Replace Your AirPods Pro Ear Tips A Quick Guide In Detail

The Quick Answer

You peel off the old silicone tip, snap the new one onto the speaker mesh housing, and you're done. That's essentially the entire process. AirPods Pro ear tips are friction-fit. There are no screws, no clips, no adhesive involved. Apple sells replacement tips separately in four sizes —XS, S, M, L— and they cost about $7 a pack. Third-party options from brands like SpinFit, Comply, and KitSound exist too, and some of them actually solve problems Apple's own tips don't handle. Start by confirming which generation of AirPods Pro you own. First-generation tips are the standard round silicone design. Second-generation tips (the ones that came with the USB-C model and the newer noise-cancellation improvements) look nearly identical but have a slightly different stem geometry and a more textured inner surface for better grip. Third-gen tips introduced the XS size option. If you buy the wrong size package, they still physically attach, but the seal and fit will be off. To remove the old tip, grip the outer edge between your thumb and index finger and pull straight outward. Do not twist. Twisting can stress the silicone and cause it to tear unevenly, leaving a thin ring behind on the mesh housing. Once it's off, inspect the dome-shaped housing. There's a fine metal mesh underneath that filters earwax and debris. If that mesh is clogged, your sound quality drops noticeably before you even notice the tip is worn out. I once spent two weeks thinking my AirPods were just losing bass response, only to discover a compacted wad of earwax behind the mesh that a soft brush cleared in about thirty seconds. Sound returned to normal after that.

For cleaning the mesh itself, use a dry cotton swab or a soft-bristled brush. Never use liquid directly on the AirPods. If the mesh is severely blocked, Apple recommends professional cleaning, but in practice a gentle brush works fine for most cases. Avoid compressed air — the pressure can damage the internal driver. When attaching the new tip, align the inner ridge of the silicone tip with the outer groove on the AirPods Pro housing. Push straight down until you hear or feel a small click. It should sit flush with no gaps around the base. If it looks tilted or uneven, remove it and try again. A poorly seated tip creates an imperfect seal, which directly undermines the active noise cancellation and bass response because the Ear Tip Fit Test can't accurately measure your seal.

Which Tips Should You Actually Use

Apple's built-in Ear Tip Fit Test is useful but not infallible. It measures seal quality through the microphone and gives you a readout, but the test assumes you're holding the AirPods perfectly still during the calibration tone. If you shift your jaw or move your head, the reading changes. I found that the test would tell me the medium tips gave me a good seal, but in actual use — walking, talking, chewing — the seal broke frequently. Switching to the large tips fixed that, even though the test initially rated them as "not recommended." Third-party tips address some real shortcomings of the stock silicone. SpinFit CP100+ tips rotate 36 degrees, which means the nozzle aligns with your ear canal rather than pointing straight down. This matters because most people's ear canals angle slightly forward and inward, not straight down. Apple's tips are fixed, so they push against the canal wall rather than sitting in it comfortably. The result is fatigue after an hour or so. Comply Foamtips provide better passive isolation and a warmer sound signature because foam compresses into the concha rather than sitting on top of it. The tradeoff is durability — foam tips degrade in three to six months with regular use and need replacing more often than silicone. If you have very small ear canals, the XS tips that Apple now offers are genuinely helpful. Before that size existed, the small tips still felt too large for a noticeable portion of users. If the small tips still feel uncomfortable or create pressure pain, third-party options like the Spigen Comfitfit or the Moondrop X tips in extra-small sizes are worth trying. They're quieter about their sizing charts though, so check the diameter specifications carefully.

Common Problems and What to Do About Them

Tips falling off is the most frequent complaint. This usually happens for one of three reasons: the tip is the wrong generation for your AirPods, the housing has accumulated grime that prevents a proper seal, or the silicone has lost elasticity from oils and sweat over time. Cleaning the housing with a slightly damp cloth (not wet) and letting it dry completely before reattaching the tip resolves the second issue. For the third, replacement is the only fix — silicone degrades and there's no restoring it. Social media threads sometimes suggest using superglue or strong adhesive to keep tips in place. Don't do this. Glue can seep into the mesh or the speaker grille and permanently damage the driver. If your tips keep falling off after proper cleaning and correct sizing, the issue is likely the tip generation mismatch or severe wear, not a sealing problem that adhesive can fix. Another issue people encounter is the tip feeling loose even when properly seated. This is common with third-party foam tips that haven't been compressed enough during insertion. Roll the foam tip between your fingers before placing it on the housing to pre-compress it, then press it on firmly. It will expand back to its shape over a few minutes and settle into a snug fit.

Where to Buy and What to Expect Cost-Wise

Apple's replacement tips are available on the Apple website, in Apple Stores, and through major retailers. Official tips run about $7 for a four-pack. Third-party tips vary widely — SpinFit runs around $15 to $20 for a multi-pack, Comply Foamtips are $20 to $30 for three pairs, and budget options from Amazon brands can be had for under $10. With budget options, the silicone compound tends to be harder and less durable. You'll notice this within a few months as the tips lose their flexibility and start cracking at the attachment point. If you're experiencing persistent fit issues even after trying multiple sizes and styles, the problem might not be the tips at all. Ear anatomy varies significantly, and some canals simply don't form a reliable seal with any standard tip design. In those cases, custom-molded ear tips from an audiologist or a service like Wicked Cushions are the only real solution. They're expensive — $80 to $150 — but they eliminate the guesswork entirely. I've seen enough people cycle through six or seven different tip types before finding something workable to know that custom molds save time in the long run for a specific subset of users. The whole process of replacing and testing tips typically takes fifteen to twenty minutes if you're methodical about it. Most of that time is spent trying different sizes and running the Ear Tip Fit Test repeatedly. If you buy third-party tips, factor in additional time for the break-in period where the fit changes slightly as the material settles.