There’s an easy way to keep AirPods Pro tips from falling off (and into your ears)

We need to talk about AirPods Pro tips. The actual ear tips. 

Those soft silicone pieces are one of the biggest design changes Apple introduced with the first “pro” version of its AirPods. It’s the reason the newest AirPods are both more comfortable and able to block out ambient noise. 

Apple encourages you to experiment with different sized tips in order to get the right fit (and there’s an elaborate “ear tip ft test” meant to help you accomplish just that). But what’s less clear upon busting open your new box of AirPods is that the tips work a bit differently than the earbuds you’re used to.

For one, it takes a surprising amount of force to yank them off. And if you don’t put them back on correctly, they’re prone to falling off, as Tom Felton recently learned. The Harry Potter star shared on Twitter that one of the tips got stuck in his ear despite his attempts to “fish it out with my glasses.”

Yikes. 

Before we go any further, I should admit that I also struggled with the ear tips when I first got my AirPods Pro. And, like Felton, I had one ear tip slip off in my ear when I thought I had secured it to the bud. Unlike Felton, I didn’t have to go digging around (!!) for it in my ear canal. (It should really go without saying, but please, do not under any circumstances, do this.)

Even if you don’t have any kind of phobia about things getting lodged inside your ears, the idea of the tips of your new $249 earbuds falling off in your ears is… unsettling.

The good news is, if you’re using them correctly, the tips should never come off unexpectedly. As I mentioned earlier, you have to pull really, really hard to remove them, so if they are falling off it’s likely you’re doing something wrong.

But there’s a really easy way to check to make sure you’re re-attaching the tips of your AirPods Pro properly. 

Flip up the silicone flap and you’ll see a small letter indicating the size tip you’re using. Make sure the letter (there are two on each tip; either one works) is positioned so that it’s lined up with the long black vent on the top of the bud (pictured above). Once you have the tip lined up properly, it should easily snap into place with an audible click.

Here’s what it looks like from the other side. Again, notice how the letter (indicated by the arrow) is lined up with the vent on the back of the bud.

And that’s it. 

All you have to do is look for the letter, push, and listen for the click.