How to Check and Maintain the Battery on Your AirPods

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Know when your AirPods are fully charged or need charging

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: May 22, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Checking the Battery Percentage
|
• Charging Your AirPods
|
• Average Battery Life Expectations
|
• Saving Battery Life
|
• Video
|
• Q&A

|Show more |Show less

Want to know how much battery power is left in your AirPods or AirPods Pro? It's incredibly easy to see your battery levels when your AirPods are paired to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Here's how to check the battery on your AirPods and maintain its battery life.

Seeing Your AirPods Battery Percentage

To check the battery, open the lid next to your iPhone or iPad. If your AirPods are synced to your device, you'll see the charge level in the pop-up notification. You can also use the Batteries Widget, your Mac, or the light indicator to check the battery.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Checking the Battery Percentage

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1. 1
   Use your iPhone or iPad display. When you have your iPhone or iPad unlocked and paired to your AirPods, you can easily check the battery. Do the following:

   • With your AirPods inside its case, open the lid.
   • Hold the case close to your device.
   • Wait for the pop-up menu to appear to see its charge.
2. 2
   Use the Batteries widget. This widget can be added to your iPhone or iPad for quick access. Keep in mind that the charge will only appear if you have at least one AirPod in its case. Do the following:

   • Press and hold your Home screen.
   • Tap + in the top-left corner.
   • Scroll down and tap Batteries.
   • Select a view and tap Add Widget.
   • Wait a few moments for your devices to sync.
   • View your battery in the Batteries Widget.
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3. 3
   Use your Mac. Similar to your iPhone or iPad, you can use your Mac's Control Center to check the battery percentage on your AirPods. Just make sure they're already paired to your device. Do the following:

   • Open the AirPods lid or take both AirPods out of the case.
   • Click the Control Center in the menu bar.
   • Hover your cursor over the AirPods to view the percentage.
4. 4
   Check the light color on the AirPods case. While you won't see the exact percentage this way, you can still gauge if your AirPods need immediate charging.

   • Open the AirPods case.
   • Look for a light between the AirPods compartment.
   • A green light means your AirPods are fully charged (or near fully charged), while an amber light indicates half-battery to low battery.
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Section 2 of 4:

Charging Your AirPods

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1. Use a wired connection to charge your AirPods and AirPods case. You can use the Lightning or USB-C cable that came with your device. Plug one end into your AirPods case and the other into a wall charger or computer.

   • Alternatively, you can use a MagSafe Charging Case or Wireless Charging Case with a Qi-certified charging mat. Place your AirPods on the mat with the indicator light facing upwards.

Section 3 of 4:

Average Battery Life Expectations

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1. The average battery life will vary depending on the model and usage. If you suspect your AirPods are losing battery too quickly, compare your listening time to Apple's tested expectations:

   • AirPods Pro (2nd generation): With a full charge, expect 30 hours of listening time or around 20 hours of talk time.
   • AirPods (3rd generation): With a full charge, expect 30 hours of listening time or around 20 hours of talk time.
   • AirPods Pro (1st generation): With a full charge, expect 24 hours of listening time or around 18 hours of talk time.
   • AirPods (2nd generation): With a full charge, expect 24 hours of listening time or around 18 hours of talk time.
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Section 4 of 4:

Saving Battery Life

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1. 1
   Keep your AirPods in their case as much as possible. If you are not using your AirPods, you may as well keep them in the case. The case will keep them charged and ready to go.
2. 2
   Avoid too much opening and closing of the case. Opening and closing the case too much can reduce the battery life. Unless you need to take the earphones out of the case, put them back in or check the battery status, you should avoid opening and closing the case.

   • If you leave the case open too long, it will drain the battery.
   • It is also a good idea to clean the case and earphones with a lint-free cloth.
3. 3
   Plug your AirPods into your Mac computer. You will get the fastest charging times if you plug the AirPods into your Mac computer. You can also get fast charging speeds using a USB charger for iPhone or iPad.
4. 4
   Charge the AirPods at a reasonable temperature. It should be between 0 and 35 Celsius (32-95 Fahrenheit) in the room where you are charging the case and AirPods. This will ensure a smooth charging process.
5. 5
   Fix battery drain by resetting your AirPods. To reset your AirPods, hold down the setup button on your case until you see the amber light flashing, hold it for at least fifteen seconds, and then reconnect your AirPods to your devices.

   • If resetting does not solve the issue, you might need to try returning the AirPods to the retailer you used, or purchase a new pair.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  How do I check the case battery level while using AirPods?

  

  Community Answer

  The case does not have Bluetooth; therefore is not connected to your phone. Place at least one AirPod in the case to see the battery level of the AirPod(s) and the case.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 9 Helpful 43
• Question

  How do I know if my airpods are charging?

  

  Community Answer

  There should be an orange light on the case. This means the airpods are charging

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 15 Helpful 26
• Question

  Can I check the charge of each AirPod?

  

  Community Answer

  Yes, your phone should be able to display the battery percentage of each AirPod.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 46 Helpful 20

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