How to Spot Fake Apple Earpods: A Comprehensive Guide

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7Did you get ripped off with fake Apple AirPods? We hope not. It can be hard to see the differences between real and fake Apple EarPods.

This article will help you determine how to tell if your new EarPods are the real deal.

What Are Airpods?

Apple AirPods or Apple earphones are Bluetooth wireless earphones that operate with your iPhone and iPad. However, because Apple Earpods are Bluetooth audio devices, you can use them with practically any other laptop or phone; you can even link them with an Apple TV. 

While every iOS iPhone comes with a basic set of wired earphones, AirPods have several benefits worth upgrading to.

Distinguishing Airpods from Earbuds

Apple has added a basic set of wired earphones since the first iPhone came up in 2007. You’ve undoubtedly used an iPhone or iPad if you’ve ever owned one. Both earbuds are connected to an audio port on your phone through a Y-connection.

Apple removed the standard headphone jack on the iPhone seven and replaced it with a Lightning port on wired headphones. Additionally, all wired earbuds have a built-in media controller that lets you play, stop, skip tracks, and control the volume.

AirPods aren’t like other headphones. They are entirely wireless gadgets with no cables and no connection to one another. Alternatively, both earpieces have Bluetooth radios that connect to your phone or other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Not only will you avoid tangles of cables, but if you have an iPhone seven or later, you’ll be able to use AirPods while powering your phone via the Lightning connection.

What Do Airpods Have to Offer?

The first AirPod (introduced in 2016) and the AirPod 2 are the two iterations of Apple’s AirPods (released in 2019). They appear to be similar on the surface. However, there are some significant distinctions.

Apple’s genuine W1 wireless chip powers the original AirPods, but the AirPods 2 are powered by Apple’s newer H1 cordless chipset, which Apple boasts is twice as fast.

Both AirPods come with an accelerometer to detect movements, optical sensors to determine if they’re in your ears, and mics for making phone calls and utilizing Siri.

The AirPods arrive with a power adapter with an inbuilt battery to increase the earpieces’ energy life while you don’t plug them in. The original AirPods container was charged with a cord. However, the AirPod 2 has a wireless charging case that you can purchase separately.

Both variants of the AirPods have about the same total battery life, which amounts to more than 24 hours of playback time when ultimately charged within the charging case. In addition, the AirPods 2 have a little extended talk time on a single charge, about three hours instead of two.

How to Operate Airpods

First, connect your AirPods to your iPhone, iPad, or even other devices and adjust the volume to your liking.

The AirPods are built specifically for the left and right ear due to their form. If you’re having trouble distinguishing between them, each earbud has a little “L” and “R” written on the stem. Place them in your ears and bend the stalk straight down to fit into the slot in your ear.

The AirPods do not have a power button. Instead, they recognize when they’re in your ear and are fully functional immediately as you put them in since they have motion integration and optical sensors. When you remove them, the audio will automatically pause.

The way your AirPods operate depends on the model you have:

  • Double-tapping an earbud accepts and ends phone conversations on all AirPod models.
  • To wake Siri on the original AirPods, double-tap either earbud. You may use Siri to manage audio by telling her to “play,” “pause,” “lower volume,” “return to the previous song,” or “skip song.”
  • To skip tunes with AirPods 2, double-tap an earpiece. Then, say “Hey Siri” to wake Siri up. You may also alter your AirPods so that a double-tap accomplishes different things.

Identifying Real Apple Earpods from Fake Apple Earpods with these Tips

Apple branded EarPods are white in-ear headphones included with some Apple devices or sold separately. They are designed to fit the ear better than older versions andApple sells them with iPod Touch products.

Described as “revolutionary” at the time of their release, EarPods certainly do embody a unique aesthetic image. But, Apple’s reinvention of the earbud has also drawn criticisms of functionality, for example, a lack of rubber earpieces. Read on for a comprehensive list of little details you should look for before you buy from an unofficial Apple reseller.

Real Apple EarPods

Buying headphones online is simply a minefield. Frankly, unless you know the source, buying anything online comes with a potential risk.

There are so many fakes, copies, and knock-offs of Apple EarPods—especially for one of the most popular earbud sets on the market. However, even the best earphones can be fragile, so you may be looking for a backup pair of AirPods. If you research online shopping sites, you will see plenty of merchants selling the EarPods. The thing is, it can be hard to identify differences between real and fake EarPods.

10 Major Differences to find an iPhone Is Fake Or Real

So, we want you to be sure you know what you’re getting before you buy. Here goes the full list—keep an eye out for these differences!

11 Clues to Help You Identify Real Apple Earpods from Fake Apple Earpods

Price:

The first thing that you should notice when shopping for Apple EarPods is the price. Generally, the original Apple EarPods, designed by apple (assembled in China) are more expensive than the fake earpods manufactured by third parties.

Casing/Box:


As soon as you get your hands on these, you should have absolutely no doubt that this is a genuine Apple product. There are some obvious signs of knock-off EarPods:

  • An Apple Logo should be carved on the backside of the casing.
  • Marks or defects in the plastic should not be visible as a result of machining.
  • The casing box should be correctly fitted.

The genuine EarPods casing has the Apple logo on it. Furthermore, the genuine plastic EarPods casing/box’s quality should be made from high quality plastic and should have a smooth finish. If you observe any hint of an uneven or rough surface, then you can be sure that a third party made the “EarPods.”

EarPods Color:

This could be the easiest way to differentiate original Apple EarPods from fake ones. You have to keep in mind that the original Apple EarPods are available only in the color white. So, if you find any color differences, then they are made by a third party. Read on for more about the mechanical aspects of real EarPods.

Build Quality:

If you closely observe the in-ear piece’s construction, note that real EarPods are made in two parts and join together without any excess plastic or roughness. Also, third-party EarPods are made in three parts and are joined roughly. Moreover, the fake ones will weigh less than the real ones. Genuine ones will feel sturdier, better made, and slightly heavier (due to a premium build quality).

Ear Fitting:

EarPods fitting
The Original Apple EarPods provide you with the best fitting. It should fit neatly in your ear cavity and not pop out on its own. Fake EarPods tend to have a cheap design that doesn’t fit snugly in your ears.

Remote Control or Volume Control +/- Imprint Color:

This factor is pretty difficult to differentiate unless you have a set of both original and fake EarPods with you. The color of the volume +/- buttons on the Apple-certified EarPods remote control is a dim grey color. However, if you notice that the color is slightly darker than that, then the remote control is likely a fake EarPod set.

Trademark Text Imprint On The Wire:

If you check the wires of your EarPods between the audio jack and the remote control, you may see at some point that there is a trademark text imprint on the wire. This should read, “Designed by Apple in California.” If you can’t find any trademark text imprint on your EarPods, then you have fake or third-party EarPods.

Sound Quality:

The Apple EarPods are designed to provide you with the best sound quality through the earphone design. The new design ensures that you get deeper lows and crisper highs while listening to music. If you experience poor quality or anything less than pristine, you should know that you have fake ones.

The Bass Holes in the EarPod:

EarPods bass holes
The OEM EarPods will conduct an airflow to the bass holes at the bottom, which is the design for better bass quality. If you cover these holes with your fingers, less bass can be heard. For fake ones, the “bass holes” are just for decorative purposes.

Microphone Quality:

This factor is also one of the harder features to spot in fake EarPods. For this, you have to connect your EarPods to your iPhone, call your friend, and ask them if they can hear your voice loud and clear and without any disturbance or unwanted noise. Usually, people don’t pay attention to this while checking their EarPods.

Other Differences:

  • The grille of the original EarPods has a sleek finish, while in the fakes, the grille is visible of inferior quality.
  • The original earpods have soft writing that does not hold its shape if you bend it. In contrast, in fakes, the cable is more rigid and often snaps back to its original shape if folded.

Bonus: Some Lesser Known Airpod Hacks to Try

Powering the Pods with Another Device

The AirPods are generally charged by inserting them in the charging case and then connecting a Lightning wire through a power source. You can also charge the shell by docking it in other Lightning charging devices, such as iPhone docks and Bluetooth speakers with dock slots.

Sure, this isn’t something you’ll do regularly, but if you’re desperate for power and the only thing you have is a sound port with a Lightning connector, you must improvise.

Inhibit Automatic Ear Detection

When you put AirPods in your ears, they detect this and switch it on. When you enable automatic ear recognition, your iPhone detects when you remove your AirPods out of your ears and stops the music you were listening to. 

You may turn off this function by navigating to Settings > Bluetooth and selecting your AirPods from the list of available devices. Turn off automatic ear detection now.

Altering the Double-tap Configuration

You may also use the AirPods to perform additional tasks by tapping them. You may, however, alter the action that a double-tap triggers. Go to Settings > Bluetooth on your iPhone, and then touch your AirPods from the device list. Next, select your desired actions by tapping the double touch setting on both the Left and Right AirPods.

You may use an AirPod by double-tapping it to:

play/pause audio using Siri

You can go to the next track, return to the previous way, or deactivate double-tap completely.

Remember that the Left and Right AirPods might have different double-tap settings.

Assigning the Microphone to One Piece

Each AirPod includes a built-in microphone, and the devices are intelligent enough to recognize which mic to activate, even if you only have one AirPod in your ear. If you need to disable this capability, go to Settings > Bluetooth and touch your AirPods from the device list to locate the option to select only one AirPod as your microphone.

One rationale you might want to exclusively use one AirPod (either the left or right) as your microphone is for privacy reasons. If you just have your left AirPod configured to be your mic, for example, you can be confident that nobody will ever hear what you’re saying if you take your left AirPod out of your ear.

Conclusion:

That’s all you need to know about original and fake devices. Thus, remember this as you purchase EarPods from any shop or an unofficial Airpods pro or Apple product reseller.

This list covered the differences between real and fake AirPods. If you find any other differences other than those ( for example if you also check the serial number) mentioned above, let us know in the comments below.

Is your device compatible with the newer iOS updates?

Which brand of headphones do you use most?

 

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