If you have trouble keeping your AirPods firmly lodged in your ear canal, the internet has a new and horrifying way of fixing your problems. AirPod earrings are the latest gadgets on the block and they’re designed to secure your wireless earbuds to your ears when you’re out and about. There are a bunch of funky designs but the most common version actually hooks in through an earring hole to grip your AirPods for maximum security. Just make sure you don’t pull on them.
AirPod earrings come with chains, arm grips and various jewels. There are versions with crosses and beads, or simpler cuffs for the fashion-conscious. If you don’t have pierced ears, there’s even clip-ons to keep your precious buds safe.
And of course there are also designer solutions for the problem. Jewellery designer Suhani Parekh has created custom gold earrings designed to grip AirPod stems as well as slimmer fashion cuffs to suit more elegant outfits. They come in white gold or 22K gold gloss and cost upwards of $170.
It’s an odd solution for a problem that just shouldn’t exist.
AirPods were designed to make music truly wireless. They’re slim, very portable and easy to use. But with such a minimalist design, they come with a range of problems. They’re fairly small, not suited to every ear and they’re also very easily lost. Their minimalist design and hard plastic shell makes it difficult for most people to wear them. They have very little grip and need constant adjustment. Most people avoid wearing them because they’re afraid to lose them. At $109 for each bud they’re very expensive to replace, so AirPod earrings might seem like a nice solution — but the problem shouldn’t exist in the first place.
Basic AirPods need to be better designed. The world shouldn’t need AirPod earrings.