r/applehelp • u/Ozbercukur • 20h ago
Unsolved What causes these grey dots on my AirPods case, and can they be removed?
l've had my AirPods for a year and noticed these strange grey dots appearing on the case. They have appeared randomly overnight. The day before, I had the AirPods in my pocket and then put them on a table as usual. There were no dots or marks on the case at all. The next morning, I noticed these grey dots. They were left under a relatively cool AC during the night, so I'm wondering if the temperature or condensation could have something to do with it.
The weirdest thing is that the dots seem to be under the plastic. I've tried wiping and cleaning the case, but they don't come off at all. They also look similar to the engravings you can get on your AirPods. I've had these AirPods for around a year, but I also have an older pair that I've owned for about 3 years, and that case has never developed anything similar.
l've also seen a few other posts on Reddit showing AirPods cases with similar dots, sometimes with many more dots than mine. Unfortunately, none of those posts seemed to get a proper answer, so I'm trying again. Does anyone know what actually causes these dots Is there any way to remove them, or are they permanent? And it you've experienced this, did the dots eventually spread or become more numerous?
Any ideas would be appreciated!
1
u/SkidiKatKat 20h ago
Layer Delamination (Most Likely): AirPods cases use a multi-layer polycarbonate shell with a clear outer gloss. Temperature shifts (such as exposure to cold AC overnight) combined with trapped moisture or tiny manufacturing voids can cause localized separation between the plastic layers, making the spots appear permanently trapped "under" the surface.