AirPods are one of the best-manufactured wireless earbuds on the market. AirPods with their H1 (AirPods 2) or W1 (AirPods 1) chip are a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Over time, however, AirPods can show some wear and tear as expected with any electronic device, and this can lead to any number of problems including not charging correctly.
If your AirPods aren’t firing up, there are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue before spending more on a new setup.
Video: Airpods not charging (text instructions below)
The case is the main component for the charging mechanism and holds multiple full charges. Once fully loaded, your AirPods get up to five hours of listening time or two hours of talk time on a single charge.
When you run out of battery, charge your AirPods for about 15 minutes, and you get about three hours of listening time or one hour of talk time.
The built-in battery in the AirPods is 93 milliwatts and usually has a long shelf-life.
Yet there’s a possibility that the batteries may be showing signs of wear and tear. Chances are, your charging issue is more likely related to the contact points on the AirPods.
Three key electronic contact points on AirPods
The USB Cable head that is connected to the power source/port
The Lightning Connector contact point on the case
AirPods contact points on the case
When your AirPods stop charging or charge slowly, the chances are that one of these contact points has an issue or you are having a problem with the battery itself.
The Lightning Connector contact point on the case.
How to fix AirPods that won’t charge
Check the status light on the charging case.
With your AirPods in the case, the status light should show green, meaning fully charged.
If you consistently see an amber light instead even after charging overnight, it could mean that you are having charging issues with the device.
AirPods charging status light shown in orange.
Check the charging cable.
Start by checking the charging cable that you are using to charge the AirPods.
Apple recommends using the iPhone or iPad charger to charge the case
Try a new iPhone/iPad charger and see if it makes a difference
Connect your AirPod charging case to your MacBook instead and see if charges up to the green status light
We suggest borrowing an iPhone/iPad charger from a friend and trying it out just to rule out any issues with the charging cable.
Make sure that your AirPods are placed correctly in the charging case when you close the lid. If they are not adequately contacting the charging points, your AirPods will fail to get any charge.
Do you see the charging icon displayed?
The AirPods charging indicator on the iPhone looks fully charged.
Open the case lid and hold it close to your iOS device.
Wait a few seconds to see a charging icon next to the battery icon while your AirPods are connected to power.
Do you see the charging icon?
If you don’t see it, that would mean that the units are not getting any charge at all.
Check the AirPods charging ports and contact points.
Do you clean your AirPods regularly?
Many AirPod users often forget to do the regular maintenance on their AirPods, and this can lead to issues such as slow charging or no charging.
As with any electronic device, the external ports of the device can accumulate dust and debris with everyday use.
When the charging contacts gather enough debris, it can impair the charging process.
Tools needed for cleaning AirPods charging contacts.
You are going to need a soft bristle toothbrush, a clean microfiber cloth, and a soft interdental brush.
Start by evaluating the charging points on your AirPods case.
Clean the case charging port using a soft-bristled toothbrush.
Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean AirPods charging case.
Once you have cleaned the external charging contact on the case, next inspect and clean the internal contacts if required using a very soft interdental brush.
Clean AirPods case interior contacts.
Use 70% isopropyl alcohol and a clean microfiber cloth to clean the AirPods charging case, and make sure to not get any liquid into the charging port on the case.
Check and Clean the AirPods ends to make sure there is no debris on the end connectors.
Use the soft brush, try to gently clean inside the end of the AirPods charging contact point.
Once cleaned, put the AirPods in the case and charge for 15 minutes and check. Are you able to see the charging icon on your iPhone?
In most cases, we have seen the charging issue immediately resolve once any dirt is removed from the AirPods charging contacts.
Reset your AirPods and check charging.
If you are having charging issues even after inspecting and cleaning the charging contacts on the AirPods, try resetting the AirPods and see if it helps with the problem.
To reset your AirPods, press and hold the button on the back of the charging case. Please check the article below to see details around resetting your AirPods.
If you still cannot charge your AirPods, or your AirPods charge very slowly, you will have to reach out to Apple Support for repair and replacement information.
Unable to Reset AirPods. No Amber light when trying to reset
One of the troubleshooting steps essential to making your AirPods work is to try and reset them.
Many users find themselves stuck with an annoying situation when trying to reset their AirPods.
The right sequence of action when resetting the AirPods is to press and hold the setup button on the back of the case and continue pressing until you see the status light flash white, then amber, and then flash white continuously.
Unfortunately, for some users the amber light never shows when the reset button is pressed and held on the AirPods case. The status light simply continues to show the white blinking light and the reset operation is impossible.
If you find yourself stuck in this situation with your AirPods, check the following steps:
Reset Network settings on your iPhone. Tap on Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings ( Please make a note of your Wi-fi credentials before resetting as you will need to enter them again)
Once the Reset Network operation has completed, disconnect the AirPods by tapping on Bluetooth in settings and choosing to forget.
Now Try and use the Reset operation on the case.
If the steps above didn’t solve your issue, take a look at the contacts at the bottom of your AirPods
Clean the charge contacts on your AirPods as well as the contact points in the case.
Insert your AirPods into the case after the cleaning
Now Try Resetting the AirPods and you should see the Amber status light.
How much to replace or repair AirPods?
Apple suggests that the price of replacing the battery on your AirPods and the AirPods charging case is $49.
This does not include the taxes and the shipping fee of $6.95 if you decide to mail them in for repair.
Source: Apple
The best thing to do is to try cleaning the charging contacts on the case and the AirPods, and if it doesn’t work even after a reset of the unit, you will have to reach out to Apple and order in replacements or service the battery.
If you are thinking about the second generation AirPods, this might be a good time to look into it. If you are only looking for replacing the AirPods case, you can now get the wireless charging case from Apple.
Here’s a Trick to get cheap AirPods Replacements from Apple
Washington Post recently wrote a piece about the issue around dying batteries on AirPods. Geoffrey Fowler from WAPO spend some time looking at the internals of the AirPods and showing how and where the AirPods batteries are housed. In his research he found that there are some ways in which you can get a cheap AirPods replacement directly from Apple.
As per his post here are three key things to keep in mind when contacting Apple for AirPods replacements:
Source: @geoffreyfowler WAPO
If your AirPods are less than a year old and the battery is not performing up to the promised five hours of listening time, an Apple storewill replace them at no cost.
Apple recently began selling its AppleCare+ warranty for $29, which covers the battery too. But this extended warranty lasts only two years — which wouldn’t have been long enough to save my AirPods.
If your AirPods are out of warranty, Apple will replace them for $49 per stick — so in reality, $98 total. A replacement for the charging case, which doesn’t wear out as quickly, is also $49. The key phrase to say is “battery service.”
We hope that the simple inspection and cleaning processes for the charging contacts fixed your issue as most of the time that seems to do the trick.
Please let us know in the comments below if you have any questions or if you would like to share a tip that helped you with this issue.
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
I have a pair of 2nd generation I bought last Christmas. All of a sudden they don’t work and I got a message saying out of warranty. I clean and take good care of them and are in a protective case. So annoying. Only ya year old.
My AirPods Pro charging duration is more than 36 hours with the given charger cable. While I plug in the same cable with my MacBook the AirPods found fully charged with in 15 to 20 minutes. How/Why?
I discovered case was fully charged but ear pieces were at 80%. Like my phone evidently they optimizes different at times during the nite. I guess not to build up a memory.
I have a pair of air-pods initially for which i have lost the case and then purchased a new set of air-pods and used the new case with the old pods and those turn to be working fine till now but slowly right pod is loosing battery quickly and getting disconnected. so, i thought to use the new pods with the case. So, it was around a year i kept those pods aside from case. Now, when i put the new pods those turn to be neither charging nor working.
If we understand this correctly, neither set of AirPods are successfully charging in the case–is that correct?
If so, first run a test by borrowing a friend case and try charging your AirPods via that case–if they charge, then we’ve isolated the problem to the case. If they don’t charge, then we suggest trying to charge your friends AirPods in your case–to rule out the case as the problem.
Once you identify if the problem is your case or the AirPods themselves, the first thing to do is clean every connection thoroughly. It’s possible that there are debris and grease inside of the charging case, preventing a good connection. We want to do everything we can to maintain good and consistent contact between the Pods and the case for charging.
If your AirPods case is wired, make sure you plug it into a wall outlet and not a USB port on your computer.
It sounds like there is something preventing your right AirPods from charging. SO check the ends of that AirPod to ensure there is no plastic film or anything else obstructing it. Then take a look inside the AirPods’ case to see if anything is preventing it from charging at the bottom of the right AirPod.
If you don’t see anything on the AirPod itself or the case, try adding some cushioning on top of the right AirPod when it’s in the case. It may be that the contacts at the bottom of the case & AirPod aren’t meeting and it needs an extra bit to push it towards the base.
Another option is to use someone else’s AirPod case for charging to see if the problem is with your AirPods’ case or with the right AirPod itself.
If you have an Apple ID and purchased those AirPods using that Apple ID, you may be able to recover a receipt that way–check your email associated with that Apple ID too!
Lise Delplanque says
I have a pair of 2nd generation I bought last Christmas. All of a sudden they don’t work and I got a message saying out of warranty. I clean and take good care of them and are in a protective case. So annoying. Only ya year old.
Basheer MM says
My AirPods Pro charging duration is more than 36 hours with the given charger cable. While I plug in the same cable with my MacBook the AirPods found fully charged with in 15 to 20 minutes. How/Why?
Richard Mathias says
I discovered case was fully charged but ear pieces were at 80%. Like my phone evidently they optimizes different at times during the nite. I guess not to build up a memory.
James Okyere says
My airpod left is charging in the case but not Playing in the ear
Srikanth T says
Hi,
I have a pair of air-pods initially for which i have lost the case and then purchased a new set of air-pods and used the new case with the old pods and those turn to be working fine till now but slowly right pod is loosing battery quickly and getting disconnected. so, i thought to use the new pods with the case. So, it was around a year i kept those pods aside from case. Now, when i put the new pods those turn to be neither charging nor working.
Please help how to get the new pods working!!!
I’m a android user with air-pods.
Regards,
Srikanth
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Srikanth,
If we understand this correctly, neither set of AirPods are successfully charging in the case–is that correct?
If so, first run a test by borrowing a friend case and try charging your AirPods via that case–if they charge, then we’ve isolated the problem to the case. If they don’t charge, then we suggest trying to charge your friends AirPods in your case–to rule out the case as the problem.
Once you identify if the problem is your case or the AirPods themselves, the first thing to do is clean every connection thoroughly. It’s possible that there are debris and grease inside of the charging case, preventing a good connection. We want to do everything we can to maintain good and consistent contact between the Pods and the case for charging.
If your AirPods case is wired, make sure you plug it into a wall outlet and not a USB port on your computer.
Trabelsi Mohammed kamel says
The case of my AirPods didn’t charge the right one.
Only left one working. Still, brand new didn’t work even 10 hrs. Please help.
I buy it from the USA and I don’t have the receipt and I can’t come back there again due to work in Algeria
Elizabeth Jones says
HI Trabelsi,
It sounds like there is something preventing your right AirPods from charging. SO check the ends of that AirPod to ensure there is no plastic film or anything else obstructing it. Then take a look inside the AirPods’ case to see if anything is preventing it from charging at the bottom of the right AirPod.
If you don’t see anything on the AirPod itself or the case, try adding some cushioning on top of the right AirPod when it’s in the case. It may be that the contacts at the bottom of the case & AirPod aren’t meeting and it needs an extra bit to push it towards the base.
Another option is to use someone else’s AirPod case for charging to see if the problem is with your AirPods’ case or with the right AirPod itself.
If you have an Apple ID and purchased those AirPods using that Apple ID, you may be able to recover a receipt that way–check your email associated with that Apple ID too!
Liz
RP silverman says
Thx. Tried above but no luck. Case doesn’t blink at all, even after reset. Hate to have to buy new ones after less than a year.
Jason says
Same here! 1st pair stolen. 2nd pair perfect for 8 months. Case stopped charging. Cannot get to charge or re-set. Tried everything!
lkuyf says
love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!