High pitched noise on AirPods Pro 3

I believe this is an issue related to air pressure. When taking a flight or driving at an altitude of 3000 meters (air pressure approximately 0.7-0.75 bar), enabling noise cancellation consistently produces a high-pitched noise. However, the noise cancellation function working perfectly when riding the subway at sea level.

I have had the AirPods inspected at an Apple Store, and no hardware issues were found. I am currently awaiting for a firmware update.

agree with the "sound gets super loud at moments", which is why i returned mine to apple store. then i bought a new pair from amazon, and this new pair does not have the issue. so it was just the first pair i bought from apple store that had what i believe was a hardware issue.

Feedback - AirPods - Apple

If replacing them still exhibits the issue then it may be a software bug. No one on here can say for certain until Apple announces being aware of an issue and plans to address it. But you’re in the return/exchange period so it won’t hurt to take advantage of it and see if it helps

Give this a try:   How to reset your AirPods and AirPods Pro - Apple Support 

Try pulling off the silicon ear bud, rotating it 180º, but it back on. Does that help? It helped another users for a similar noise problem.

Brought mine back to the Apple store - tech said they have seen quite a few come back. They swapped out the one causing a problem. Since mine only happened on an airplane it is hard to know if the issue is resolved until I fly again.

This is the most plausible explanation of this issue that I found so far. The day I bought the AirPods they were working fine, got into a flight that same day and the high pitched sound on the left AirPod started happening. The next day went to an Apple Store, changed the faulty one, seemed to be working just fine until I got into another flight and the same thing happened on the same AirPod. What I find it weird is that it’s a software issue, why isn’t it happening more broadly? I guess I’ll try to get a replacement since who knows how long a software fix may take

After a replacement of the left AirPod, then a full exchange for a new set, and still having the same issue, I decided to return them.. I’m still not sure if it’s a hardware or software issue, and it may have something to do with air pressure too, but I’m pretty sure the shape of my ear has something to do with the problem. I let my wife try the last ones I got and she wasn’t getting the high pitch audio feedback while I was getting it almost constantly. I’m just gonna wait to see if they fix it somehow and just then maybe buy them again

Same issue here. Constantly whining noise in both ears with noise cancelling, horrible squealing sound when adjusting either AirPod. Returned first set, second set is just the same. Haven’t taken any flights so doesn’t seem to be an altitude issue. Will return second set this weekend, though I’m going to test iOS 20.01 to see if there’s a firmware update.

Left here, painfully high pitched noise and I can pinpoint it so far to if I cover the top side vent with my finger when adjusting the earbud, so, all the time. Really hurts too. Bought in Apple Store in the uk.

Same thing here. Left one too. I tried changing the ear tip, resetting, unpairing.. still doing the high pitch sound. In my case the sound gets super loud at moments. This is a hazard for people with sensitive hearing. I’ll drop by an Apple Store today to see what they say.

Although, now sitting in an airport terminal I notice the noise cancellation is not working well depending on the movement of my head, something the seal test did not pick up on. So possibly the ear fit is at fault here, unfortunately the other tips are checked in now in a case and I cannot test further while in this environment.

I had same issue today. First time using my new AirPods 3 pro and very high pitched sound during flight. Luckily I had my old pair I could switch to and no issue with them. Disappointed as the fit and sound quality had been awesome prior to this.

I’m experiencing a similar problem, it makes this horrible high pitched sound almost like a microphone feedback. It’s only the left Airpod. Bought it through Amazon in South Africa. I only noticed this issue after the recent update, not entirely sure it’s the cause, I’ve seen posts about similar issues dating back before the update.

I have the same exact issue. I get a very loud painful high pitch sound in the left air pod. I actually exchanged them once already and after about a day of use, it started happening again on the new pair. I haven't taken them on an airplane or been at a high altitude, so at least in my case, I don't think that's the issue.