Mastodawn

@caseyliss Your point about AirPod noises reminded me of a related noise I’ve been meaning to investigate on my AirPods Pro 2, recorded here when I put one AirPod back in the case with the other. You can hear the sad charging noise (overlaid with the case closing snap) but ~15 secs later you can also hear what appears to be a diagnostics sound coming from the AirPods inside the case. It was driving me mad for a while as I kept hearing this sound but couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.

Ian Williamson Jan 9, 2025

@caseyliss And that mystery solved; that was quick!

“To help ensure that your AirPods microphones and speakers are operating at their best (for example, to help provide high-quality hearing test results), your AirPods may periodically play a quiet chime when they’re in their charging case.”

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/airpods/devd9aac5b42/web

Use hearing health features with AirPods Pro 2

Your AirPods Pro 2 support your hearing health with Hearing Protection, on by default, and a Hearing Aid feature.

Apple Support

haydio Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss thank you so much for posting this!

Hjalte Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj I have been hearing this chime too! Mystery solved!

benostrander Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss I have been so confused by this. I thought there was some other device around me making these sounds. Thank you!

joshhunt Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss Was discussing this exact mystery with friends not too long ago!!

It's just delayed long enough, and at the perfect volume to make you think "am I going crazy??"

mladen mladenov Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj omg, so that’s what this is! i just thought it was some sound coming from the neighbours above me 😂

Hannes Ullman Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss ah! thank you for finding this!

Only once my wife heard it too, I knew I was not imagine this 😊

sashk 🇺🇦Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj thanks. This was driving me mad, as I couldn’t pinpoint where this was coming from…

Ren Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss

Thank you!!

I’ve been wondering about this noise for a while now and had not assigned it to the AirPods.

Alan Nightingale Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss OMG! I thought I’ve been going crazy for months! (No on else in my house hears the noise, which makes sense because I’m the one sitting by my air pods.)

Alex Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss I'd still like to know how this chime helps to ensure they are working correctly.

Ian Williamson Jan 9, 2025

@alexmarsh @caseyliss I would assume it’s doing something similar to the hearing test but with the AirPods themselves, playing a known set of frequencies from low to high and listening to that with the internal microphones to identify issues. There are (at least) two microphones on each AirPod so they should be able to tell if there is a problem with the speakers or one of the microphones.

Alex Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss Sure and that’s a reasonable assumption. But doesn't the case make the sound even when both AirPods are in the case and wouldn't hear the chime.

Either way, I'd prefer not to assume and that Apple explain it. :)

Ian Williamson Jan 9, 2025

@alexmarsh @caseyliss The article does say that it’s the AirPods making the sound inside the case, not the case speaker, which makes sense as it’s the AirPod speakers which need to be tested. Further explanation from Apple would be great! But I’m not holding my breath 🙂

Alex Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss Ah! Thanks for clarifying that for me.

Mandu 🥟Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj
finally! been wondering what this chime was for, as there is no way to turn it off. thought it was to indicate when airpods were fully charged.

Justin Cardinal Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss thank you for posting this! This sound has been haunting me for months.

Andrea Jemmett Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss a couple of weeks ago I thought I was going crazy and that the chime was coming from some of the 10s of virtual pets I have laying around 😅

After realizing that the chime was coming from the AirPods, I couldn’t find anything online. Thanks for solving the mystery!

Manuel W.Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss As we are already on this: my AirPods 4 ANC case randomly make a 2-chime sound when putting the AirPods back in the case and closing the lid. It sounds like a variation of the "FaceTime call ended" sound that an iPhone makes. It's definitely not the low battery sound as it also happens with 100% battery. Nobody is talking about this one and I can't find any documentation about it. Any clue?

Ian Williamson Jan 10, 2025

@manuch @caseyliss That’s the one at the beginning of the recording I made, right (covered up by the case closing snap)? I’m drawing a blank on documentation for that one, as is everyone else apparently 😂 https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/01/09/airpods-pro-beeps-and-bops

Understanding the Various Inscrutable Beeps, Bops, and Bloops AirPods Make

Link to: https://www.macrumors.com/2025/01/09/airpods-pro-chime-sound/

Daring Fireball

Manuel W.Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss Yes right, that's the one I mean! So random 😂

Arne Böttger Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss Thank you! I was hearing this sound and wondering which device in my partially smart home was trying to get my attention, assuming it was a hint towards a battery needing replacement.

Michael Brown Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss I went down exactly this rabbit hole a couple of weeks ago and reach the same place.

Casey Liss Jan 9, 2025

Kurt Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss omg I’ve heard this around the house and thought I was going crazy. thank you!

Myke Hurley Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss I ALSO HAVE HAD THIS

April Jan 9, 2025

@imyke @tuckerjj @caseyliss OMG! I’ve heard this several times and honestly never knew what it was. Thank you!

Marc Kalmes has moved Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj Thank you for solving this for me. I assumed it was coming from the AirPods, but now I know for sure.

Fredrik Björeman Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj I HAVE THAT SECOND SOUND TOO. I mean, so glad I’m not going mad ☺️

Luke Mitchell Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj this is incredible, I’ve been hearing this noise for months, and I’ve never tracked it down. I’ve unplugged so many things in my office trying to find it. I was getting desperate enough to start thinking somebody had hidden something in the room. Thank you!

galonsky Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj yeah this has driven me crazy too

@tuckerjj That sound is from the AirPods?!? I’d been hearing that for weeks now wondering what that sound was coming from! Thanks! Haha

Dave Peck Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss Thank you! This has been driving me crazy for many many weeks — good to know where it’s coming from. Seems like newer-ish behavior, maybe from a recent firmware update? (Some kind of calibration necessary for the newer hearing aid features?)

Christopher Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj OMG! I have heard this and had no idea where it came from because it only has happened when I wasn’t in the same room as my AirPods.

Josh Dick Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss I also spent months wondering what this noise was (suspected it was my furnace or water heater) and then also eventually figured out it was my AirPods.

At the time I couldn’t find the noise documented anywhere because searching for “AirPods Pro 2 ascending beeps” only showed results for every other type of noise they decide to make. 😅

Romain Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss All this time I thought it was the "An AirTag from someone else is following you home" chime 😅
Thanks for the discovery!

thisisfine Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss Yes! Me too. Turned off the case charging beeps and it’s gone.

Son of a Sailor Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj Holy crap, so THAT'S where that damn sound is coming from! I've been hearing it for months and never made the connection. Thank you!

Christopher O’R Jan 9, 2025

@tuckerjj I THOUGHT THIS WAS A NEIGHBOURS NEW INTERCOM. Was searching the house for an open window to explain how the noise was getting in

cg (karplus-weak) 🪨Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss

thank you! this has been driving me completely mad the past couple of months!

Christopher Cobble Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss I’ve been hearing that (diagnostic) sound for a couple of weeks, and I still hadn’t figured out what it was! Thank you for posting this! :-)

George Ward Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss this has been driving me insane for the last few months! I’m so glad I know what this is now!

felface Jan 10, 2025

@tuckerjj holy shit I've hearing this for months thinking I've been going crazy or my phone is doing something weird

Sören Jan 11, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss speaking of mystery noises, what the hell is the thing the Apple Watch plays once a day? It’s like three tones up-middle-down I think. No notification. 😐

Ian Williamson Jan 11, 2025

@chucker I don’t recall coming across that one. I guess getting a recording of it is going to be near impossible, unless you have some idea of when it’s coming?

Sören Jan 11, 2025

@tuckerjj exactly! It just randomly happens… and then stops. Nothing on screen, not charging. 🫥

Park Silkenson Jan 11, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss Mine makes that first sound a lot when placing one AirPod back in the case, but I’ve never heard that second sound.

Ian Williamson Jan 11, 2025

@park @caseyliss Do you have AirPods Pro 2? I think it only does it on them. At least I don’t recall ever hearing it on my original Pros. Also it’s super quiet since we’re not supposed to hear it as it’s purely diagnostic, barely audible, which is why it’s been driving so many folks mad 😂

Park Silkenson Jan 15, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss Yes, I have the AirPods Pro 2. I wouldn’t say the sound is super quiet though. Not loud either, but more like a “normal” sound.

João Gomes Jan 11, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss if they absolutely must make AirPods play this thing, why didn’t they make the case more soundproof, then? 🤦‍♂️

Cryptik Jan 12, 2025

@tuckerjj @caseyliss
Oh, man, I’m so relieved! I’d heard this, finally realized it was coming from my iPod pro 2’s, but couldn’t figure out WHY. Now I know, excellent.