‘It’s a major flaw’: AirPods 3 Pro owners are still waiting for Apple to fix its annoying static problems — and users are getting impatient

And it's starting to effect music and video playback

20 Dec 2025, 04:00 · TechRadar

News By Rowan Davies published 20 December 2025

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AirPods Pro 3 users are still mad at Apple for not fixing the frustrating static problem when ANC is enabled
These issues arose a few months back when Apple launched the AirPods Pro 3, but the company has yet to address the flaws
Users on Reddit share that, despite going through multiple replacement models, hardware and firmware upgrades are not helping the cause

Are you still experiencing issues with your AirPods Pro 3? Don’t feel as though you’re going crazy – you’re not the only one.

Since Apple launched the latest addition to its audio hardware family in September, users have reported static and crackling in their earbuds when Active Noise Cancellation is enabled, and no music is playing. Some users have also reported that it affects music playback.

We reported on the distracting static problem back in October and, from the outpour of online frustration (see below), it appears as though Apple has yet to resolve this issue, which is a shame, as the AirPods Pro 3 are currently one of our best earbuds.

AirPods Pro 3's Static and Noise Issues Haven't Been Resolved from r/apple

Between now and October, MacRumors has noted that despite Apple releasing two firmware updates (version 8B25 in November, and version 8B30 on December 10), the company has still failed to resolve the one and only issue that users have been addressing since the earbuds launched. But it doesn’t end there; some users have also reported latency issues as well as sound-syncing problems when watching videos, MacRumors adds.

Though some AirPods Pro 3 users have been seeking replacement models directly from Apple, this still hasn’t improved the issues mentioned above. One user on Reddit even shared they have been through a staggering four different pairs of the AirPods Pro 3 in search of a resolution, airing their anger at Apple for “pretending it’s not a thing."

Comment from r/apple

Among the user impatience and annoyance is also an overwhelming sense of regret for upgrading to the latest earbuds from the AirPods Pro 2, which one user in the Reddit thread above described the predecessors as “just too goated." They’ve got a point, as we've also described the AirPods Pro 2 as a “hugely worthwhile upgrade from Apple”.

As it stands, it doesn’t look like there’s a firmware or hardware fix for the issues, and Apple has yet to speak out, which hasn’t helped the existing wave of user frustration. Apple’s recent firmware updates haven’t listed the exact problems it aims to fix and simply note "bug fixes and other improvements."

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