Are AirPods Waterproof?
No — AirPods Pro 2 carry an IP54 rating, meaning dust protected and splash resistant from any
direction, and Apple's own guidance explicitly excludes swimming, showering, and any submersion, so they are
sweat-and-rain resistant rather than waterproof.
What IP54 actually tests
The second digit is the water digit, and a "4" is tested with an oscillating spray — splashing from any
direction, with no depth or duration figure at all, because immersion is never tested. That's
the same water tier as IPX4 (explained in What Does IPX4 Mean?);
the "5" in front adds dust protection. It covers workouts, sweat, and getting caught in the rain — not the pool.
The one thing AirPods do better than most earbuds
Apple's IP54 rating on AirPods Pro 2 covers both the earbuds and the charging case. On many
competing earbuds the case has no rating at all — Sony's WF-1000XM5, for example, is IPX4 on the
buds while the charging case carries no water resistance rating, making the case the weak link.
If you need more than splash resistance
For serious water exposure the ceiling in this category is a true IP68 designation like the Jabra
Elite 8 Active carries — though even there the exact depth and duration is Jabra's declared spec-sheet figure,
not one universal number. Our waterproof earbuds guide compares the
declared ratings side by side, and remember that
every IP rating degrades with wear.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. AirPods Pro 2 carry an IP54 rating — dust protected plus splash resistant from any direction — and Apple's own guidance says they are not designed for swimming, showering, or any submersion. Splash and sweat resistance is not the same claim as waterproofing.
The '5' covers dust protection and the '4' covers splash resistance from any direction, tested with an oscillating spray. There is no depth or duration figure because immersion is not tested at all — that's the key difference from an IP67 or IP68 rating.
For AirPods Pro 2, Apple's IP54 rating covers both the earbuds and the charging case. That's unusual — on many earbuds, such as the Sony WF-1000XM5 (IPX4 buds), the charging case carries no water resistance rating at all and is the weak link.
Yes — the Jabra Elite 8 Active is one of the few sport earbuds carrying a full IP68 designation for both dust and water, with the depth and duration declared on Jabra's spec sheet. Even then, an IP68 earbud rating doesn't automatically mean the same depth figure as an IP68 phone.
No. IP ratings are measured on new devices under lab conditions, and manufacturers state that resistance is not a permanent condition — seals degrade with age, drops, temperature cycling, and wear, so an older device has less real-world protection than its badge suggests.