


If you can’t get a refund, you’re probably out of luck. Other retailers like eBay offer some buyer protection, but it varies on many factors. Was your purchase from an Amazon seller? In many cases, you can return your product for a full refund as long as it is undamaged, and you’re not outside the return window. If you’ve determined your AirPods aren’t a legitimate Apple product, what do you do now? This mostly depends on where you bought the illegitimate AirPods from. Once you’ve found your number, head to and enter the serial number. You can also check on the underside of the right earbud, even though the type is smaller, and it’s more difficult to see here. It’s on the section that is closest to the charging status LED when the case is closed. To check, open the lid of your AirPods case and look on the underside of the lid. If the company has never heard of the serial number, you’ve probably got a fake. The most definitive method of making sure your AirPods are the genuine item is checking the serial number with Apple.

Check your specific model against official Apple images of the same product to make sure everything matches up. The AirPods Pro, for example, don’t have any vent at the bottom. If this is circular, it’s likely counterfeit. On the original AirPods, the bottom should be an oval-shaped vent. Closely Inspect Your AirPodsįor some reason, the very ends of the AirPods seem to be difficult for counterfeit manufacturers to match. If your case doesn’t have either of these features, that’s a bad sign. You’ll also want to make sure that the charging case has the status LED on the front and snaps shut magnetically. On official Apple AirPods, this will be a Lightning port, but fake models will sometimes have a USB-C port at the bottom instead. The most obvious thing to check on your charging case is the port at the bottom. If these are reflective and not flat gray, for example, you may be dealing with a counterfeit. The lettering used for the AirPods name and the Apple logo on the box are another area to check. If the inner box and its lid come apart very easily or don’t line up correctly, this is a sign that something may be amiss. The box may look legitimate at first glance, but there are a few areas to check. Apple is meticulous about its packaging, so if you still have the box your AirPods came in, check here first.
