solutions – How To Fix Headphones

All of us are facing falling-out earbuds issues whether we’re jogging, skateboarding, biking, dancing, or just walking around. This also depends on the type of our ears as some are designed not to comfortably accept earbuds thus they might fall out easily while wearing them. To stop your earbuds from falling off, simply stretch your earlobe with one hand and insert it gently into your ear canal then release your ear it will catch the earbuds firmly, however, if this isn't the cause, then you can loop the cable over your ears to tighten them up, you could also wear a sports headband to hold them, or purchase silicon attachments that hold it well within your ear. 5 Reasons Why Do My Earbuds Always Fall Out There are several reasons behind earbuds falling out of your ears mostly either because of your ears' design or because of the design of the earbuds themselves, so in order to go into further details to clarify the exact reasons and upon my research. Below are the 5 reasons why do your earbuds always fall out: [1] - Your Outer Ear Design Our ears are designed to be different in terms of shape and size, so some of our ears are not so suitable to catch the earbuds firmly and tightly instead they will be loose and not catchy thus we might have this issue of not feeling comfortable wearing earbuds or even not able to wear them at all in some cases (But still there are solutions for that you will see below). NOTE: A human ear consists of three parts the Inner, Middle and Outer part (which what we see on our heads). And according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the auditory canal is considered to be part of the Outer ear hence the auditory canal is also used physically to catch the rubber or foam of earbuds. [2] - Earbuds Design And Size Earbuds are made by different manufacturers and companies that have their own designs and sizes that differ from one style to another, so they assume that each type could come in one size that fits all types of ears, but they know this is not true and that's why some earbuds have additional different sizes of silicone or rubber attachments tips that come in the box (as shown in the below image) so the user can use the size that feels most comfortable. [3] - Ears Distance To Jaw A temporomandibular joint settled on each side of your skull, which acts as a hinge that allows you to do things like talk, swallow, and chew. Your ears lie just behind these joints so anything that moves your jaw can temporarily change the shape of your ear canal, this basically depends on how far are your ears to your jaw thus accordingly might push the earbuds foam or rubber outside. [4] - Ear Cartilage Deficiency Syndrome Some people lack ear cartilage that is supposed to surround earbuds and this is what is normally identified as Ear Cartilage Deficiency Syndrome. NOTE: If you are experiencing this kind of Syndrome or always not able to wear earbuds you could examine your ears and purchase special earbuds with extra support such as those mentioned in Hack 10 below that use hooks. [5] - Ear Wax Inside Ear Canal Some people are having lots of wax inside their ear canal and this is due to using cotton swabs to clean their ears, this will cause pushing extra wax towards the eardrum causing the canal to be oily thus earbuds will fall out often. 15 Hacks To Stop Earbuds From Falling Out While Jogging To stop earbuds from falling out: Wear earbuds the right way.Stretch your earlobe.Use cord clamp.Use DIY hooks.Replace earbuds attachments.Stop using cotton swabs.Using ear warmer.Behind neck earbuds.Use Silicon attachemtns.Use earbud with hooks.Use waterproof earbuds.Use sweatproof earbuds.Use on-ear headphones.Use wireless earbuds.Use special earbuds. The majority of people, including me, are wearing the earbuds in a common way (you can see me wearing them in the below photo) by inserting the earbuds directly into your ears which in most cases they won't be that much tight especially when your earbuds have the long cord connected to your media device or mobile phone. Having it in this way makes the cord apply pressure to the earbuds and thus pulling them out of our ears. Hack 1 - Wear Earbuds The Right Way So They Stop Falling The solution is basically to loop the cord around your ear and then insert the earbud inside. In this case, you will have steadily fixed earbuds in your ears while your ear is carrying the cable tension because of that cord loop. NOTE: If you have earbuds that are asymmetrical to wear upside down when you do the cable loop trick because of its unique design that fits only in the direct inserting way, then simply swap the earbuds (use the left piece on the right ear and vice versa) and this will do the trick. Hack 2 - Stretching Your Earlobe I know this seems to be silly to talk about but simply trying this trick could solve our entire issue and make our day, especially when your earbuds type has a foam, rubber, or silicone tip that should be inserted into the ear canal. To do the hack, gently stretch your earlobe with one hand to open the ear canal while inserting your earbud, afterward release your earlobe so that your ear cavity shapes itself and forms a tight seal around the earbud. Hack 3 - Using The Cord Clamp Another easy method to try out if you have a clamp on your earbuds cord is by fixing the clamp on your shirt. Using the clamp on the cord to attach it to your shirt reduces the cord pressure on your earbuds (earphones) and thus will not be tugged with every jerk while jogging. This is an extremely helpful trick and would solve your issues with your earbuds falling out. Hack 4 - DIY Convert Your Earbuds To Over-the-Ear Wraps If your earbuds are the type that doesn't firmly stick into your ear while wearing them then there is another very simple DIY hack to solve that issue, which is by using a couple of twist-ties wrapped around the base of each earbud and by looping that extra part of the twist-ties on your ear will make this trick work. Check out the twist-ties best prices I am using for my earphones. Since this seems to be a very non-long term solution but it does help you instantly to continue your jogging at that time and later you could try some other hacks mentioned in this 15 hacks tutorial. Hack 5 - Using The Extra Earbuds Attachments Consider trying out the extra silicone or rubber attachments tips that come in the box with your earbuds (in case of any), try experiencing different sizing of those earbuds tips that best fit your ear size and design, if you do not have extra silicone attachments you could try out the ones I have previously. Also, it's important to mention that foam tips are much more secure than silicone ones and they hold much better in your ears. NOTE: Remember that your ears might slightly differ in terms of sizes and shapes so you may consider trying out different sizes tip for each ear that solves your issue. Hack 6 - Stop Cleaning Your Ears With Cotton Swabs In case you are experiencing your earbuds fall out recently and weren't happening before, then most likely you have a buildup of earwax inside your canal preventing your earbuds to fit properly thus causing them to fall out easily. Using cotton swabs to remove earwax is not a recommended method to implement as advised by ENT doctors, because by doing that the wax will be pushed against your eardrum unintentionally causing a blockage inside your ear canal. NOTE: If you believe this is the issue and you are having wax inside your ear it’s better to consult your doctor to clean it for you the proper and safer way. Hack 7 - Wearing An Ear Warmer Actually, this is a pretty practical solution to the other hacks, using or wearing an ear warmer over your earbuds will definitely do the trick perfectly because it will keep your earbuds cords from being pulled out easily while wearing the ear warmers is comfortable, especially during winter. You can also use the classic type of ear warmers to catch the earbuds securely inside your ears, you should try this hack if you have an ear warmer at home or if you are willing to purchase one you could check out this ear warmer. Hack 8 - Wearing Behind Neck Earbuds Style This is probably the best solution in case you are about to purchase new earbuds for your daily jogging routine, there are many types and styles of earbuds that were designed to be used for jogging and sport like the neck style, some of them are designed to be like a hairband that sits on your neck from behind while the earbuds are in your ears. Other ones are designed to have a dedicated base ring that you put around your neck that is connected via cords to your earbuds, for this solution there will be no pressure on the cords to pull off the earbuds from your ears. NOTE: There are two types of such behind neck earbuds, one that is connected via Bluetooth to your media device like this one (behind neck earbuds) and the other one has its own memory to store your mp3 files like this one (behind neck earbuds with memory) and listen to your favorite songs without any media device like an iPod or mobile phone. Hack 9 - How To Stop Apple Earpods & Airpods Pro From Falling? In case you are having an Apple Earpods or Apple Airpods Pro and having a similar issue of having them falling out of your ears while jogging, then to have them fixed you can either apply Hack 4 - DIY Convert Your Earbuds with Over-the-Ear Wraps, or you can purchase a special silicone attachment designed only for Apple earbuds which is cheap as much as 10$ to 15$ bucks, check the best prices of those extra silicone attachments. These silicone attachments hook onto your Earpods and/or Airpods and keep them comfortably in your ears, especially with some models that support different sizes of the ear hooks which provides a variety of options as a solution, but remember that those silicone attachment add-ons are not made by Apple themselves but by a third-party provider. 7 Simple Tips to Keep AirPods from Falling Out Hack 10 - Using Earbuds Or Headphone With Hooks If you are planning to buy a new pair of earbuds or headphones only for the sake of sporting or jogging then definitely you should look for the ones that are designed specifically for that purpose which is a sports earbuds type. Those sports earbuds come with build-in hooks that should be fixed very well comfortably on your ears when their hooks are wrapped around the back of your ears and are mostly used by sports athletes. NOTE: Although earbuds with hooks are popular and are the best choice for athletes, still you need to consider purchasing well-fitting earbuds with smaller ear fins hooks because some may cause skin chafing when worn for a long time. Hack 11 - Using Waterproof Earbuds Using waterproof earbuds for jogging is a perfect solution to solve the falling-out earbuds issue especially if you're used to workouts or jogging outdoors in rainy environments. Why are waterproof earbuds a good solution? as an answer to this question, you need to know that winter or rainy weather environments are causing moisture on your earbuds thus will cause your earbuds to fall out so easily. NOTE: When purchasing a new pair of waterproof earbuds you should check the International Protection (IP) rating on the package to ensure they are certified for waterproof, you should see the rating of IPX8 on the box which means it’s also suitable to use while swimming, check out the best selling waterproof earbuds promotional prices. Hack 12 - Using Sweat-Proof earbuds These earbuds are what you should be looking for if you are doing your jogging or exercising in hot weather, sweating a lot is one of the factors that cause the earbuds to fall out easily while jogging, so better to look for those types of sweat-proof earbuds as they are designed to work properly under such circumstances. NOTE: While purchasing the sweat-proof earbuds you need to look for the correct relevant (IP) rating on the package which should be IPX4 which is the standard rating for sweat-proof and not for waterproof earbuds, check one of the best sweat-proof earbuds. Hack 13 - Using On-Ear Headphones Instead Of Earbuds If you are still frustrated and not able to use earbuds for your jogging routine, its time to consider using normal headphones instead of earbuds, I know headphones are heavier but if you search them out you will find plenty of them are very light weighted especially the classic ones (like a walkman classic types). Using normal headphones for jogging is a very good solution for all of us because they are more steady over our heads and we do not need to worry about falling out issues anymore, check out the best on-ear headphone ever in my opinion that I am using for the last decade now with no issues at all. Hack 14 - Purchase Wireless Earbuds In most cases the reason behind earbuds falling out is because their cords are being tugged causing pressure on the earbuds to be slipped out, sometimes the cords are being caught on clothing or other subjects. So this hack could be a good solution for you and you may consider it if planning to purchase new earbuds, you could give a wireless pair of earbuds ago. I know they are more expensive than normal cord earbuds but still considered a good investment if you use them in the long run. NOTE: Nowadays there are plenty of wireless or Bluetooth earbuds brands and models with different prices and choices to look for. Hack 15 - Using Special Earbuds For Smaller Ears In case you still cannot keep your earbuds from falling out during jogging, this could be due to having a small ear canal, so accordingly, you may want to buy a pair of earbuds designed for smaller ears and canals. Generally, women are likely to have smaller ears than average ones so if this is your case, you should be looking for earbuds that are marked as being produced for women or at least purchase ones that include smaller earbuds tips in their package, check out earphones with micro driver prices. My Earbuds Type Are Not Fitting Well In My Ears This is true for many people complaining about earbuds not being fitted well in their ears and that's not because of an issue with their ears, rather the issue is that the earbuds are made to be one size for all. While the previous sentence is true, our ears differ in size and shape and to be more accurate, our ears themselves are asymmetric if we compare the canals of our right ear versus the left one. That's why some people feel comfortable wearing their earbuds while others are complaining about their earbuds, The New York Times Magazine published an article about that in late 2010 describing tones of results found on the internet about people searching for a solution and complaining about their earbuds are not fitting well in their ears. To be optimistic for the future, there are 3D printing companies out there taking their approach to solving the earbuds not fitting issue, and they are in the stage of developing a scanner that gathers data out of the ear canal and the outer ear part in order to create a custom 3D printed earpiece that should be perfect for each individual ear. Conclusion No matter what type of earbuds you are using as long as you are experiencing them falling out every time you try to jog, run, etc.. you should know that the reason behind that is not because of your ears but because of the earbuds themselves. And to overcome this issue, I took the hard part and spent a lot of time developing this 15 hacks tutorial article which should solve your earbud's "falling out" issue. Share this article below if you believe people need to know about it ... :)