Apple’s AirPods have roared out the door and are getting good reviews, but there may be some battery issues to contend with for some users.
A number of users have reported that the charging case that comes with the headphones isn’t holding Apple’s advertised 24 hours of charge. In theory, the charging case should only lose noticeable amounts of charge when the AirPods are low on battery and recharging within the case, and when users flip the pack open to check battery levels or otherwise activate Bluetooth with a connected Apple device.
Users who’ve reported issues have stated that the AirPods case drains more than 40 percent of available capacity in only a few hours, with the AirPods at 100 percent inside and minimal Bluetooth activation.
In the case of Reddit user “severinskulls”, the issue was resolved via a replacement AirPods case. In most cases, the AirPods themselves are not facing any shortened battery life issues.
The user offered the following comments:
The old AirPods Charging Case:
I was having the exact same issue you had. Airpods in case, go to bed with full charge and waking up with 15%-20% of the case charge gone. Thats a full charge cycle for the airpods themselves!I spoke to apple support online. They had no answer how long the charge of the case should last when the airpods are not in use. They made an appointment for me instore as all diagnostics at the moment are being handled instore they said. Cut to this morning, go in for my appointment. The genius was very friendly. I was his first airpods case. Turns out he also has no info on whether this rate of the battery draining is normal. He said that definitely they are designed to lose charge over time as cycling the charge improves the health of the airpod batteries. However as I pointed out, going from a full charge to empty in two days while they are sitting there unused seems way too fast. To be safe, he placed my airpods. So i got a brand new pair.
The new AirPods Charging Case:
Sooooo I just checked. Airpods and case were 100% at 9pm last night. Checked just now at 9am the next morning and they are STILL at 100%, both the pods and the case. I had bluetooth on my phone on all night too. With the other pair in the same situation, I would have lost 14-20% charge by now.So there we go, case closed (pun?), there is a battery life problem suffered by the airpods. I’m going to write back feedback to apple now. You should get your airpods replaced because they shouldnt lose as much charge as what youre experiencing.
In a teardown last week by iFixit, it was theorized that the Charging Case was the cause of the AirPods’ delay from October to December. The root of the problem was a few empty spaces discovered within the solder joints of the case’s chip. This is referred to as “voiding,” which iFixit said “could be evidence of low quality standards, or a rushed product release.”
The exact cause and scope of the AirPods case issue remains unclear and some users have speculated that the issue could be an initial charge cycle hiccup that sorts itself out over time. Even so, some users have reported that the issue has remained since day one.
Apple has yet to officially comment on these reports.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.