Apple looks set to discontinue its wired earphones after today's iPhone 16 event

Weird accessories EarPods
(Image credit: Future/ iMore)

When we talk about Apple headphones, you probably assume we're talking about the best AirPods. But Apple still makes the wired earphones that used to come in your iPhone box. Known as EarPods, they arrived first with the iPhone 5, some 14 years ago now. But it looks like the time to say goodbye to Apple's earphones has come.

According to a MacRumors contributor, Apple might be about to discontinue its $19 wireless earphones. Aaron Perris spotted that Target has marked all the variants of Apple's EarPods (Lightning, 3.5mm, and USB-C) as "Non-Carry Forward." This usually means they won't be coming back in stock, which suggests Apple is about to discontinue the earphones.

Apple stopped shipping EarPods in the box of international iPhones from iPhone 12 onwards. Apple isn't the only company that no longer offers earbuds in its boxes, of course. After initially mocking Apple for removing earbuds from its iPhone boxes Samsung later followed suit with its own devices, just as it did with the 3.5mm headphone jack previously. The same goes for a charger, for that matter, too.

How to watch today's iPhone 16 event

The iPhone 16 event will take place today (September 9), at 10 am PT/ 1 pm ET/ 6 pm BST.

The easiest way to watch the iPhone 16 keynote on Monday is through YouTube, with the stream likely to go live 15 minutes before kick-off time. We've also got a page where you can find the stream, and we'll be bringing you all the announcements.

If you already have an Apple device, you can watch the Glowtime event on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad through Apple's website, and it'll be streaming on tvOS' Watch Now section, too.

We're covering all the Apple iPhone 16 event announcements live as they happen. Don't miss all our iPhone 16iPhone 16 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxApple Watch XApple Watch Ultra 3iOS 18 and watchOS 11 coverage so far.

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Connor Jewiss
Contributor

Connor is a technology writer and editor, with a byline on multiple platforms. He has been writing for over eight years now across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech.