AirPods Water Eject — Dry Them Safely

AirPods got wet: the short answer

Here is how to get water out of AirPods without damaging them. If your AirPods got wet, take them out, wipe them, and leave them out of the case to dry for at least two hours. Water in AirPods dries on its own; a tone does not speed it up. AirPods muffled after drying usually have residue or earwax on the mesh — see the cleaning section below.

Why there is no water eject sound for AirPods

A phone speaker sits behind an open grille, so a low tone can push a droplet out. An AirPod driver sits behind a fine acoustic mesh in a small, sealed body with a battery next to it. Apple’s support pages for AirPods describe drying and cleaning, not a water eject mode — and running a tone would mean putting wet AirPods in your ears.

If your phone got wet at the same time, the phone can use a water eject tone: see iPhone Speaker Cleaner.

Apple’s drying steps

Straight from Apple’s AirPods water-resistance page:

1. Wipe them with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth.
2. Let them dry completely — for at least two hours — before using them or putting them in the charging case.
3. Do not use heat or compressed air.

You may read advice to wait 24 hours. Apple’s minimum is two hours; a longer wait is sensible only if they were submerged or the case got wet — that is what the 24-hour option in the timer is for.

AirPods water resistance by model

Apple adds that none of these are waterproof, they are not designed for swimming or showering, and resistance is not permanent — it can diminish over time and cannot be rechecked or resealed. Apple also says not to submerge AirPods Pro 1, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 3 or AirPods 4.

The Water Eject shortcut, rice and silica gel

• Water Eject shortcut. Many guides suggest playing an iPhone shortcut’s tone through AirPods. That means powering wet AirPods on and sending audio through them — the opposite of Apple’s advice to let them dry completely first. Skip it.
• Rice. Not needed. Rice dust can get into the mesh, and AirPods dry in open air anyway.
• Silica gel. Harmless if you have it — leave the AirPods next to a few packets in an open container. It is optional; airflow and time do the work.

AirPods dropped in a pool, or through the wash

Pool water leaves chlorine behind, and the sea leaves salt. Wipe the AirPods with a cloth slightly dampened with fresh water, then dry them as above. After a washing machine cycle, the earbuds and the case were both soaked in detergent — dry them for longer than two hours, and expect the case to be the part that fails.

Does warranty or AppleCare+ cover water-damaged AirPods?

Apple’s standard warranty does not cover accidental damage, which includes liquid damage. AppleCare+ for Headphones does: accidental damage such as liquid contact is covered for a service fee per incident. Without it, Apple sells replacement single earbuds and charging cases, so one dead AirPod does not mean buying a whole new set.

Soap, sunscreen, salt water

Apple lists soaps, shampoos, lotions, perfumes, sunscreen, insect repellent, oil and acidic foods as things that can affect water seals and acoustic membranes. If that happened, wipe them with a cloth slightly dampened with fresh water, dry them, and wait at least two hours. Don’t run them under a tap.

Muffled AirPods that never got wet

That is usually earwax on the mesh. For AirPods 3, 4 and 5, Apple documents a mesh cleaning method using micellar water, distilled water and a soft children’s toothbrush (or Belkin’s cleaning kit), followed by at least two hours of drying. Never use sharp objects. After cleaning, check each side with the Headphone Test.