This Company Saves Your AirPods From Planned Obsolescence
Wireless headphones like AirPods are all the rage right now. But as convenient as these tiny headphones are, they have a fatal flaw: when the batteries run out, it’s extremely difficult to replace them, and stores like Apple won’t do it for you either. When charging inevitably becomes insufficient, most of us will simply switch to a new pair and throw away the old one. If you’re concerned about e-waste and discarded repairable products, you should know there’s a better way.
Enter the Swap Club , an organization that wants to breathe new life into old technology. The Swap Club believes that instead of throwing out your old device and buying a new one, you should trade in your old device for a refurbished version. They even do the repairs for you: while they don’t reveal exactly how they do it, they told iFixit they rely on “special equipment and precision robotics” to make “Podswap” possible.
It’s the Swap Club cycle: the company sends you a refurbished pair of AirPods, and you ship yours within three to five days. The Swap Club then attempts to revive these AirPods by completing the difficult task of replacing the batteries without completely breaking the earbuds. They then thoroughly clean both AirPods so you don’t have to deal with someone else’s earwax if that’s what you’re worried about. (At least that’s what I’d be worried about.)
Since 2021, The Swap Club has claimed to have saved thousands of AirPods from the landfill, and that’s a lot. These are thousands of new pairs of AirPods that Apple didn’t have to sell because they were instead “swapped” by Swap Club customers. However, “exchange” can potentially be a bit misleading, as it’s not a perfect quid pro quo. You still need to pay Swap Club for a refurbished pair of AirPods: $59.99 for a standard pair or $49.99 for one with more visible wear. (Although still no earwax.)
The Swap Club currently only works with AirPods 1 and 2 , so you cannot send your AirPods Pro, AirPods 3, or AirPods Max. But they have expanded to include the iPhone. (While Phoneswap can certainly help you find a refurbished iPhone, there are already plenty of outlets for that. This is Podswap, which has no competitors in the market yet, even two years after launch.)
However, Swap Club will not allow AirPods to be used in its Podswap program. Your AirPods are not eligible if they meet the following conditions:
- Broken or broken mesh
- Permanently colored or discolored
- Cracks or deep dents
- Water damaged or corroded
- they are fake
- Can’t turn on
- Microphone is not working
- Status of the flashing green light on the charging case
If so, you can always send yours for recycling . You won’t get any money out of this, or a new pair of AirPods, but it’s better than throwing tiny electronics and batteries in the trash. Just make sure you don’t ship your AirPods if you think they have one of the issues listed above as you may be charged extra. Swap Club will help you find out if your AirPods fit through the chat feature on the website or through their support email [email protected].