For the sake of your earbuds' health, you may want to curb the habit.
By Christine Persaud Nov. 1, 2026 6:45 pm EST Ugur Karakoc/Getty Images Add Engadget on Google: Google DiscoverBack in the day, some of you might remember the popular gadget known as a Bluetooth headset or earpiece. It's not a pair of wireless headphones with a mic attachment or one of the best gaming headsets, as the term more commonly describes today. It was a single bud, sometimes with a tiny boom mic, that wrapped around and sat on or was positioned in your ear. The purpose was to make it easier to take hands-free calls without completely blocking out the world around you. You would see businesspeople walking around with these all over, some wearing them all day as a sign of prestige (and maybe a bit of self-importance). They were eventually replaced with wireless earbuds that can work in mono mode, meaning you can place one bud in your ear and use it the same way. But doing so all the time is not necessarily a good idea.
