As an owner of AirPods, I was frustrated that I couldn’t charge them wirelessly with my iPhone. After doing some research and testing, I’m here to share how I solved this dilemma and other solutions I discovered. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing how you can charge AirPods with an iPhone wirelessly.
While you can use your iPhone charger to charge your AirPods, you can’t use your iPhone itself to charge the AirPods wirelessly. This is because Apple is yet to implement reverse wireless charging in their devices, although this might change in the future.
*The AirPods Pro 2 case and newer can actually be charged using the Apple Watch charger.
| Method | Device/Platform | Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Wireless Charging | 2nd & 3rd gen AirPods, All gens of AirPods Pro | 1. Check the case for low charge (amber/orange status light) 2. Close the case 3. Place it on a certified wireless charger (MagSafe or Qi Wireless charger) with the status light facing up 4. Wait for the case to snap in place and start charging |
| Charging with a Cable | All gens & models of AirPods and AirPods Pro | 1. Plug a Lightning to USB Cable into the charging port in the AirPods case <br> 2. Connect the USB port to any compatible power source (iPhone/iPad USB charger or a Mac) |
Table of Contents
Is It Possible to Charge AirPods with iPhone Wirelessly?
In order to charge a device wirelessly, it must have an electromagnetic coil somewhere inside. In fact, most Apple wearables nowadays, including the AirPods and Apple Watches have these technologies, which allow them to be charged wirelessly.
However, in order to charge these devices using another device, such as a smartphone, the other device needs to have a technology called “reverse charging” built into them.
As things stand, iPhones nowadays (from iPhone 8, 8 Plus, iPhone X, and moving forward) come with an electromagnetic coil positioned in them, which allows them to be charged wirelessly using wireless chargers.
However, you still can’t use your iPhone to charge AirPods wirelessly because iPhones, even the latest ones, don’t support reverse charging technology.
This is because the Qi charging components inside iPhone devices are designed so that they can only operate in a single direction all the time, which is from the external power source to the iPhone (charging the iPhone), but not the other way around.
However, there are speculations that reverse charging will soon come to iPhones, as the technology is actually present in other smartphones.
How Can I Charge My AirPods Wirelessly?
As previously established, AirPods can’t receive a charge from the iPhone. However, they still have an electromagnetic coil built into them, which means that they can be charged wirelessly using any external source that can move the charge in that direction.
In order to charge your AirPods wirelessly, you’ll first need to check whether your AirPods support wireless charging.
Currently, the charging cases that support wireless charging are the 2nd and 3rd generations of AirPods as well as all generations of AirPods Pro.
Here’s a brief guide that shows you how to charge AirPods Wirelessly:
- Start by checking the AirPods case to see if it’s low on charge. If you open the case and you see the status light illuminating amber or orange, it is a sign that the case needs to be charged.
- To charge the case, close the AirPods case and place it on a certified wireless charger, whether it’s a MagSafe wireless charger or a Qi Wireless charger. Make sure that you put the charger so that the status light is facing up.
- Once the case snaps in place (in the center of the charger), it will start charging automatically.
What Are the Alternative Methods to Charge AirPods?
In addition to wireless charging, you can also charge your AirPods directly using a charging cable.
This method is quite convenient because it works with all generations and models of AirPods and AirPods Pro, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues here.
To do this, simply plug in a Lightning to USB Cable into the charging port in your AirPods case, then connect the USB port to any compatible power source.
Your AirPods will charge the fastest if it is connected to either an iPhone or iPad USB charger or directly to a mac.
Read more: AirPods won’t hold a charge
Can You Charge AirPods Directly?
Apple AirPods cases are designed so that you can charge them up whether the AirPods themselves are inside or not.
However, you can’t charge the AirPods directly without using the case. In fact, there are plenty of online hacks which promise that you’ll be able to pull that off, but they don’t work and will only put your AirPods at risk of malfunctioning.
How Fast Do AirPods Charge Up Wirelessly?
If you charge the Airpods for around 15 minutes, you should expect them to last for up to 2 hours of talking or up to 3 hours of listening. A fully charged AirPod will allow up to 3 hours of talking or up to 5 hours of listening.
Read more: AirPods not connecting to Mac
Wrap Up
Charing your AirPods wirelessly using your iPhone would save you a lot of hassle, and while the charging cases support wireless charging, iPhones don’t support reverse charging yet.
The reverse charging technology is seen in a few smartphones out there, so the good news is that Apple might implement it in its devices in the near future, although there are reports that believe that such technology is unlikely in the near future.
