Apple Airpods Noise Malfunction Class Action Lawsuit

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Published: January 13, 2025

Apple Airpods Class Action Lawsuit

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Apple Inc. in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The class action lawsuit was filed against Apple on behalf of a class of consumers alleging that the first generation of Apple AirPods Pro (AirPods Pro Gen 1) has a known audio defect and that Apple sold their high-end, popular AirPods knowing that they had a serious audio malfunction.

Why is Apple Being Sued in a Class Action?

The class action lawsuit alleges that class members purchased the AirPods Pro Gen 1 at a premium price, believing in Apple's claims of superior audio quality and noise-canceling capabilities. The class action argued that had they known about the audio defect, they would not have purchased the AirPods Pro Gen 1 or would have paid less for them. The Airpods class action lawsuit seeks damages for the plaintiffs and the proposed class, claiming that Apple's false advertising and sale of defective products caused financial harm.

According to the class action, some specific example sited in the class action complaint include:

1. A class action claimant purchased AirPods Pro Gen 1 in April 2020 and experienced static and crackling sounds after a year. Apple confirmed the defect but offered replacement earbuds at a cost.

2. A class action representative bought AirPods Pro Gen 1 in July 2021 and faced similar audio issues in September 2023. Apple confirmed the defect but required payment for replacements.

3. A class action claimant purchased AirPods Pro Gen 1 in November 2019 and experienced audio issues within a year. Despite multiple replacements, the defect persisted.

Will Apple Settle the Airpods Class Action Lawsuit?

It is unclear yet how Apple will react to the Airpods audio issues class action lawsuit. Since total claims may exceed $5,000,000, and there are more than 100 potential Apple airpods class members (millions of people purchased qualifying Airpods), the federal court will have jurisdiction, under the Class Action Fairness Act. Apple has not responded to the class action in court yet. The class action lawsuit has demanded a trial.

What Does the Airpods Class Action Seek?

The plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit seek various forms of relief, including:

• Certification of the class action.
• Appointment of class representatives and class counsel.
• Actual, general, special, incidental, statutory, punitive, exemplary, and consequential damages.
• Restitution and disgorgement of ill-gotten gains.
• Injunctive and declaratory relief, including repair, recall, or replacement of the defective AirPods Pro Generation 1.
• Administrative, court, and attorneys' fees.

How Do I Join the Airpods Class Action?

Since this class action lawsuit has not been settled yet, there is no way to join the class action yet. If Apple settles the class action lawsuit, this page will be updated with any potential class action claim forms, settlement site, qualification, and payment information to qualified class action members.

How Do I Find Class Action Settlements?

Find all the latest class actions you can qualify for by getting notified of new lawsuits as soon as they are open to claims:

The lawsuit details how Apple promoted the AirPods Pro Gen 1's noise-canceling features and superior sound quality from their release in October 2019 until September 2022. Despite consumer complaints and Apple's admission of the defect, the company continued to sell the defective products. Consumers in the class action claim that all AirPods Pro Gen 1 units, regardless of manufacture date, have the same audio defect.

Past Apple Class Actions

Apple has settled hundreds of millions of dollars of consumer class action settlements in the past, including:

• $95 Million AppleCare Class Action Settlement
• $50 Million MacBook Class Action Settlement
• $35 Million Apple Gift Card Class Action Settlement
• $25 Million Apple Family Sharing Class Action Settlement
• $20 Million Apple iPhone 4S Class Action Settlement
• iPhone Slowdown ("Batterygate") Throttling Class Action