7 Proven Ways to Keep Your Earbuds From Falling Out

It’s no secret that wireless earbuds — particularly Apple Airpods — have taken over the active headphone market. 

Unfortunately, even with modern designs making wireless earbuds more attractive, many people suffer from the same old recurring problem: Headphones falling out of your ears. 

It’s super frustrating and can kill the vibe of any workout! Not only that, but you might get distracted and end up hurting yourself, or worse, cause the damage of an expensive piece of technology. 

The problem is, your Airpods aren’t designed to withstand the sweat and intense motion that comes with working out — especially if you have a unique ear structure. 

Luckily, there are solutions. 

A bunch of other people have shared some useful tips, and even some useful resources, but we want to add some killer advice to this topic. Let's go beyond the surface-level solutions and get to something long-lasting that will actually solve the problem. 

If your headphones are slipping out left and right, this article will tell you exactly how to secure any earbuds to your ears to keep the music flowing and ensure the safety of your equipment with several proven methods

Let’s fasten your Airpods to your ears! 

Why Do Your Earbuds Fall Out? 

With all the advances in technology these days, it’s understandably frustrating that your headphones fall out of your ear consistently. 

Before we get into some of the tips to make your earbuds more secure, let’s highlight some reasons that they fall out in the first place: 

• Your Outer Ear Design: Much like a fingerprint, no two earlobes are the same size and shape. Unfortunately for some of us, our ears aren’t so suitable for earbud insertion (our evolutionary ancestors weren’t too concerned with headphones, apparently!) 

• Earbud Design and Size: Every company and manufacturer that produces earbuds takes a different approach. While AirPods are largely considered to have come up with the best design, sometimes it still falls short. That’s why other inventors have come up with additional accessories to fix this problem (see #2 below for a great example!) 

• Ear Distance to Jaw: Believe it or not, a temporomandibular joint settled on the side of your skull is extremely active in many different scenarios, including walking, jogging, or talking. Your ears lie right behind these joints — so anything that moves your jaw can temporarily reshape your ear canal. Some ears are further than others from a perspective jawline, but if yours is close, it could mean slippage. 

• Ear Cartilage Deficiency Syndrome: Before you freak out, we’re not here to WebMD you. Some people lack specific cartilage around their ears, which doesn’t cause any significant problems — unless you're talking about headphone placement. 

• Ear Wax Inside Ear Canal: We all produce ear wax as a natural process in our body. In fact, earwax production is healthy! And some of us have more of it than others. You should never try to clean earwax out of your ears by yourself with a cotton swab or any other method. Not only does it risk damage to your eardrum, but it also pushes extra wax towards the inner ear causing the canal to get clogged with oils. As a result, your earbuds will fall out even more often. 
  
  
• AirPods Cover 90%: Apple made it a point to make their AirPods device fit 90% of their customer base. This is a big percentage, and hats off to Apple for making it happen, but the other 10% of us aren’t so lucky. When you think about just how many people have bought AirPods over the years, 10% adds up to a pretty impressive sum of folks looking for new solutions. 

Now that we’ve worked to understand why your earbuds might be falling out so often, let’s give you some proven methods to prevent this from happening! 

1. Clean Your Airpods 

Your Airpods probably reside in two places: your ears and their container. 

So why would you need to clean them? 

1. Oil produced by sweat and earwax residue are prone to accumulate on the tips of your Airpods, reducing their grip strength. 
   
   
2. Dirt and dust are naturally acquired on the tips and bodies of your Airpods while moving through the world — especially if they are falling on the ground frequently. 
   
   
3. Speaker ports can contain small particles and germs that aren’t visible to the naked eye. 

You’ll want to be careful in going about cleaning your earbuds — as taking an abrasive approach can risk damage. 

To clean safely, take a soft, lint-free cloth or paper towel and lightly dampen it with cool water. Wipe away any excess oil, dust, or residue from the tips of your Airpods with specific focus on the speaker ports. 

Go slowly and take some time to get into those nooks and crannies where sticky materials are prone to live. As best practice, you should try to repeat this process once every couple of weeks — more often if you use them frequently. 

Once you’ve cleaned your wireless earbuds as thoroughly as possible, they’ll be much more likely to be secured and stay secured in your ear! 

2. Use Additional Accessories

No matter how thorough you are in cleaning your earbuds, some ear shapes and structures just don’t mesh well with Airpods. 

That’s why innovative companies such as Keepods have come up with revolutionary designs to fit any ear structure and keep your headphones in place. 

Keepods uses the natural structure of your ear to perfectly anchor your Airpods in place for a comfortable and consistent listening experience that keeps the music flowing through even the most intense workouts. 

Their ergonomic design: 

• Works with any set of earbuds, Airpods included. 
• Is made with 100% hypoallergenic, medical-grade silicone. 
• Is built to repel sweat to keep a strong grip. 
• Fits any ear structure. 

Users have loved Keepods because of their comfort and flexibility. 

You don’t want sacrifice comfort just to keep your earbuds secure — and you shouldn’t have to. 

Keepods are so comfortable that you’ll forget they’re even there! 

You also won’t be sacrificing style. Their five color options provide a sleek and classy fit that will compliment your workout attire. 

Every package comes with two pairs of Keepods with flexible fits — regular and slim — for everyone. Even if you have a unique ear shape or wear glasses, Keepods are guaranteed to work as a safety net for your Airpods. 

The company has changed the way people are able to workout. Whether you’re running, jumping, or heck, even doing cartwheels, you’ll stay immersed in the music! 

3. Rotate Your Earbuds 

If your Airpods keep popping out, it could have something to do with the way you’re positioning them in your ears. 

So — how do you wear AirPods correctly? 

By manipulating the angle of the stem.

First, try pressing the AirPods in your ears with the stem pointing directly downwards. Do so gently — forcing the buds too deep into your ear canal risks damage to your inner ear, and also reduces the chances that they stay in place. 

If the stem-down method isn’t working for you, try rotating them once they’ve been inserted in your ear. If you try to insert with the stem facing horizontally, they’re unlikely to secure. 

Take your downward-facing earbud stem and gently rotate it upward so as to keep the speaker portion wedged into your ear canal. 

Then, continue twisting until the stem sticks out of your ear to be aligned horizontally with your head. 

If this still isn’t working, you can even rotate the stem so as to point vertically towards the ceiling or sky. 

4. Tape Your AirPods 

If you’re looking for a DIY-solution to fastening your earbuds into your ear, you can attempt to tape them into place. 

This doesn’t mean slapping a piece of scotch tape or duct tape over your entire ear. 

Instead, choose waterproof tape that has an adhesive side for you to attach it to your AirPods and a non-adhesive side that won’t slip and slip in your ear.

Once you’ve got your tape, use a hole punch to pop out three equally-sized circles of waterproof tape. 

Now that you’ve got your hole punches: 

1. Attach 2 circles of tape of both the left and right AirPod, placing 1 above the speaker and 1 below it. 
   
   
2. Try to place the pieces of tape where the Airpod makes contact with the skin of your ear. If you aren’t sure where that location is, look at it in the mirror. 
   
   
3. Place the AirPods in your ear with the stem facing down. You won’t be able to rotate them, as the tap would then no longer make contact with your skin. 

A major pro of the taping strategy is that you can still store the AirPods in their case. 

A drawback, however, is that the tape is likely to wear off over time — especially if consistently exposed to sweat. If you go forward with this method, you might want to punch out more circles as reserves. 

5. Stretch the Earlobe 

While it might seem silly at first, this simple trick could go a long way in fastening your earbuds — particularly if your headphones have a foam, rubber, or silicone tip (like AirPods do). 

Your earlobe is a highly flexible piece of cartilage that can be opened at different angles in order to allow for a better fit. 

To use the stretchy earlobe hack, take the following steps: 

1. Place a single finger on right next to your ear on the sideburn area. 
2. Stretch your earlobe towards your nose. 
3. Simultaneously, insert your AirPods into the ear canal 
4. Release the stretch, allowing the ear cavity to clamp down and shape itself around the earbud for a tight seal. 

While you might have to do this a couple of times over the course of an intense workout, it’s a pretty quick fix to have your AirPods stay in the ear better. 

6. Wear an Ear Warmer or Beanie 

For outdoor winter workouts, one of the best and simplest ways to keep your Airpods in your ear is to simply wear an ear warmer or beanie. 

Some people like to do this even in indoor workout settings to produce more sweat. 

If you end up using this method, make sure that you clean out your earbuds (see Step 1) after each workout. 

This is because lint and other materials could infiltrate the speaker portion of your headphones. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a full-scale cleaning, but do be sure to wipe them down. 

7. Twist Ties 

Got a bunch of twist ties laying around in a drawer that you don’t know how to use? 

You’ve finally found your excuse. 

Twist ties can be easily wrapped around the stem of your AirPods and bent to make a hook at the peak that catches around the top of your ear. 

This probably isn’t going to be a long-term solution and the twist ties might seem a little bit scratchy on your earlobe, but it certainly works as a short-term solution while you wait for a more practical accessory (like Keepods mentioned in step 2) to be shipped. 

Conclusions and Key Takeaways 

There are five primary reasons that your earbuds keep falling out of your ears: 

1. Your outer ear design 
2. Earbud Design and Size 
3. Ear Distance to Jaw 
4. Earlobe Deficiency Syndrome 
5. Excess Earwax building up in ear canal 

Unfortunately, many of these factors are out of our control. But you should never be ashamed of your ear structure or production of ear wax! Everybody is different, and there are solutions for you, including: 

• Cleaning your AirPods or earbuds 
• Using accessories such as Keepods 
• Rotating your earbuds 
• Using tape for additional security 
• Properly stretching the earlobe 
• Wearing a beanie or ear warmer 
• Impromptu twist ties 

To be perfectly honest with you, the only way that you can ensure secure earbud placement is with Keepods. 

Think about it this way: 

Your AirPods were a significant investment. You bought them for the best sound experience while you workout. 

But they’re not much use to you if they keep falling out. And because every ear structure is so different, Apple can’t meet the needs of everyone. 

Keepods, on the other hand, can do just that. 

The invention is so revolutionary because it has discovered a way to work alongside any ear, even if it rests close to the jaw. 

And when you buy Keepods, you can be certain that medical-grade silicone will never wear out. That means just a one-time purchase. Even if you end up switching brands or buying new headphones, Keepods will stay compatible! 

Not to mention that they’re extremely sleek and stylish. Do you really want to be the guy or gal at the gym with tape or twist ties in your ear? As a long term solution, probably not. 

Exercise junkies are rejoicing that a solution has finally made its way to the market. It took months of research, trials, and prototypes, but Keepods have officially asserted themselves as the go-to option for intense workouts. 

So feel free to sweat, cartwheel, and do jumping jacks! Your earbuds will be secured for the long haul.