As an AirPods owner, I was incredibly frustrated when I realized my AirPods case wasn’t wirelessly charging. After doing some research and testing, I discovered there could be a few different causes for this issue. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing how I solved the problem and other solutions I discovered, as well as their pros and cons.
Likely reasons why your AirPods case is not wirelessly charging are that you have the wrong type of charging mat, the wrong type of AirPods case, you’re placing the case down wrong, the case is broken, or the mat is broken.
It would help to see if the case itself is broken by charging it via lightning cable. If it charges via lightning cable, it means that the case is not broken.
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| AirPods cases can sometimes not wirelessly charge. |
| Wrong charging mat or case type, incorrect placement, or damage. |
| A front light on the AirPods case indicates a wireless case. |
| The light will turn either orange or green for up to 8 seconds. |
| Not all AirPods cases are capable of wireless charging. |
| Inner light means non-wireless charging case, outer light is wireless. |
Why isn’t my AirPods wirelessly charging?
Below are likely reasons why your AirPods case does not seem to be charging wirelessly.
Wrong charging mat
It could be the case that you are trying to charge the case using a charging mat that is not compatible with the AirPods case.
The charging mat should be Qi-certified and all of the Apple wireless chargers do work with the AirPods wireless charging case.
If you are using a third-party charging mat, it could be the case that it is the wrong type of mat. It would help to see if any reviews of the charging mat are saying that they had difficulty charging Apple devices.
Wrong AirPods case
The first-gen AirPods came with a wired-only charging case. The second-gen AirPods could either come with a non-wireless or a wireless charging case.
The third-gen AirPods come with a wireless charging case. The AirPod pros used to come with a non-wireless charging case, but they now come with a wireless charging case.
If your AirPods case has a light on the front, it will be a wireless charging case.
Placing the case down wrong
It could also be the case that you have been placing the charging case down incorrectly on the charging mat. When placing the case down, you should place it so that the light on the case is facing towards you.
Broken AirPods case
It could be the case that the AirPods case is broken. This would be more likely if you can’t even charge it via lightning cable and if other devices do charge normally on that charging mat.
Broken charging mat
It could also be the case that the charging mat is broken. It would help to try charging a different device on the charging mat and to see if that device is able to charge or not. If not, it means that it is the mat that is at fault.
The case is actually charging
The light on the AirPods case only lights up for a few seconds when you place it on the charging mat.
If you see that the light does appear when you place the case on the mat, it means that that case is actually charging. An orange light means that it is not at full power and a green light means that it is at full power.
If the light is appearing and the case is actually being charged, it might actually mean that there is a problem with the AirPods.
It could be the case that you are placing the AirPods in the case incorrectly, there is debris in the case resulting in your AirPods not being charged or that the AirPods themselves are broken.
However, this would not be the case if they do charge if you charge the case via lightning cable.
Read more: Can the AirPods case make a sound?
How to tell if my AirPods are charging?
When you start charging your AirPods, the light on the case will either appear orange or green for up to 8 seconds. An orange light means that it is not at full power.
A green light means that the case is already at full power.
Read more: Can you charge AirPods through a computer?
How do I enable wireless charging on my AirPods?
You do not need to do anything in order to enable wireless charging for your AirPods case. All you need to do is to place it down on a compatible Qi charging mat.
Can all AirPods be wirelessly charged?
Not all AirPod cases can be wirelessly charged. The older models of AirPods had non-wireless charging cases.
If you have a light on the inside of the charging case, it means that it is a non-wireless charging case. Whereas, a light on the outside means that it is a wireless charging case.
Pros
- Wireless charging is more convenient than having to plug in your AirPods every time you need to charge them.
- Wireless charging can be faster than wired charging, depending on the type of charger you are using.
- Wireless charging is more convenient when you are on-the-go because you don’t need to carry around a lightning cable with you.
Cons
- Wireless charging can be slower than wired charging, depending on the type of charger you are using.
- Wireless charging can be less reliable than wired charging, depending on the type of charger you are using.
- Wireless charging can be more expensive than wired charging, depending on the type of charger you are using.
