As an owner of AirPods, I had a frustrating experience when my AirPods wouldn’t charge to 100%. After doing some research, I realized that this is a common problem for many AirPods owners. So I decided to share my experience and all the solutions I discovered. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing the possible causes of why your AirPods won’t charge to 100% and the best ways to fix them. Hopefully, this will help others who are experiencing the same issue and save them the hassle of troubleshooting.
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| The AirPods case may not have enough charge to fully charge the AirPods. |
| AirPods may not charge to 100% due to software or hardware issues. |
| Performing an Apple update of the AirPods or AirPods Pro may help resolve charging issues. |
| Over time, lithium-ion batteries can degrade and may no longer charge to 100%. |
| Ensure that the AirPods case is using a genuine Apple charging cable and adapter. |
| Once the AirPods reach a state of full charge, remove the plug from the case. |
Why Won’t My AirPods Charge to 100?
What is the most common reason as to why your AirPods will not charge to 100? With your AirPods themselves not charging to 100, typically the problem has to do with software or hardware-related issue.
The AirPods themselves are going to charge from the power that comes from the case. When they are unable to get to 100, it could be that you have firmware on the earbuds that are out of date.
Try to do an Apple update of the AirPods or AirPods Pro. By doing this, you could solve your problem.
The other factor at play here is a potential defect with the AirPods charger case. It could be that the case is not doing its job in transferring power from the case to the earbuds. This could prevent the earbuds from charging fully, to that 100 level.
Something else to consider is that lithium-ion batteries do degrade over time. If your AirPods are more than 6 months old, they may not charge fully to 100% because they no longer are able to hold the full amount of charge.
However, they should still be charging at least to 95%. If your AirPods are not charging to at least 95%, it could be due to a problem with the battery or the charging case.
Also, it could be the case that there is not enough charge in the charging case to charge the AirPods to 100. When you open the case, without the AirPods inside, an orange light means that there is less than one full charge inside the case.
A green light means that there is at least 1 full charge inside the case. If you have been charging your AirPods when there is less than one full charge inside the case, then it will not be possible for the case to charge them to 100.
Read more: How do I make my AirPods have more bass?
Why Won’t My AirPods Case Charge to 100?
Your AirPods Case is a whole different story when it comes to reasons as to why it will not charge fully. When you think about the case, you are bringing power into it via a USB charging cable.
The first problem may be the charging cable itself. Are you using a genuine Apple charging cable for the case? If you are using a third party, it could be an immediate indicator of your problems.
If you verify you have a good charging cable, how is the connection? Is there any wear and tear on the cable causing it to become loose?
Any instance where a faulty connection exists could keep the AirPods from getting to 100.
The other potential problem could be the firmware of the charging case. It could be that Apple has put out an update that impacts the ability of the case to charge fully.
If you do not have the update done to the charging case, it is possible it cannot get to 100.
Finally, you may have a lot of wear and tear on the charging case. It is only going to charge fully so many times.
After years of using the AirPods, it could be that the battery health overall in the charging case is not where it once was. This can prevent it from reaching a state where it has a full charge.
Read more: Can you connect two AirPods to a computer?
Why Don’t My AirPods Charge Fully?
Believe it or not, the AirPods each have a battery within them. When they are charging, the battery is holding that charge and over time, the health of the AirPod will drain. When you first buy AirPods, you have battery health of 100 in total.
Over time, that battery health starts to come down. As time passes, it will drop so that the max charge it holds is less than 100.
You should think about the wear and tear on the AirPods and how that may impact its ability to fully charge.
Why Won’t One of My AirPods Charge to 100?
You may have a situation where one AirPod gets and full charge and the other does not. The first thing you will want to do in this instance is looking at the charging case.
Try to do a reset of the case and see if there are any updates eligible for it. If you are sure the case is working properly, check the connection points for when the AirPods get placement into the case.
You may have the tip of the AirPod carrying a lot of dirt and grime, messing with the connection to charge fully.
How Long Does It Take to Charge AirPods to 100?
How long should you expect it to take to charge up a set of AirPods? To charge your AirPods, you only need to have them receiving power for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Apple claims that just charging your AirPods for about five minutes will give you roughly one hour of listening time.
Professional Charging Tips
There are some things you can do as the owner of AirPods to ensure you are charging them properly. You want to use a genuine charging cable as well as the adapter that came with the charging case.
You also have the option to use the USB charger that came with your Apple iPhone or iPad. You never want to use a third-party charger to charge any Apple device, including the AirPods.
Once they reach a state of full charge, remove the plug from the charge to the case. Now, you can charge your AirPods like a professional.
Pros
- Can charge your AirPods to 100% with the right solutions.
- Firmware updates can help solve software-related issues.
- Genuine Apple charging cable and adapter can help keep your AirPods charged to 100%.
- Can use the USB charger that came with your iPhone or iPad to charge your AirPods.
- Remove the plug from the charge to the case once the AirPods reach a state of full charge.
Cons
- The case might not contain enough charge to fully charge the AirPods.
- Lithium-ion batteries do degrade over time and may no longer charge to 100%.
- Wear and tear on the AirPods can impact its ability to fully charge.
- Faulty connection can prevent the AirPods from charging fully.
- Firmware updates may be necessary for the charging case to charge fully.
