This $20 AirPods Pro upgrade will save you from buying a new pair

Apple knows that people have different ears, which is why it offers several AirPods Pro ear tips for different ear shapes. But before AIrPods Pro 3, they were just hollow silicone flanges, which isn’t ideal for all ears. Comply (and a few other companies) saw the issue and decided to make really excellent replacement tips that are made of memory foam. They attach just like Apple tips—just pop off the ones on your AirPods Pro and snap on the foam tips in their place. They fit as securely as the AirPods Pro’s ear tips and don’t interfere with their fit in the charging case.

The memory foam shapes to the contours of your ear and is denser than that little silicone flap, so it forms a better seal. This slightly improves sound quality (especially on the low end) and is better at blocking out more outside noise, which in turn makes active noise canceling more effective.

But they’re also more comfortable to wear for long periods and help the earbuds stay in place, which is a frequent problem for me—with Apple’s AirPods Pro 1 and 2 eartips, no matter which size I choose, one or both earbuds eventually work themselves loose if I’m doing something active like yard work or working out at the gym. With the Comply foam tips, they never come loose.

The tips come in sets of three pairs. At first, you buy a set where you get one small, medium, and large pair. Once you’ve found your size, you can buy three of the same size when you need a new set. Which brings us to the downside of these tips: You need to replace them after a few months of daily wear as the memory foam eventually starts to break down and wear out. So it’s good that you get three pairs.

You can get them in a few different colors too, which adds a nice bit of flair to the plain white AirPods Pro.

One set of $20 ear tips will last for a year or so of daily use. It’s a small price to pay to give your AirPods Pro a more secure and fit and better sound. If your AirPods Pro aren’t entirely comfortable, give them a chance—you’ll never want to use your AirPods Pro without them again.