This process is identical for rubber, foam, and silicone earbud tips. It’s also the same across every major brand. The only exception here is Apple, which have some unique designs that make this slightly trickier. [2] X Research source For Apple earbuds, you typically need to grip the tip at the base where it connects to the driver, which is the harder portion of the earbuds that produce sounds. [3] X Research source
If your old earbuds aren’t damaged and you’re just moving up or down a size, keep the old ones as an emergency substitute in case something happens to your new tips or you don’t like the way they feel. You may hear a small pop when you take Apple tips off; this is totally normal, so don’t worry about it. [5] X Research source Sony, Samsung, Beats, Bose, and every other major brand makes tips that should just slide right off.
You may run into this occasionally with higher-end Sony and Bose headphones. Even then, they occasionally slide right off since the tips are kind of malleable and flexible. If this doesn’t work, look online, or refer to your instruction manual. Pulling straight out or twisting and pulling should work for basically every brand out there, but there may be some unique instructions if you have an obscure brand.
This is a good opportunity to clean the connectors. Just gently wipe them with a dry paper towel to take any earwax or grease off.
This process is identical regardless of the material. Rubber, foam, and silicone tips are all installed the same way. [8] X Research source If there aren’t any “L” or “R” labels and your tips look identical, it doesn’t matter which tip goes on which earbud. This is the case for the vast majority of earbuds out there. You normally only see an L or R on higher-end earbuds.
With some tips, it helps to squeeze it a little bit while you’re doing this to get the slot on the connector. If you had to twist the old earbud off, you may need to rotate the earbud tip gently as you push it down. For Apple earbuds, look inside of the tip for two ovals. Once you find those, look at the connector for two matching ovals. You must line these ovals up to connect the new earbuds. [10] X Research source
Apple earbuds will click once they’re fully in place, but most earbuds won’t make any noise. [12] X Research source
It’s always safer to buy tips for Apple earbuds from Apple, Sony earbuds from Sony, and so on. If you can’t find them online, call the company’s customer support number and ask where you can find replacements.
Manufacturers often publish these charts online on their website. Earbud tips aren’t interchangeable, so your specific model must be listed as compatible for them to work. The main reason you’d want to do this is if you want earbud tips made out of a specific material and the original manufacturer doesn’t make tips in that material.
If you’re buying earbud tips from a company other than the manufacturer, your main consideration after compatibility is the material that they’re made out of.
There are flanged silicone tips out there that have a built-in lip to help keep outside sounds out. Silicone is also an inert chemical. This means that it won’t irritate your skin.
If your tips are just a little dirty, you may be able to clean them to bring them back to life. If this is the case, you may not to replace them at all!
You can measure the size of your earbuds if you want find dimensions for the replacement sizes, but it’s usually just easier to go off of feel. [20] X Research source Most companies use the small-medium-large scale for tip sizes. The medium tip is almost always the default size when you buy a brand-new set of earbuds.
If you want bigger or smaller tips but the manufacturer doesn’t make different sizes, you may need to purchase aftermarket earbuds made by a different company.
