How long you can expect to use your Apple AirPods depends in part on which model you own. The AirPods (second generation) should give you about five hours of listening time and three hours of talk time, while AirPods Pro offers 4.5 hours of listening time and 3.5 hours of talk time.
But if your AirPods die much faster than how they're rated by Apple, there are a few things you can do to extend their battery life and get more useful time from them. Here are seven of the most common tricks and tips for making your AirPods run longer.
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Lower the volume
You've probably noticed that running audio equipment at high volume draws more power than when the volume is lower. The same thing can happen with earbuds like AirPods. If your AirPods are dying quickly, try lowering the volume and see if that helps. It's also better for the long-term health of your ears.
Turn off noise cancellation when you don't need it
If you have AirPods with noise cancellation built in — like the AirPods Pro — then the active noise cancellation feature can dramatically reduce background noise, but also run down the batteries much more quickly. To disable noise cancellation and extend the battery, open the iPhone's Control Center by swiping down from the top right of the screen, tap and hold the volume meter, and then tap the Noise Control option at the bottom. Switch the control to Off or Transparency.
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Keep the charging case topped off
While you can get around a full day of runtime from AirPods, that's based on topping off the earbuds by placing them in the charging case a few times throughout the day. On its own, each earbud only runs for a few hours. If you don't charge up the charging case, you might find it's empty when you need it and your AirPods won't get any extra juice. Remember to return AirPods to their case and top them off whenever you're not actively using them.
Don't run your AirPods completely empty
The battery in each AirPod is tiny, especially compared to the relatively enormous one in your iPhone or iPad. That means you need to charge them far more often, and that cycling can reduce the battery's ability to hold a charge. One way you can extend the life of your AirPods so they won't die so quickly in regular use is to charge them before they run all the way down. If you can charge them before they reach the low battery warning, you'll extend their useful life. The same is true about stopping the charge before the AirPods get all the way to 100% charge. Stopping the charge short — even at 90% — can make a big difference.
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Don't store your AirPods in extreme temperatures
Batteries don't like temperature extremes, both hot and cold — but batteries are especially averse to hot weather. If you routinely leave your AirPods in their case in a location that gets extremely hot, like inside a car in summer, the batteries will lose their ability to reach a full charge more quickly (which will make the AirPods die sooner).
Reset your AirPods
It's possible that your AirPods might need to be reset. On your iPhone, start the Settings app and then tap Bluetooth. Find the AirPods and tap the i on the right. Then tap Forget This Device and confirm you want to remove the AirPods from your phone — that'll unpair them. Now set up and pair your AirPods on your phone a second time and see if they behave better in regular use.
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Replace your AirPods
It's also possible that your AirPods are simply getting old. If you are a regular AirPods user, you shouldn't expect to get much more than about two years of routine use out of your Apple earbuds. If you try everything in this list and the AirPods are still running down rapidly in ordinary use, it might be time to replace them.
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.
