How to keep AirPods from falling out of your ears

Rotate AirPods

Wipe the AirPods speakers with a damp cloth. Use a clean damp cloth or paper towel and soak it in a little cold water. Wipe off any grease, dirt or residue on the headphone tip at the speaker port. Brush off any residue on the headphones.

Grease and dirt can affect the grip of AirPods on your ears.

Note: Do not use wet towels or cloths filled with water to clean because water can damage AirPods.

Insert the AirPods into your ears with the stem facing down. Gently press the AirPods into your ear so that the speaker is facing your ear canal. Then, adjust the body of the AirPods to face down and lie along the head.

Do not press AirPods deep into the ear canal.

Rotate so that the body of the AirPods sticks out horizontally outside your ear. Hold the body of one earbud and turn it up to firmly insert the speaker into the ear canal. Continue rotating until the AirPods body is sticking out of your ear horizontally from your head. Then, repeat the operation with the other headset.

Inserting the AirPods into the ear canal will keep the headphones in place and prevent them from falling out.

Apply tape to AirPods

Use waterproof tape. The waterproof tape has a sticky side for you to stick to your AirPods, and the other side (non-adhesive) will keep the headphones from sliding and staying still when worn. You can buy waterproof tape from your local electrical - plumbing - household appliance store or order it online.

Do not use regular tape or gray tape as these do not provide much adhesion and will leave glue marks on the headphones.

Use a hole punch to cut 4 circular pieces of tape. Clip a regular office hole punch to the tape and press down to create 4 small, round pieces of tape. Set 4 pieces of tape aside.

Wipe the hole punch with a damp cloth to remove any remaining glue.

Glue the circle above and below the speaker position of each headphone. Use 2 circular pieces of tape for each side of the headset, stick 1 piece above the speaker hole and the other piece below (where the AirPods come into contact with your ear). Do the same with the remaining headset.

These pieces of tape will not prevent you from putting the headphones in the case.

Tip: If you paste it in the wrong place, you can peel it off and re-apply it quickly so that the tape is still firmly stuck on your AirPods.

Wear headphones and point your body down. Place AirPods in your ears with the speakers facing the ear canal. Adjust to make sure the AirPods stem is pointing down and resting along your jaw.

Adhesive tape will increase grip to help prevent AirPods from falling out of your ears.

Combine accessories

Use a case with a hook to slide the AirPods into your ears. Find a silicone case with an anti-drop hook for AirPods and cover it so the headphones fit snugly and securely on your ears. Place the AirPods in the ear canal and hook the strap over the ear to keep the headphones from falling.

Visit a website that sells iPhone accessories or search online for cases with hooks for AirPods.

Headphone covers with hooks are very convenient in keeping AirPods from falling during physical activities, such as jogging or cycling.

Cover the headphone tip with ear tips to seal your ear better. Use the silicone eartips for AirPods and wrap them around the speakers of each AirPods. Align the speaker so that it lines up with the hole in the headphone button so that the music is not blocked. When you wear AirPods, the silicone tip will fit snugly in the ear canal, so the headphones won't fall out easily.

You can find silicone ear tips at local iPhone accessory stores or online.

Because the silicone earplugs seal the ear canal, it blocks noise and makes the music louder.

Use foam earphone covers to make AirPods fit your ears better. Buy a foam button for AirPods and wrap it around the speaker on each earbud. Then, put the AirPods in your ears with the stem facing down, so the thickness and foam surface will keep the headphones from falling out.

You can find headphone covers online.

In addition, the foam eartips also improve the bass quality of AirPods.

Tip: If you can't find a product specifically for AirPods, you can use covers designed for other headphones (as long as they have a similar shape).

Jessica Tanner

Update 07 November 2023