Don't do this when changing your Galaxy Buds 3 Pro ear tips

If you’ve just bought a pair of Samsung’s new flagship wireless earbuds, you may want to be extra careful while changing the ear tips. We’ve seen multiple reports of users accidentally ripping the ear tips when removing them from the earbuds, but there is a way you can ensure this doesn’t happen with your Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

As pointed out by The Verge, multiple user reports on Reddit and YouTube say that the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s ear tips are quite fragile and can tear when you try to pull them off the earbuds. The issue seems to stem from Samsung’s updated design, which utilizes a proprietary hard plastic ring at the base of the silicone ear tips that latches onto the earbuds for a snug fit.

Affected buyers say the silicone rips at the base when removing the ear tips, leaving the hard plastic ring attached to the earbuds. This does not seem to be a durability issue, as many users were able to remove the ear tips without tearing the silicone. We did not face this problem with our review unit either.

However, a Samsung support page says that the ear tips could tear if handled forcefully, and prescribes a method to avoid this issue. The page recommends flipping out the ear tips and using the extra surface area to gently tug them off the earbuds. You shouldn’t twist the ear tips while pulling or use your fingernails to pry the plastic ring off if you want your ear tips to remain in one piece.

In case you’ve already ripped your Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s ear tips, you can reach out to Samsung for a replacement. Alternatively, you can use one of the other sets that ship with the earbuds and wait for third-party ear tips from Comply or JLab to hit the market.