Apple Store Operations Begin Returning to Normal as Customers Again Able to Try on AirPods

There are signs that Apple's retail store operations are beginning to return to normal as some locations have once again started allowing U.S. customers to try on AirPods.

airpodsproinear
According to Bloomberg, Apple stores that are open for customer walk-ins are letting customers test out AirPods, something that has been restricted since Apple Stores first began closing last spring.

Apple still has stores that are operating on a pickup-only basis as "Express" locations, and in these areas, there is no option to try on AirPods, but in all other stores, customers can test the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.

All of Apple's retail locations in the United States were reopen as of March 1, with that date marking the first time all stores were operational since stores started closing in March 2020.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...

Top Rated Comments

mikeyteh Avatar
61 months ago
Try on AirPods? No thanks. I'm not sure I would have wanted to do that pre-covid.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kev0172 Avatar
61 months ago

You are free to stay home.

I, however, have been outside every single day since the pandemic, and without a mask.
Well done. You might have killed someone
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JCoe13 Avatar
61 months ago
Pandemic or not, no thank you.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
61 months ago

You are free to stay home.

I, however, have been outside every single day since the pandemic, and without a mask.
I do stay home, and on the rare occasion I do go out, I wear a mask. I also have received my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. I believe it's our patriotic duty to protect each other and to come together to get our economy back on track. I also would not want to try on AirPods even if there was no pandemic. I ordered mine off of Amazon a couple months back and they fit perfectly fine.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cbaca51 Avatar
61 months ago

You are free to stay home.

I, however, have been outside every single day since the pandemic, and without a mask.
Congrats on your ignorance
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Andronicus Avatar
61 months ago

You are free to stay home.

I, however, have been outside every single day since the pandemic, and without a mask.
some people are less selfish.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)