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In this guide
Apple Canada lists the EarPods (USB-C), model MYQY3AM/A, at C$25.00 with free shipping. The Lightning and 3.5 mm versions are offered on the same page at the same C$25.00, and none of the three plugs into another's port.
What you are actually choosing is the connector. A Lightning pair will not fit the USB-C phone sitting beside it, and a USB-C pair will not fit a laptop's headphone jack. If every device in the house now charges over USB-C, the bet is safe; if not, price an adapter or a second pair into the total.
Our verdict
A sound backup at C$25.00 for a household whose devices are all USB-C, as long as an unsealed earbud that blocks nothing is acceptable.
- A good fit for
- Calls and podcasts at a desk or on foot, from a USB-C phone, tablet or laptop, with nothing to charge.
- We would skip it if
- Your devices mix Lightning or 3.5 mm connectors, or you need quiet in loud places.
Reasons to consider it
- Nothing to charge, pair or update; it works the instant it is connected
- An inline remote for volume, playback and taking calls
- C$25.00 at Apple Canada with free shipping
The compromises
- No cancellation and no seal, so buses and trains come through at full strength
- Apple sells Lightning, 3.5 mm and USB-C versions at the same list price and they are not interchangeable
- Sweat and water resistance is claimed without any published IP figure
What we have not verified: Sound, frequency response and how the cable wears are unmeasured. Apple names only its own USB-C Macs, iPads and iPhones as compatible, so behaviour on other makers' USB-C hardware is unverified. Apple Canada's two pages disagree on the return window: 14 or 15 days.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
EarPods (USB-C)
C$25.00 buys a pair with no battery to die and no firmware to age, plugged straight into a USB-C phone, tablet or Mac.
Before you buy: Open fit, no cancellation, and compatibility limited to the Apple USB-C devices Apple lists.
Price checked October 22, 2026. Retailer prices can change.Plan on fourteen days to return them
Apple Canada's returns page gives up to 15 calendar days from receipt to start a return, but the sentence names iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and third-party products, not Apple's own accessories. The EarPods listing's return data says 14 days, by mail and free. Count on 14 days from the day the box arrives.
Two weeks is enough to find out whether an open earbud suits the places you listen. Try the pair on the commute and at the desk in the first few days rather than leaving the box sealed until the second week.
The port is the purchase
One product, three connectors, one price: Apple Canada sells the Lightning, 3.5 mm and USB-C builds of this earbud at C$25.00 each, and no plug of one fits the port of another. The USB-C model is MYQY3AM/A, and Apple's stated compatibility covers USB-C Macs on macOS Monterey 12.6 or later, iPads on iPadOS 16.4 or later and iPhones on iOS 17 or later.
A house that still runs a Lightning iPhone alongside a USB-C iPad ends up buying the same earbuds twice in different plugs. A USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter is the other way to bridge a mismatch, at extra cost and with a dongle to carry. Count the ports on every device you actually use before ordering.
An open earbud in a noisy city
The listing promises no cancellation, no isolation and no closed fit; Apple's case for the shape is comfort, which it says suits more people than any other earbud-style headphones. With nothing claimed to block outside noise on a bus, a subway platform or a windy street, the only control the listing offers is the volume button on the remote.
At a desk, in an office, or on a walk where you want to hear traffic, the same openness is the point: you keep track of your surroundings while you talk or listen. Where you listen decides this purchase more than the price does.
A backup with no failure state
Wireless earbuds retire through their batteries, generally after several hundred recharge rounds, however carefully they are treated. A wired pair has none of that: no cell to degrade, no firmware update to abandon, no charging case to misplace. The box contains the EarPods alone.
So a pair in the bag still makes sense next to a full wireless setup: the day the wireless earbuds arrive empty before a long call, the cable works as soon as it is plugged in. What the cable does carry is wear — Apple publishes no expectation for how long the strain relief lasts, and that is where a wired pair eventually gives out.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- Apple Canada: EarPods (USB-C) product page (opens in a new tab)
- Apple Canada: returns and refunds policy (opens in a new tab)
- Apple: EarPods (USB-C) global product page (opens in a new tab)
