Yo team—drop everything because your AirPods might be a legitimate hazard for anyone with an implanted cardiac device! Here’s why this isn’t just internet paranoia: pacemakers and defibrillators (CIDs) are designed to auto-detect life-threatening arrhythmias like tachycardia, but they also have a built-in "magnet-safe mode" that kicks in around strong magnetic fields so doctors can safely run MRIs. The problem is the threshold for that mode is only 10 Gauss — and your grandma's fridge magnet emits about 100 Gausses! So when rare-earth magnets flood consumer tech, those CIDs are constantly flirting with a mode that essentially blinds them to heart issues. A 2022 study even quantified it: Apple AirPods, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the Apple Pencil, and Microsoft Surface Pens all generate fields strong enough to disrupt these implants — alongside smartwatches and e-cigarettes too.
Now here’s what this means in real terms for you or your loved ones — it doesn't mean banning AirPods; it just means keeping them at least six inches away from any implanted device. So no, that "substitute teacher chic" of shoving your iPhone in a front pocket isn't the move anymore! Apple actually recommends maintaining 6+ inches on its own support page, and the FDA says keep electronics six inches clear of CIDs entirely. If you ever feel dizzy or lose consciousness after being near powerful magnets or devices, get to a doctor immediately — that's an emergency. So listen up: your AirPods belong in your backpack or at least two pockets away from your chest, not on top of it!
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2193554/airpods-pacemakers-magnet-interference/
Now here’s what this means in real terms for you or your loved ones — it doesn't mean banning AirPods; it just means keeping them at least six inches away from any implanted device. So no, that "substitute teacher chic" of shoving your iPhone in a front pocket isn't the move anymore! Apple actually recommends maintaining 6+ inches on its own support page, and the FDA says keep electronics six inches clear of CIDs entirely. If you ever feel dizzy or lose consciousness after being near powerful magnets or devices, get to a doctor immediately — that's an emergency. So listen up: your AirPods belong in your backpack or at least two pockets away from your chest, not on top of it!
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2193554/airpods-pacemakers-magnet-interference/