Apple only started shipping AirPods Pro 3 recently, yet complaints already appear across social media and Apple forums. Some users have just unboxed their new earbuds, while others report that the experience isn’t exactly flawless. Posts mention crackling or static noises, faint hissing in quiet rooms, and Active Noise Cancellation that feels weaker than before. More posts appear every day, although not everyone runs into the problem.
Those who’ve used AirPods for years know this story already. The design may look fresh, and the feature list longer, but a few old troubles seem to have quietly found their way back.
What Problems Do Users Notice with AirPods Pro 3?
After going through a bunch of user posts and forum threads, one detail kept repeating. Many owners mention that their AirPods Pro 3 give off a faint crackle or light static once Noise Cancellation or Transparency mode is on. It usually shows up in quiet moments (no music, no background sound) when the earbuds are supposed to stay completely still, but instead let out that soft, unwanted noise.
In some cases, the noise feels stronger in one earbud, usually the right one. A few users exchanged their sets in Apple Stores, but the replacement units behaved the same way. That led to the assumption that the issue might not come from hardware alone. For now, Apple has not released an official comment, but store employees already replace affected pairs on request, which suggests that the company is aware of the situation.
As a temporary solution, we can advise disabling noise-control modes, though this limits one of the Pro lineup’s primary functions. If the issue lies in the software algorithm, a future firmware update could correct it. Until then, most users continue to test their units and share feedback, hoping that Apple will soon restore the level of silence expected from its flagship earbuds.
Familiar Problems with AirPods Pro That Once Reached the Court
Even if we love every single thing Apple sells, it’s fair to admit that sometimes issues slip through, and what users now report with the AirPods Pro 3 already appeared in the very first generation. Back then, people also noticed crackling sounds, weak noise cancellation, and static during playback. The defect became so common that it turned from small complaints on Apple forums into a full-scale headache for the company.
The noise issue affected enough people that the story moved from tech blogs to courtrooms. A group of customers accused Apple of selling AirPods Pro with known defects and keeping quiet about them. They claimed that the company’s marketing promised “superior sound and flawless noise cancellation,” but in reality, many pairs hissed or crackled right out of the box. Some buyers even said they might have paid less (or skipped the purchase entirely ) if Apple had warned them about the flaw.
Apple has confirmed some early AirPods Pro have noise cancellation problems and other issues like crackling and static sound. They’ve launched a replacement program for the product.
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) October 30, 2020
And now, almost five years later, the case still hasn’t fully closed. Just this week (October 2025), Apple managed to convince the judge to partially open the lawsuit in its favor. Some claims, like breach of warranty, were dismissed. Others, including false advertising and failure to disclose, remain active. So the fight isn’t over yet. We want to believe that the situation with the AirPods Pro 3 will stay far from that scale and that Apple will sort everything out with a few smart firmware updates.
Final Thoughts
Apple has not made any official statement yet (neither on its website nor through support channels), but the replacement of some AirPods Pro 3 units in stores suggests that the company knows something is wrong, and somewhere in Cupertino, a few engineers are probably running endless tests to find what causes the static. The first generation showed that not every problem finds a quick fix, but this time, we believe Apple will manage to solve it. The company has the experience, the tools, and the right people for the job, so now we simply wait for its response.
At the same time, the problem mustn’t appear in every pair of AirPods Pro 3. Many users online confirm that their sets work flawlessly, and we can back that up. None of our team members noticed any hiss, crackle, or “ocean ambience” effect so far. So if you’ve been planning to buy the new AirPods, there’s no reason to postpone it. There’s a good chance your pair will sound perfect, and if not, Apple’s return policy has you covered.
