Lost one of your AirPods? Don’t throw the other one out, do this instead
Many people are unaware single replacement AirPods are available but that may be about to change thanks to two ex-Love Island contestants
Wireless earbuds are now the most popular form of headphones and Apple dominates the sector with its AirPods and AirPods Pro.
It’s impossible to walk down a busy high street without spotting the tech giant’s ubiquitous buds and for good reason. They’re comfortable, offer great sound quality and seamless integration with other Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads and Macbooks.
But one of the big drawbacks of AirPods – and wireless earbuds in general – is that they’re incredibly easy to misplace. The little blighters have an annoying habit of going AWOL, only to turn up under the bed or down the back of the sofa.
Apple’s Find My technology can help locate them if they’ve gone walkabout, but what if you simply can’t find one of your buds or it’s fallen down a storm drain and you have to write it off for good? According to research conducted by YouGov, almost half of the people polled who have lost a single earbud buy a brand-new pair.
Doing so is not cheap. The latest AirPods cost £169 and the Pro noise-cancelling USB-C version will set you back £229. There is another option well worth considering, however. Tech marketplace Back Market now sells individual refurbished AirPods, meaning you don’t need to fork out quite as much to restore parity across your left and right ears.
At present, it doesn’t stock replacements for the USB-C AirPods Pro 2 released last year, nor does it have left and right options for all of the iterations that have come before them, but availability fluctuates throughout the year.
Below, you’ll find a list of everything that Back Market had in stock at the time of writing, including replacements for the third-generation AirPods, which don’t offer active noise cancellation or use silicone eartips to secure themselves in your ears. It’s worth noting that condition dictates the price of the refurbished replacements, although most of the options are currently only available in “Excellent” condition.
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Apple AirPods Pro
- AirPods Pro (2019) right earbud: £59
- AirPods Pro (2021) left earbud: £59
- AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning MagSafe case (2022) right earbud: £79
- AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning MagSafe case (2022) left earbud: £79
Apple AirPods
Charging cases
- AirPods Pro (2019) case: £59
- AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning MagSafe case (2022): £79
- AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C MagSafe case (2023): £79
- AirPods 3 (2021): £59
To bring attention to its refurbished AirPods options, Back Market has partnered with Love Island 2020 twins Jess and Eve Gale. Eve’s stay in the villa was short-lived but Jess finished fourth with partner Ched Uzor.
The announcement of the partnership comes a couple of weeks into the 2024 iteration of the smash-hit ITV show, which this year takes place in Mallorca and is set to wrap up at some point in early August. Our ‘How to watch Love Island 2024’ guide details everything you need to know about the series, including where you can stream it in the UK and abroad.