No side tone. It may be (I didnt do this test) that it was the (used) cord that was responsible for the static, but I have no complaint against the seller or Amazon. Problem is, I can?t seem to find a cargo rack or basket that fits them. In-ear, instead of on-earIf your ear has a small cavum and the original airpods fit perfectly, then the Airpads Pro may be a tight fit/more uncomfortable, but seeing the in-ear design, the ear piece will go into the ear canal and the rest will float in place. There is a glowing light on the base. I tried to pull one shelf to align it with the others and learned that was a mistake as the whole area I grabbed just stretched. Ive been using these earphones for a couple of hours now and while I cant attest to the battery life yet, the sound quality is amazing and comparable to other more famous earbuds. As the review states, the first pair was DOA, totally defective. The heel is very high, which causes quite a bit of pressure on the ball of your foot. love it.