Imagine being on a long plane flight and one of your new AirPods Pro 3 earbuds keeps whistling in your ear. Infuriating, eh? That’s what some users of Apple’s latest wireless earbuds say happens while flying.
It certainly doesn’t happen to every user. But there’s no easy solution for those experiencing the problem. Still, there are a few things you’ll need to be ready in case you’re unlucky.
Flights cause problems for some AirPods Pro 3 users
Active noise cancellation was invented in the 1950s to improve aircraft voice communication. Pilots often had trouble hearing in noisy aircraft cockpits. ANC was developed to cancel out the constant drone of engines, making it easier for pilots to hear radio communications.
AirPods Pro 3 feature an advanced active noise cancellation system. This relies on improved microphones and algorithms that monitor external and internal noise. These combine with a tighter acoustic seal from improved eartips to block low-frequency rumble caused by things like airplane engines, traffic or HVAC systems.
The results can be outstanding. The Verge’s reviewer tested the new earbuds on a flight and reported, “The dull hum of the plane was completely eliminated, though I could still hear announcements if I didn’t have audio playing.”
Cnet’s reviewer did the same test and got essentially identical results, “with the Pro 3s tamping down the cabin noise to a faint hum.”
AirPods Pro 3 ANC can cause whistling when flying
Unfortunately, not every AirPods Pro 3 user gets that same smooth experience when flying.
“Testing ANC mode on a flight, it’s very apparent that the new ones have a noticeable wind ‘whooshing’ noise; occasionally it gets worse and becomes an intermittent, high-pitched ‘whistle’ noise,” says a post on Reddit.
Many of the comments responding to the post concur. One said, “That’s exactly the higher pitched sound I got with ANC on the flight today.”
Another said, “The high pitch ringing that came in/out during the flight was sometimes ear piercing and they had to be removed or ANC switched off which defeated the purpose of me wearing them in flight.”
BasicAppleGuy, an Apple fan known for making beautiful wallpapers for Mac, iPad and iPhone, weighed in on the issue on his blog Monday.
“My trouble came at 39,000 feet when I first noticed a high-pitched whine coming from my left AirPod,” BasicAppleGuy wrote. “The issue was that the AirPod’s ear seal kept loosening, leading to a noise-cancellation feedback loop and a painfully loud piercing screech from the AirPod.”
BasicAppleGuy and many of the others made it clear that the problem occurs only when flying. At all other times, their earbuds function correctly.
Remedies and possible solutions
There are enough similar posts complaining about AirPods Pro 3 whistling in the ears during flights that this is undeniably a problem for some people. However, plenty of other users don’t experience the strange whistling glitch. The problem seems to afflict a small minority of people, and only under special circumstances. This helps explain why Apple didn’t discover it during testing.
Still, anyone about to take a long flight who is depending on AirPods Pro 3 to keep them entertained should feel nervous. You can take some steps to prepare. But unfortunately, as the source of the problem remains unknown, there’s not one single solution if it crops up.
First off, bring all the eartips for your wireless earbuds. It’s possible you picked a size that’s not exactly right. It could be fine in your daily life, but in the extreme conditions of an airplane’s cabin, where 85 dB is normal and takeoffs can reach 105 dB, just enough noise could be creeping in past the seal to set up a feedback loop.
If that doesn’t fix the problem, maybe turn off ANC. This system appears to be the source of the feedback loop.
Also, bring a pair of foam earplugs on your trip. Many people who experience the AirPods Pro 3 whistle hear it in only one ear. If this is you, take that one out. AirPods work fine alone, and you can put an earplug in the other ear to block the airplane engine rumble.
If you own a pair of AirPods Pro 2, tuck those in your baggage, too. Unsurprisingly, it seems the people least irritated when dealing with this problem were ones who could easily switch to other earbuds.
It probably won’t happen to you
Most of these solutions are less than ideal, as they involve not using the expensive earbuds you bought to wear on long flights. The real hope is that Apple will figure out what’s causing the AirPods Pro 3 feedback loop and release a firmware update that permanently prevents it.
In the meantime, remind yourself that the odds that you’ll be affected are low. But it makes sense to be prepared if you get unlucky.
