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Why is my charger not going into my AirPods case?

As an owner of some shiny AirPods, I’ve recently been having a frustrating problem: no matter how many times I tried, my charger just wouldn’t go into my AirPods case! After doing some research and testing, I thought it was time to share my experience and the solutions I discovered.

In this blog post, I’m going to explain why my charger wasn’t going into my AirPods case, and provide some tips and tricks to help others with the same problem.

Quick Tips for AirPods Charging Issues
Use the correct charging cable
Check for debris in charging port
Check for charger’s green/orange light
Check for broken AirPods
Try charging with a friend’s charger
Take the case to Apple store for fix

Why is my charger not going into my AirPods case?

Below are possible reasons why your charger is not going into your AirPods case.

Wrong charging cable

The most likely reason why your charger is not going into the case is that you are using the wrong type of cable. All of the AirPods cases currently use lightning ports. If your cable is not a lightning cable, it will not fit into your AirPods case.

It is common for people to try to use USBC cables when they need lightning cables. In this case, you can get a lightning to USB-C adapter.

Note: the newest current AirPods at time of writing are AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 1. It may be the case that Apple changes the type of charging port in the future.

Debris in the charging port of the case

It might also be the case that there is debris inside the charging port of the case. This would be more likely if the cable has stopped fitting in the case suddenly. It would help to check that there is no debris in there.

Broken charging port

It could also be the case that the charging port has broken. This would also be more likely if the cable has stopped fitting suddenly.

Read more: Should I engrave my AirPods?

AirPods
AirPods

Why are my AirPods not fitting in the charger?

Below are possible reasons why your AirPods are not fitting in the charger.

Wrong charger

The most obvious reason is that you are using the wrong charger. Not all AirPods use the same chargers. The AirPods pro charger is different to the regular AirPods charger and the AirPods 3 charger is different to the AirPods 1 and 2 chargers.

You are putting the AirPods in the wrong way

You might also be putting the AirPods in the wrong way and it would help to try repositioning your AirPods.

Debris in the charger

It is also possible that there is debris in the charger that has been preventing you from putting your AirPods in there.

Read more: Why do my AirPods disconnect when I get a notification?

Why is the charger not charging the AirPods?

Below are likely reasons why your charger has not been charging your AirPods.

Debris in the charger

It could be the case that there is debris inside the charger. This would be more likely if only one of the AirPods are not charging. It would help to inspect the charger and to remove any debris using a q-tip.

Broken charger

It could be the case that the charger is broken. This would be more likely if you recently dropped the case and if there is definitely no debris in the case. If you open the lid of the case, there should be a light that shows that is either orange or green.

If you have a friend with AirPods, it would help to see if you can use their charger to charge your AirPods. If it does charge the AirPods, it would suggest that your charger is broken.

It would help to try charging your AirPods case with a different cable. If that does not work and there is definitely no debris in the case, it would be worth taking it to an Apple store to see if they can fix it.

No power in the charger

It might also be the case that there is no power in the charger itself. If you open the lid of the charger, you should see a green or orange light. If it does not light up, it would mean that the charger has no power or that it is faulty.

Broken AirPods

The issue could be that the AirPods themselves are broken. This would be more likely if they recently were allowed to get wet. It would also be more likely if it is only one AirPod that is not charging.

Additionally, if your AirPods have been allowed to be at 0% charge for a long time, the issue could be that the battery died completely.

Lithium-ion batteries need some charge in order to actually allow themselves to be charged.

When your AirPods run out of power, they actually still have some charge remaining.

If your AirPods have been at 0% charge for a long time, it could be the case that they were able to fully drain and so can no longer be charged.