Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit that claims the tech giant falsely advertised a popular device.

Three plaintiffs alleged that Apple proclaimed the $250 AirPods Pro Gen 1 to be “premium” headphones for three years after admitting some units were defective.

Customers said they reported issues in 2019 due to major audio issues such as crackling, static, background dropouts, and audio loss.

The lawsuit alleges that “Apple promoted the superior audio and noise-cancelling qualities of AirPods Pro Gen 1 and sold AirPods Pro Gen 1 to consumers nationwide, even though AirPods Pro Gen 1 had an audio defect.”

Apple acknowledged the sound issues a year after the product launched in 2020, telling consumers it would service or replace the affected AirPods Pro at no cost to the consumer.

But the plaintiffs claim that Apple buried its admission of the problem on its support page and never took steps to notify people who purchased the device.

They are suing for breach of consumer protection and warranty laws in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas and are seeking damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit from consumers who claim the company falsely advertised its Airpods Pro Gen 1 headphones despite knowing they were defective.

The lawsuit included photos of the defective devices sold 15 months apart. The defective sample of the ear tip mesh (pictured left) was sold before the recall in 2019, while the sample on the right (pictured) was sold in 2021

Apple 2020 notice warned consumers about “sound issues” on its support page and also reported that the active noise cancellation did not work as it should and people could experience “a loss of bass or an increase in background sounds such as street or airplane noise.”

While the headphones were discontinued in September 2022, the units continued to be sold on Amazon and Walmart for $150 or more.

However, the new class action filed Nov. 1 said Apple failed to fix the problem for devices sold in the future, thereby misleading customers into paying “a premium” for a defective product.

Instead, the lawsuit said Apple agreed to cover the affected devices for two years after retail sale, but just before the deadline, the lawsuit reported that the company updated its service program to cover the product for three years after sale.

“In short, Apple extended the program because it knew it could not fix the problem,” the suit says.

The lawsuit alleges that Apple did not take adequate measures and should have immediately removed the headphones from store shelves.

Lindsey LaBella said in the lawsuit that she purchased the device in 2022 and about a year later began experiencing static and crackling noises, but was never notified by Apple that the headphones were defective.

She said the device deteriorated over time until it became unusable, prompting her to make an appointment at an Apple store in May of this year.

The company’s sound test reportedly confirmed that they were defective, but that he would have to pay $89 per headset or buy a new set for $249 — the same price he paid for the Pro Gen 1 pair.

Plaintiff Stacey Rodgers also said in the lawsuit that when she bought the device in 2021, she was not informed it would cause sound problems and “reasonably believed that AirPods Pro Gen 1 provided high-quality sound and would functioned as high-end. headphones.

The lawsuit claims Airpods Pro Gen 1 experienced static, crackling and background noise that rendered them unusable

The lawsuit also included photos of the defective batteries that were sold 15 months apart. The sample with the faulty battery (pictured left) was sold before the recall in 2019, while the sample on the right (pictured) was sold in 2021

Within a year of the purchase, Rodgers said he started experiencing problems, but when he visited the Apple store in November 2023, he was also told it would cost $89 apiece to replace the headphones.

Other users have complained on social media and Apple’s website about experiencing the same issues years after Apple confirmed the devices had audio issues.

One person wrote in a Reddit post in 2022 that their headphones started to crackle, but claimed that “when I spoke to Apple support, they told me that since mine were made in Q1 2021, they are not eligible for replacement”.

Consumer protection and warranty laws were established in 1975 to protect buyers from false advertising and require companies to notify them of faulty or defective goods and services.

The lawsuit did not include a specific payment, but a hearing date was set for February 5, 2025.

DailyMail.com has contacted Apple and the plaintiff’s lawyer for comment.