hooks that keep them attached to your ear.
