How to distinguish original Apple AirPods from fake? We have repeatedly told you about the resourcefulness of manufacturers from China, producing copies of AirPods, which have learned not only to copy the appearance of headphones but also their functionality.
Now it is perfectly normal to meet on the market a Chinese copy, which not only has support for wireless charging and is able to use Siri. At the same time, the greeting animation on the iPhone screen, which the Chinese learned to call a few years ago, is difficult to distinguish from the original. So, how to distinguish the original AirPods from fake? – You can find out if your chosen instance of AirPods is a fake, on the site of Apple itself. How? Read more…
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Check AirPods by serial number:How to distinguish original AirPods from fake
– Follow this link to the service and support eligibility verification page;
– Open the AirPods cover and look for the serial number, which is located on the inside;
– If your headphones are already connected to your iPhone, go to Settings — General — About this device–AirPods;
– Rewrite the serial number in the input line, then enter the security code and click “Continue”;
– If the AirPods are original, you will see a page confirming the originality of the product, if not, the site will give an error.
How to distinguish original AirPods from fake
Despite the fact that the Chinese have learned to deceive iOS, forcing it to react to the fake as real headphones and cause system animation, to infiltrate the database with serial numbers they have so far, fortunately, failed.
Therefore, if you managed to buy online new AirPods with a good discount, just check the serial number on the Apple website. If the seller refuses you this, most likely the headphones are fake or there is something wrong with them.
Step 1: Check whether the serial number matches Apple’s official records
This is absolutely the most reliable tell in our guide on how to spot fake AirPods. It makes sense why real AirPods will come with a serial number that would be confirmed by Apple on their official website.
I understand this sign can only be checked in a face-to-face meeting or once the AirPods are with you, thus this is why we’ll continue the guide with more steps below so we can teach you how to spot fake AirPods by just looking at them.
Coming back to this guide, you will want to find this unique Apple AirPods serial number once you open the case like so:
Over there in the highlighted area you will find a code that’s unique to every AirPods case.
Have a look at the picture below with an authentic Apple serial number so we can make it clear for you how to find this code:
Once you get that code written down, you will have to go to
Step 2: Check for any inconsistency with the fake vs real AirPods box comparison
I understand people are concerned with the fake vs real AirPod headphone comparison, yet we’ve placed the box higher on this list since the flaws are easier to identify here.
For obvious reasons, the quality lacks on the box that comes with the headphones since fake manufacturers don’t care that much about the small details.
For starters, we’ll have a look at the bottom side of the enclosed box.
Step 3: Analyse the bottom side of the AirPod
Having a look at the actual headphone, you will notice a grilled area — that’s what we’ll refer to as the diffuser.
Have a look at the real vs fake AirPods comparison below:
As you can see, the shape of this diffuser is different. The shapes vary on authentic AirPods as well, but they should always come in an oval shape.
Fakes, on the other hand, seem to get this diffuser shape closer to a circle, rather than an oval.
Besides, highlighted in a square you will notice the difference in the two white strips that can be noticed at the bottom.
Not only there’s a difference in colours, but the fake AirPods have these strips placed at significantly deeper levels.
Step 4: Closely analyse the diffuser found at the top
Moving on with our “how to legit check AirPods” guide, we’ll closely inspect the top area of the headphone.
The diffuser found here must never ever be misaligned. The fake example we’ve attached above seems to not be properly aligned with the circle that sits next to it.
Besides that, if you closely inspect the grille, you will notice a difference in quality.
Step 5: Real vs fake AirPods case
Having a look at the rear side of the case, we’ve found three main flaws.
For starters, the circle button is placed higher than it’s meant to be on the fake AirPods case.
Next up, the “Designed by Apple in California / Assembled in China” text is not only thicker on the fake AirPods case, but also printed in a different shade of grey.
As a consequence, the spacing between the hinges and the text is different. We’ve highlighted the difference in the grey boxes.
Last but not least, we’ll address the difference found in the hinge area.
Step 6: Check out the lightning port
Flip the case over and have a look at the lightning port, the port through which you would charge the case.
Step 7: Quickly scan the light-up indicator
Last but not least, one very important detail for how to spot a fake AirPods case can be noticed by opening it up and inspecting the light-up indicator.
