Apple ’s AirPods are very popular , but unfortunately also very expensive . On the Apple Store mighty now the chinchy alternative is the non - ANC edition of the 4th - gen AirPods at$129/£129 ; there ’s also the ANC version at$179/£179 , while you may pay$249/£229for the 2d - gen AirPods Pro . And do n’t forget the AirPods Max at a whopping$549/£499 .
With prices like that it ’s no wonder that customer are hunting for a discount , and as luck would have it you could often findAirPods deals , especially at times likeBlack Fridayor one ofAmazon ’s Prime events . But what if you find an even better peck somewhere likeeBayoreBay U.K. ? Can you be sure that the purportedly “ brand - unexampled in original packaging ” AirPods are the real matter ?
More and more often , the supposed deal twist out to be a forgery . Fake AirPods Pro , which take care like the genuine article but are made by a different company with vastly inferior manufacturing standard , often turn up on second - hired hand sales platforms , and are getting effective and better . How can you blob fake AirPods and name if the AirPods you ’re buying are the existent deal ?
How to spot fake AirPods
Check the packaging
metalworks
Some Apple counterfeits are well-situated to spot . The promotional material and label are often poorly produced ; you might notice type errors ( such as “ Dseigned by Apple ” ) , a failure to match the company ’s house mode ( such as ios or else of iOS ) , or clumsy mistranslation .
In the illustration above , provided by our colleagues on Macwelt , the warning preindication are relatively obvious but could be missed by a emptor in a hurry . The English section has overleap punctuation . In the German segment , there are missing umlauts . In the French section , ipadOS should be iPadOS .
Apple is far-famed for its attention to item , and look at box an important part of the customer ’s product experience . Any mistake should put you on precaution .
Check the serial number
The next step is to check the serial issue . This can be found on the side of the promotional material and then entered intoApple ’s websiteto mark off it ’s valid . In the case of the imitation machine provide to Macwelt , when the serial figure was entered it was immediately identified as invalid , exposing the machine as a postiche .
If you have n’t got the publicity , you’re able to instead retrieve the serial number inside the charge case . You might take a magnifying meth to read it , though . you could also see the in series number if you openSettings > Bluetoothon your iPhone and tap the Info button beside your AirPods .
unluckily , this bank check does n’t always knead because some forger use serial number that are recognized by Apple . So we ’ll go on our investigating .
Check the accessories
At first glance , faux AirPods can seem perfectly o.k. , with a consummate readiness of plausible - seem accessories inside the box . When the team at Macwelt got their script on counterfeit AirPods via a reviewer they found all the usual documents and teaching , a cable and more .
However , the enclose instructions immediately raised suspicions . The mark quality was low than expected and the text was blurred .
Check the firmware
David Price / Foundry
To check the firmware on your AirPods , grab your iPhone and go toSettings > Bluetooth . bug the Info button beside your AirPods . The firmware is the number listed next to Version .
The AirPods firmware does n’t change very often . The a la mode versions are listedon Apple ’s website . At meter of writing , they ’re as follow :
If the rendering on your AirPods is similar to the above but a low number , it ’s possible they only have n’t updated to the latest firmware yet ; you ca n’t force them to do this but there are fashion toencourage the process . But the firmware on our bogus AirPods was listed as 0A2097 , a appellation Apple hasneverused . That ’s a immense red flag .
Are the AirPods recognized by an iPhone or Mac?
Fake AirPods wo n’t check one of Apple ’s proprietary W1 , H1 , or H2 chips .
These chips deal the Bluetooth connexion ; they ’re the reason why AirPods can trade between devices seamlessly and synchronise instantly with an iPhone , iPad or Mac . When you give the charge case , a nearby iPhone should immediately realize and connect to the AirPods . If this does n’t happen , that ’s a strong hint that your AirPods are bastard .
In addition , the H1 adds the power to launch Siri by voice and Audio Sharing , while the H2 add participating noise cancellation and the Adaptive Transparency modality . Without these chips , none of these lineament will be available to you .
When we spread our iPhone near the bastard AirPods , a subject matter appeared . But there was a giveaway that something was unseasonable : an educational activity to press the push on the back of the cause in orderliness for the earphone to be tell apart . Legitimate AirPods do n’t ask extra key closet .
We also found that switching between a Mac and iPhone was only potential via the Bluetooth menu , and there were also problem recognise the microphone . All of these problem aim to there being no Apple crisp inside .
Test the functionality
As we ’ve seen , it ’s one matter to make headphones thatlooklike AirPods or AirPods Pro , but something else to replicate the way genuine AirPods work .
Depending on the quality of the counterfeiting , a fake brace of earbuds may support some AirPods social occasion . We were able , for example , to conduct out the fit test for pinna inserts on our fake twist . Strangely , however , the test always follow . Even when we wore just one of the earphones , the optimal fit of both earphones was certified . That ’s a clew that something is faulty .
The phony AirPods were n’t suitable for sound calls , suggesting that the counterfeiters had spare money by skimp on the microphone . The audio quality was mediocre , lacking clearness and bass . The 3D audio function was absent and wireless charging did not sour either .
We also recover that we could activate Active Noise Cancellation and exchange on the Transparency mode on the imitation AirPods , but quickly noticed that turning on these ‘ feature film ’ made no difference to the agency the earphone behaved .
Note that it wo n’t always be this obvious . Some victims of phony AirPods scam have cover that the devices have a functioning disturbance cancellation feature . Just because they ’re fake AirPods , that does n’t mean they ca n’t contain literal mike . As with all the step here , we ’re learn multiple criterion and draw off a conclusion based on all the data point .
Take a look inside
Look closely at a dyad of bogus AirPods and you ’re likely to note manufacturing defect . In our example , the small credit card covering fire on the outside fell off after a few hour of use . The detonating equipment at the bottom of the stems was also comparatively easy to pull up off to reveal the inside .
According to teardowns posted online by iFixit , we should see a small high - quality mike here . or else , there was a tour board with the label dxc - t18U8 … and no microphone , which explains why these AirPods were no good when making phone telephone call . They apply the speaker as a mike .
How to get a refund for fake AirPods
What should you do once you ’ve identified that your new earbuds are bogus ? If the online workshop or eBay seller is still active , you should enforce for a restitution or refund . Sellers can usually be persuade to recoup the leverage cost , although thing may be more difficult if some meter has spend since the purchase .
To return an point for a refund on eBay you should follow these footmark :
If you purchased the fake AirPods from somewhere else , the process for apply to return them for a refund will be like .
Apple AirPods 4 (with ANC)
Apple AirPods 4 (without ANC)
AirPods Pro 2 USB-C
Additional reporting byStephan Wiesend on Macwelt .
