Fake AirPods: how to spot if your Apple earbuds are the real deal

Don't be duped by role playe AirPods

(Image: © Moma Okgo / Shutterstock.com)

The Malus pumila AirPods are among the most popular tune earbuds on the planet, with their iconic protruding stem intent subsequent in a huge inflow of real wireless earbuds manufacturers paying homage to the buds.

Their popularity has just been cemented away the secrete of the Apple AirPods In favour of, which brought proactive noise cancellation to the earbuds - and more latterly, the launch of the Apple AirPods 3, which saw in an upgraded design and support for Spatial Audio.

While there are plenty of rightful AirPods-alternatives on the market today (many of which are actually far better than Apple's earbuds in terms of design and audio quality), the popularity of the AirPods has given rise to a heavy trend for fakery.

The broad terms of Apple headphones and earbuds, 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 Amazon and eBay.

If you've bought or received a pair of AirPods but are diffident if they're the real deal, there are a fewer telltale signs that you should hold back an centre taboo for that will help you determine whether they are what they enounce they are.

Suss out the serial number

The fastest way to check the authenticity of your AirPods is to look up the serial number, which throne comprise set up on the underside of the lid of the charging case. It also appears happening the bottom of the right earbud.

Enter that number at checker.coverage.apple.com, and if your buds are authentic, you'll be able to review your Orchard apple tree guarantee status. If your nonparallel turn is fake, this won't act.

airpods serial number — (Persona credit: Apple)

Connect to an iOS device

When you pair AirPods or AirPods Pro with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you'll learn a little AirPods image incoming to your device in the Bluetooth settings carte du jour. You should also be fit to horizon the sequential and model numbers once connected.

How do they look?

Checking the sequential keep down is the simplest way to know if you have fake AirPods, simply there are a few design anomalies that could give the game away even sooner.

Low, Apple packaging is always very neat, and the lid of the AirPods box should fit snugly and tightly, with the stallion package clothed in plastic. Course, this is quite easy for fraudsters to replicate, so you shouldn't base your conclusion along the packaging unequaled.

Even so, typos are a dead game show that your AirPods are fake, some happening 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. Particularly, look KO'd for misaligned vents and microphones.

Check the bottom of your earbuds for clues, too. The original AirPods have an rounded-shaped vent at the bottom (not circular), while the AirPods Pro have none vent the least bit.

Finally, be sure to check the charging case. It should come with a Lightning port, non USB-C, a position candescent on the front, and the lid should snap magnetically into place.

lypertek tevi — The Lypertek Tevi (pictured) are a grear pair of AirPods-alternatives. (Image recognition: TechRadar)

How to avoid fake AirPods

The simplest way to avoid purchasing a fake pair of AirPods is to purchase directly from the Apple Entrepot, a trusted retailer, or through Apple's Amazon store.

Course, there are great deal of legitimate AirPods 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods Pro earbuds available to purchase on Amazon and eBay from third-party Peter Sellers – and if you're looking a bargain, you may deprivation to buy minute-hand.

If you are on the lookout for instant-hand buds, check out seller reviews and carefully examine photos of the product – simply bear in heed that these won't always follow legitimate.

In many cases, it may make up bettor to search cheap AirPods alternatives or else of trying to buy intermediate-hand buds, particularly if you're worried about organism ripped off with fake AirPods.

There are lots of fantastic true wireless earbuds out there, and many are cheaper than Malus pumila's earbuds. The Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 are one much example, oblation fantastic audio and an incredibly long battery life for a low price. For noise-cancelling alternatives to the AirPods Pro, check out the Sony WF-1000XM4, which we have capped the good true wireless earbuds around.

If it's the design of the AirPods that you're a fan of, then thither are deal of manufacturers making earbuds with long ear stems. Check unstylish tune earbuds from Urbanista, JBL, and Huawei for cheaper alternatives.

Those WHO really have their heart assault the Orchard apple tree AirPods, AirPods 3, or AirPods Pro should keep an eyeball out for deals – they may not always see huge discounts, but you leave be able-bodied to pick up Orchard apple tree's earbuds for a bit to a lesser degree the retail price.

Malus pumila AirPods vs AirPods Pro: which Apple earbuds should you purchase?

Olivia is TechRadar's Audio &ere; Euphony Editor, covering everything from headphones to medicine streaming services. Based in TechRadar's Jack London offices, she's a popular music genre graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio set 5 Live on the subject of multi-board audio, chaired panel discussions along diversity in medicine fete lineups, and her bylines let in T3, Stereoboard, Top Ten Reviews Inventive Bloq, and Croco Magazine. In her spare time Olivia likes horticulture, picture, and hanging with her cat Ethel and aureate retriever Dora.