How to Charge an iPod Shuffle

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Get your iPod Shuffle powered on with this simple guide

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: December 16, 2024

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This wikiHow teaches you how to charge an iPod shuffle. To do so, you will need a charging cable and a power source, such as an electrical outlet or a USB port on your computer.

iPod Shuffle Charging Instructions

To charge a 1st generation iPod Shuffle, just plug the built-in USB connector into your computer or any USB charging port. To charge a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation iPod Shuffle, connect an iPod Shuffle charger cable to a high-power USB 2.0 port on your computer or plug it into an outlet.

Steps

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1
Turn on the battery status light. The process for doing this varies per model:
- 4th generation - Press the VoiceOver button twice.
- 3rd/2nd generation - Turn the iPod off, then turn it back on.
- 1st generation - Press the battery level button on the back of the iPod.
2
Check your iPod's battery level. For the 3rd-, 2nd-, and 1st-generation iPod shuffles, there will be an LED light on the same side of the unit as the headphone jack. The battery level depends on the color that the light displays:^{[1]
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- Green - 50 percent to 100 percent charge (4th and 3rd generations); 31 percent to 100 percent charge (2nd generation); "high" charge (1st generation).
- Orange - 25 percent to 49 percent charge (4th and 3rd generations); 10 percent to 30 percent charge (2nd generation); "low" charge (1st generation).
- Red - Less than 25 percent charge (4th and 3rd generations); less than 10 percent charge (2nd generation); "very low" charge (1st generation).
- Red, blinking - Less than 1 percent charge (3rd generation only).
- No light - No charge. Your iPod won't be usable until you've charged it for around an hour.
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3
Attach the charger cable to a power source. Connect the electrical plug end of the cable to a power outlet. This will leave the charger end of the cable, which resembles a headphone jack, available for use.
- Alternatively, you can separate the cable from the electrical plug by tugging on the rectangular connector at the base of the cable. You can then plug this into a USB port, which you can find on most computers.
- If you choose to use a USB port instead of an electrical outlet, you'll need to use a USB 3 port. These ports have symbols resembling upside-down tridents next to them.
4
Make sure that the power source is on. If you're using a USB connection, for example, the computer itself must be turned on.
- The same goes for USB or AC units in your car.
Plug the charger into the headphone port on the bottom of the iPod shuffle. Your iPod shuffle will begin charging immediately.
6
Wait for at least an hour. It takes about two hours for your iPod shuffle to reach 80 percent charge, but you'll need to wait around four hours for the charge to reach 100 percent.
- An hour's charge will get your iPod shuffle to a usable state.
- You don't need to turn off your iPod in order to charge it.

Community Q&A

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Question

Do iPod shuffles need to be turned on or off while charging?

Community Answer

It will charger faster if off while charging.

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Question

What would cause the orange light to flash all the time when I've been trying to charge it for over a day?

Community Answer

It is trying to sync with your iTunes account. Click on your iTunes account to sync the iPod Shuffle with it. Once the iPod is synced, charging will begin and the orange light will stop blinking and become steady. Once charging is complete, the orange light will turn green.

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Question

What is wrong if my iPod shuffle will not charge and the red light will come on, but will go off again very quickly?

Community Answer

This happened to me too. It turns out your iPod only charges when the orange light is solid. If it is blinking while charging, it's NOT charging. When it's solid green, it's fully charged. When it flashes red and disappears, it's completely out of juice.

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Tips

Many modern USB ports that have charging capabilities have a lightning bolt symbol next to them.

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Any standard electrical outlet or USB port is safe for charging.

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USB keyboards and non-powered USB hubs, such as those found on monitors, generally do not have USB ports with sufficient charging power. If you connect to a low or non-powered port, your iPod shuffle will not charge. USB ports in a computer, or powered USB hub, generally have sufficient power to charge your iPod shuffle.

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Warnings

While they look similar, you cannot use a 2nd-generation power adapter cable with a 3rd- or 4th-generation iPod shuffle.

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If you use your computer to charge your iPod, make sure your computer is not set to sleep or turn off automatically.

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