AirPods Battery Drain: The Truth & The Fix!

Ever since AirPods first showed up back in late 2016, I saw them everywhere on campus my Freshman year. There were so many memes. It was a simpler time. Even as an Android guy myself, I will admit that AirPods are pretty cool, even if I don’t own a pair.

I may not own AirPods, but I know for a fact that AirPod battery drain is a very real problem. If it hasn’t happened to you already, it will eventually. It happens to all lithium-ion batteries, in fact. I have some tips that will help you keep your AirPods going strong and I’ll tell you what you need to do if you start noticing your airpods battery life declining.

What Is AirPods Battery Drain?

You know how you gradually lose energy over the course of the semester, ultimately feeling like you just don’t have anything left to give by the time finals week rolls around? That’s pretty similar to how AirPod battery drain works. Over time, the lithium-ion batteries degrade and make each charge shorter and shorter. Simply put, your AirPods battery life will decrease more quickly as time goes on.

This isn’t because they are using more power. Over time, the maximum capacity of the batteries inside the earbuds will start to decrease. Battery degradation is caused by all sorts of factors, one of them being the growth of dendrites, which if left to grow inside of a battery unchecked can, in extreme cases, cause the battery to catch fire and explode.

Ultimately, there is no way to completely prevent battery degradation in AirPods. The only thing you can do is to slow down the process to make the most out of your AirPods before they will need to be replaced.

Severe Drain

Sometimes batteries just go bad, no matter what you do. A hard impact can damage a battery. I got the opportunity to hold an AirPod I found at Curl Market once. It has since been returned to its rightful owner, but man these earbuds are small. I can imagine them getting crushed very easily, even just a little bit, if you happened to leave one on a desk and sat a book on top of it by mistake.

According to Apple’s official advice, AirPods need to be handled carefully. Even simply dropping them can cause physical damage to the internal batteries. This can affect your AirPods battery life. Sometimes it can be difficult to explain why AirPod battery drain happens. If you find that your AirPods aren’t lasting as long as they used to, it might be time to get them replaced. However, you really shouldn’t just throw them away. The batteries can cause serious fires, even the battery is no good anymore. There have been many chemical fires at recycling plants and garbage disposal locations because of people throwing away cell phones, tablets, computers, and other devices.

What Should I Do with My Old AirPods?

Instead of throwing them away, it might be worth trading them for a fresh pair of AirPods. When trading them in with Podswap, you don’t have to worry about the hassle of taking all the correct steps to recycle them. You’ll not only help protect the environment, but you’ll get a fresh pair of headphones for cheap. Thumbs up for that!

What to Do if AirPods Are Losing Charge

Praying to the clocktower won’t keep AirPod battery drain at bay, but there are some steps you can take to keep your AirPods in top shape for longer.

Don’t Let Your AirPods Get Too Hot or Too Cold

One lesser-known killer of lithium-ion batteries is temperature. AirPod battery drain can be accelerated by extreme temperature. A quick walk from the Ohio Union to Thompson Library in sub-zero weather won’t kill them, but don’t spend a long time outside while wearing them while it’s that cold. The same can be said about hot weather.

According to the University of Michigan (yeah, I know), it’s especially important not to charge devices when it’s too cold. So, if for some reason you thought about charging your AirPods in the freezer, think again!

Don’t Leave Your AirPods Case Plugged in Continuously

I’m sure we’ve all left our laptops plugged in for long periods of time before. It’s just easier, and you never have to worry about them running out of battery. I doubt that very many people do this with AirPods because they are so portable. Leaving them plugged in doesn’t make much sense.

Let’s imagine though that you aren’t going to be using them for a while. Leaving the case plugged in for a long time is bad for the battery. So, don’t do that! If you are going to store them for a while, leave the case unplugged for a bit. If it’s for a really long time, then make sure you take them out every once in a while and at least have them play some music for a little while so that it discharges the batteries a little.

Be Nice to Your AirPods

AirPods aren’t exactly the most durable things in the world. However, with cell phones these days pushing water resistance ratings further and further, it’s easy to be a bit careless with our technology. AirPods do not have a water resistance rating, so they are definitely not waterproof. They might survive a splash here and there, or even a washing machine cycle, but don’t count on it.

Try to take care of them in general. Make sure not to leave them anywhere exposed where they might get crushed. The case might help protect them, but it is also a battery itself. Try to protect the case with a case cover! It’s like a case for your case. Plus, it gives you an excuse to decorate and change up the color a bit.

I really like this red AirPods case cover. Show off your school spirit by making your AirPods case don scarlet. Go Bucks!

Upgrade Your AirPods

If all else fails, it’s probably time to upgrade or get a new pair of earbuds. There are a lot of options to choose from, so here’s a quick table with an overview of your options:

Feature	AirPods Pro 2nd Gen	AirPods Pro 1st Gen	AirPods 3rd Gen	AirPods 2nd Gen
Chip	H2	H1	H1	H1
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)	Improved ANC	Yes	No	No
Battery Life (Earbuds)	6 hours with ANC	4.5 hours with ANC	Up to 6 hours	Up to 5 hours
Battery Life (with case)	Up to 30 hours	Up to 24 hours	Up to 30 hours	Up to 24 hours
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.0
Sweat and Water Resistance	IPX4 (earbuds and case)	IPX4 (earbuds only)	IPX4	Not specified
Spatial Audio	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Case	Speaker for Find My app, U1 chip	No speaker, no U1 chip	MagSafe charging case	Standard charging case
Ear Tips	XS-L	S-M	None	None
Price	$174.97	$120.00 (Renewed)	$109.00 (renewed)	$149.00

AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)

If you’re having battery drain issues, latest and greatest Apple wireless earbuds are the AirPods Pro 2nd generation. They’re on the pricier side, but you get a lot of great features. You get up to 6 hours of battery life without the case, and up to 30 hours if you count the extra juice in the case. The active noise cancellation is improved from the last generation, and it also supports a newer Bluetooth 5.3 protocol. However, you aren’t going to get any extra sweat and water resistance over previous AirPods.

Just like its predecessor, the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation also have spatial audio features when watching and listening to media. Uniquely, the case also has a speaker that makes a noise when you’re trying to find it if you lose it.

AirPods Pro (1st Generation)

The last generation of Apple’s premium option is actually a great deal right now. Again, I’m an Android user so I enjoy my Samsung Galaxy Buds and Surface Earbuds, but AirPods Pro 1st generation definitely make my mouth water.

AirPods Pro have active noise cancellation and ambient sound pass-through, which makes them an excellent choice for an Ohio State student. You need a pair of earbuds that can allow you to hear things around you and also block out sound when necessary.

Have you ever seen that meme, “Oh no, they can’t hear us! They have AirPods in!” Well, that won’t happen to you if you use AirPod’s Pro’s transparency feature. If you’re at Thompson Library and don’t want to hear the guy chewing his potato chips next to you while you’re trying to study, active noise cancellation will be a life saver on these things.

Best of all, AirPods battery drain won’t happen to you as quickly because they have longer lasting batteries in their charging cases. Although there’s fewer features than the 2nd generation AirPods Pro, you’re going to get a much better value for these since they’re a lot cheaper on Amazon right now if you buy renewed.

AirPods (3rd Generation)

While not having as many features as their more professional cousins, the AirPods 3rd generation are still a formidable and stylish option for college students like you. Although you don’t get active noise cancellation, you get the same six hours of battery life without the case as the AirPods Pro 2nd generation. The MagSafe charging case and spatial audio features are also really cool.

AirPods (2nd Generation)

If you don’t care too much about features, probably the best deal on Apple’s earbuds that you can get are the AirPods 2nd Generation. You’ll miss out on active noise cancellation, spatial audio, and wireless case charging. In addition, you get an hour shorter battery life than the 3rd generation AirPods. The case holds a smaller charge as well. However, in my opinion, if you’re not a fan of bells and whistles and you don’t use AirPods all the time, maybe the 2nd generation is just fine for you.

Take Care of Your AirPods!

Now that you know everything you need to know about AirPods battery drain, I hope that I’ve convinced you to take care of your earbuds. Make sure you take care of yourself too!

We can’t completely stop battery degradation, but we can slow it down with best practices. Don’t let your AirPods get too hot or cold, don’t abuse them, and don’t overcharge them. If they’ve got you in the dumps, try trading them in for a new pair or upgrade to the next level. That should help get you better AirPods battery life in no time.

Thank you for reading! If you have any friends with AirPods, be sure to send this article their way. You might be able to save them from bad battery drain. Drink lots of water and Go Bucks!