Apple Ends Service Programs for Sound Issues on Original AirPods Pro and iPhone 12 and 12 Pro

Apple has officially ended two service programs that covered sound issues on the original AirPods Pro and on the iPhone 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, removing them from its list of active service programs.

airpods pro in case
In both cases, devices were covered for three years from their original date of sale, so the vast majority of units were already out of coverage unless someone managed to purchase from very old stock.

The AirPods Pro service program covered crackling or static sounds or Active Noise Cancellation not working as expected on the first-generation models, with affected units having been manufactured prior to October 2020. Under the program, Apple replaced affected earbuds (left, right, or both) after the issue was confirmed through testing by Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

The service program for AirPods Pro was launched in October 2020 with two years of coverage, with coverage extended to three years in October 2021.

The ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro program covered a defective receiver module component that could fail, resulting in no sound being emitted when making or receiving calls. Affected units were manufactured between October 2020 and April 2021, and the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max were not included in the service program.

The ‌iPhone‌ service program was launched in August 2021 with two years of coverage, but coverage was extended to three years in August 2022.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forums: AirPods, iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...

Top Rated Comments

titanium9 Avatar
9 weeks ago
Both my wife and I had AirPod Pro 2 and they had several seconds of static blasting on max volume every time you put them in your ear. I Googled the issue and tried the recommendation to turn off noise cancelation and it didn’t help at all. Apple knows the email of every person that bought AirPods at an Apple Store. I received no notification of any ‘secret’ coverage plan for this problem. Whatever the coverage plan was posted it wasn’t in a place Google could find.

Our response was to throw the AirPods in the trash and we will NEVER buy Apple AirPods again. I can only imagine how many thousands of other people have developed similar strong views if they had to develop a program to deal with it. We have both Sony and Bowers and Wilkins ear buds now. Both of those companies figured out how to not blast white noise at max volume for several seconds when you put them in your ear.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Truckondo Avatar
9 weeks ago
I remember using the service on my original AirPods Pro years ago. They replaced them in store after the test and they still work to this day. Gave them to my son when I got the USB-C AirPods Pro 2.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
beltzak Avatar
9 weeks ago
Very true. Never received any email regarding to covered plan even though I changed one of the AirPods Pro but within a year I got the other one cracking after warranty ended.

I guess that this is another awesome source of Apple’s income.
/s
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t0rqx Avatar
9 weeks ago
These programs usually replace the components with the same faulty components. Just like the butterfly keyboard.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NicosAccount Avatar
9 weeks ago
if they cant fix it with a software update, theyll probably need a program like this for the iphone airs, most of them rattle even on 40-50% volume on facetime
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Okasian Avatar
9 weeks ago
I’ve logged into my MacRumours account for the first time in several years to post my experience on this.

I had this issue around 2022. “They” (Apple Authorised.. bla bla bla) replaced the buds. Completely faulty. They did not replace the case. I brought a £30 third-party case from Amazon, essentially having a new pair of AirPods Pro.

They’ve only recently started (Late 2025) to get to a point where I feel like the battery isn’t holding an adequate amount of charge.

Since then, two Apple die-hard friends of mine got the EarFun Pro, and so did I, about £50. Cheap. Chinese. (Always skeptical)

ANC much better. Night and day. Highly likely not as good as the new AirPods Pro 3, but £50 is 4x less than £220. Would not recommend buying AirPods again. Short life-span relative to price. Disposable. Vote with your wallet etc.

Logging out.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)