This way you can charge your AirPods and query the battery status

Everything about charging your AirPods

If you are just listening to music with your AirPods, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, you obviously don’t want to run out of battery power. In this tip you can read how to charge the AirPods, how to use the accompanying charging case and check the battery status.

• Charging AirPods
• Charging charging case
• Check battery status
• Battery life

To use the AirPods you will first have to charge them. You do this via the included charging case, which ensures that the AirPods can be used for a total of 24 to 30 hours. The AirPods have a tiny battery that lasts up to 6 hours on a full charge. As the AirPods get older, this may become a bit shorter because the battery wears out. You can limit this by using optimized charging for the AirPods.

Do you have an AirPods Max? Then we have a separate tip about charging the AirPods Max and checking the battery life. In this case, you charge with a Lightning cable. If you charge for 5 minutes, you can listen for another 1.5 hours.

Charging AirPods

This is how you can charge and charge the AirPods (Pro):

1. Open the charging case cover.
2. Put the AirPods in and wait about 15 minutes.
3. You can then use the AirPods again for about 3 hours to listen to music.

Charging AirPods case

You can charge the AirPods several times with the charging case, so that you have a total usage time of more than 24 hours. But at some point the battery in the charging case also runs out and it is time to charge. Charging the charging case can be done in three ways, depending on the model:

1. Via the Lightning port
2. With a wireless charger
3. With an Apple Watch charger

#1 Charging AirPods Case with Lightning Cable

You can charge all AirPods cases via the Lightning port. This works as follows:

1. Take a supplied cable (or other suitable cable) and plug it into the Lightning port located at the bottom of the box.
2. Connect the other end to a charger. This could be an iPhone power adapter, for example.
3. You can leave the AirPods in the box or use them. After a few hours, the internal battery of the charging case is fully charged again.

Depending on the model, you will receive a Lightning cable with a USB-A or USB-C connector. You can also connect the cables with USB-C connector to recent MacBooks for charging. If you do not have a USB-C power adapter, you can purchase one separately from Apple. We recommend the 20 Watt USB-C power adapter for 25 euros. But you can also use a charger from another brand.

#2 Wireless charging AirPods case

If you have AirPods with a wireless charging case or MagSafe charging case, you can also charge them wirelessly.
That is how it works:

1. Place the box with the lid closed on a wireless charger, such as the MagSafe Charger from Apple.
2. Check the indicator light on the front. This turns orange when the case is charging. The light is green when the battery is fully charged.

You can use any suitable Qi wireless charger for wireless charging. In our guide, we’ve listed the best wireless chargers for Apple devices, so you know which ones to use.

The latest AirPods come with a MagSafe box. The advantage of this is that it attaches magnetically to a MagSafe charger. You do not have to place the box in exactly the right place, because that happens automatically. It is also easier to stick the AirPods case to vertical MagSafe chargers.

#3 Charge AirPods case with an Apple Watch charger

You can also use an Apple Watch charger for the latest AirPods. For the time being, this is only the case with the AirPods Pro 2022. You can use any desired Apple Watch charger from Apple or third parties. The magnetic effect is slightly less strong than with a MagSafe charger. Simply place the box on the charging puck and after an hour or two the battery will be full again. Charging takes place at a power of 5 Watts, sufficient to be able to listen again after a few minutes.

The AirPods Pro 2022 makes a charging sound when you connect them to the charger. You can disable this if you find it annoying.

Tips for optimally charging your AirPods

Do you want to charge your AirPods as smartly as possible? Then pay attention to these tips!

• Are you in a hurry? Then put the AirPods in the box and connect to the charger. The earphones are first charged, so that you can use them again as quickly as possible. After 10 minutes they are already approximately 50% charged, while the case itself is only 10% full after those 10 minutes.
• There is no point in removing the earphones from the charging case while charging. This makes little difference in terms of charging speed. It is better to ensure that the earphones are first charged again so that you can use them again.

Do you want the earphones to last as long as possible? Then check out our tip about optimized charging of your AirPods for a longer lifespan.

Request AirPods battery status

The status light in the charging case indicates how much power is left. Green means charged, orange means there is less than one battery charge left. You can also check the battery status of the AirPods and the charging case in the following two ways:

• On iPhone and iPad
• On Apple Watch
• On Mac

iPhone and iPad

• Open the lid of the charging case and hold it close to the iPhone. You can now see the battery status of the charging case and the AirPods inside it at a glance.
• Request the battery status via the Battery widget.

Bonus tip: Do you have a set of AirPods Pro or AirPods 3? Then you can tap the box when it is on a wireless charger. The light will then illuminate briefly to show the battery status.

Apple Watch

It is also easy to query the battery status via the Apple Watch. This works via the Control Panel:

1. Open the charging case and put the AirPods in your ears.
2. Open Control Center by swiping up from the watch face
3. Select the battery percentage of the Apple Watch.
4. The battery percentage of the AirPods will automatically appear at the bottom.

Don’t see the battery status of your AirPods? Then connect them to your Apple Watch by tapping the AirPlay symbol in the Control Center. You can recognize this symbol by the three almost complete circles with a triangle underneath.

Mac

You can also query the battery status of the AirPods and the charging case on your Mac.

1. Open the lid of the charging case and take out the AirPods.
2. Click on the speaker/AirPods or Bluetooth icon in the menu bar. You can also click on Control Center > Bluetooth.
3. You will now see the remaining battery life on your AirPods.

AirPods battery life

Apple provides the following information about the battery life of the AirPods and the charging case:

If battery performance deteriorates noticeably, you can contact Apple to have the AirPods repaired. Battery service will cost you at least €54.99 per AirPod.