Question: The soft ring around the OEM iPhone earbud is gone, and now it is painful to use these headphones. These soft-rubber rings don't last long either.

The apple store suggested that I buy a new headphone for $30 to fix the issue. Genius!

Is there something available that I can glue in the place where the soft ring used to be? If not, how do I fix this?

**My earbuds**

![alt text](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iSsb5.jpg)

**New earbuds**

![alt text](https://i.stack.imgur.com/R6wmz.jpg)

Answer: 
A very peculiar question. The rubber ring is often lost and I wonder if Apple does it on purpose. In any case, you will have more luck, searching for earbud caps. For example [Full Silicone](http://www.sourcingmap.com/silicone-earphone-cover-cap-for-ipod-pairs-white-p-3334.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=usfroogle) (designed for iPod headphones). If you google for *Earphone Cap* or similar, you’ll find a lot of colors/models/alternatives. Usually they are below 5 u$s. 

Either of those will cover your earphone completely, preventing the annoying pain from the sharp plastic border exposed by the missing rubber ring. 

Another small advantage of these things is that they prevent cerumen from going into your earphone.
[White foam covers](http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=white%20foam%20earbud) might do the trick. I use black ones on my Sennheiser earbuds and they make them much more comfortable. eBay is awash with them — usually it's only a few dollars for 50 pairs — though you'll have to be patient as most come from China.