If you’re old like me (or an aging millennial, anyway), you may have noticed a weird tech trend lately – wired headphones are making a comeback. Everyone from Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber to Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa have been spotted carrying or using a pair. Last week, a viral X post pointing this out spawned a wave of users across X and Reddit to speculate that celebrities know something that we, the mere masses, don’t: your wireless earbuds can be hacked.
But is there any truth to that claim? Fortunately, you probably don’t need to toss your $250 AirPods in the trash. Here’s what you need to know.
Hate being caught with a tinfoil hat on but there’s a reason why celebs wear wired headphones and not AirPods/bluetooth. https://t.co/woV1kmfe1h
— Barbra Wyre Updates✨ (@BarbraWyre) October 7, 2026
Can your wireless Bluetooth earbuds be hacked?
Technically, just about anything can be hacked if someone has enough time, patience and expensive equipment to do it. The chances of a random person putting in the effort to eavesdrop on the podcast you’re listening to on your morning commute are pretty slim, though.
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Bluetooth – the wireless protocol that your phone uses to connect to wireless earbuds – has its vulnerabilities like anything else, but it uses various security techniques, like encryption, to make it harder for hackers to exploit. You can avoid most problems by making sure you unpair your phone from old devices you don’t use anymore and always keeping your phone updated. If you want to be extra safe, you can turn off Bluetooth on your phone or laptop when you aren’t using it.
The truth is, most of us aren’t targets for someone who might want to use Bluetooth as a hacking vector. You’re much more likely to become the victim of a phishing scheme or ransomware attack.
Instead, politicians, business executives and others who might be targets for espionage are more likely to be the targets of a Bluetooth hack. Famously, former Vice President Kamala Harris told Stephen Colbert that she uses wired “earpods” because of information she was privy to in classified briefings during her time in the Senate. “Don’t be on the train using your earpods and thinking somebody can’t listen to your conversation,” Harris said.
So what’s with the wired headphones everywhere?
In the case of celebrities wearing wired earbuds, it’s indeed a trend. Y2K nostalgia is very much in right now, and what’s more Y2K than wired headphones? Harper’s Bazaar has declared them the “coolest it-girl accessory.” And they pair up nicely with retro tech like iPods, which are making a comeback, just like cassette tapes and vinyl records before them.
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There’s some practicality involved too. Wired headphones don’t require charging, so you’ll never have a battery die mid-song. And as ABC News contributor Mike Muse said in a September segment, the wires signal that the wearer is more “cool” and “grounded” in an increasingly digital world. Given the pace of change and anxiety over AI, it’s not that surprising that some folks are opting for a more analogue look with their personal tech.
So don’t feel like you need to ditch your wireless earbuds out of fear of some latent security issue. But if you want to stick with what’s trendy, wired earbuds are definitely having a moment.