Hear me out: chill your earbuds before you wear them

Summer is running out, but I accidentally stumbled upon a weird hack that I might come back to for the warmer months. One day recently, before I headed to the office, I tossed some Pixel Buds A-Series wireless earbuds into my messenger bag, and they somehow settled near my packed lunch and the ice pack keeping it cool. I didn’t expect that those earbuds would catch a chill from being close to them, but when I popped them in my ears, the cool sensation was both unexpected and amazing. I kind of felt like I was in a dramatized breath mint commercial, and I can’t stop doing it.

You might be turned off by the idea of inserting earbuds that are anything other than a reflection of the ambient temperature. Perhaps I can win you over by saying they feel cool but not cold. They’re definitely not little earbud-cicles.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

To be clear: at risk of possibly damaging your earbuds or perhaps resulting in some quirky behavior, I don’t want to recommend that you store your earbuds in the refrigerator overnight. A 10-minute chill should do (or bring an ice pack in your bag, if you’re like me and bring a lunch to work sometimes).

In case you want some documented proof that briefly chilling your buds probably won’t have bad consequences, Apple says that AirPods can be safely stored at temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit (though it recommends warming them up before using them). Google offers similar information on its support page about Pixel Buds, though Jabra’s support PDF calls for a minimum temperature of 59 degrees. Some earbuds might have different temperature requirements.

So, yeah, don’t store your earbuds in the fridge. But a quick chill before you throw on the morning playlist? It’s the right way to start the day.