Your AirPods case battery is draining mostly because the case recharges the buds each time you put them back. That is normal. Apple says the case holds multiple full charges, so one long day can take a large share of it. The drain is a problem when the case drops with full buds inside, or when one bud never fills.
How much AirPods case battery drain is normal
Apple does not publish a drain rate for the case. It publishes two numbers that let you work one out: how long the buds last on one charge, and how long they last with the case.
| Model | One charge of the buds | With the case | Refills in a full case |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirPods Pro 3 | Up to 8 hours | Up to 24 hours | About 2 |
| AirPods Pro 2 | Up to 6 hours | Up to 30 hours | About 4 |
| AirPods 5 | Up to 4 hours | Up to 20 hours | About 4 |
| AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case | Up to 5 hours | Up to 22 hours | About 3 |
The first two columns are Apple’s figures with Active Noise Cancellation on. The last column is our arithmetic from them. A full case with about 2 refills loses roughly half its charge to refill two empty buds. A case with about 4 refills loses roughly a quarter.
Use that as a rule of thumb.
| What you see | Normal? |
|---|---|
| The case drops after you put used buds back | Yes. The case is charging them |
| The case drops more on days you listen more | Yes |
| The buds stop below 100% for a while, then finish | Yes, on models with Optimized Battery Charging |
| The case drops a lot while full buds sit in it with the lid closed | No. Record it for a few days |
| One bud stays much lower than the other after a night in the case | No. That bud is not charging |
| A full case no longer refills the buds as many times as it did | It points to an aged battery |
Why the AirPods case battery drains
The buds are in the case
This is the main cause, and it is how AirPods are meant to work. Apple’s user guide says AirPods shut down and charge whenever they are in the case with the lid closed. The charge comes from the case.
There is nothing to fix. Charge the case when its status light turns amber. Amber means less than one full charge remains.
The lid is open
AirPods shut down when the lid is closed. With the lid open they stay awake and connect to your device.
To fix it, close the lid when you put the AirPods away.
One bud is not charging in the case
Debris in the case can stop a bud from charging. Then one bud is low in the morning, and the levels of the case and the buds stop making sense.
Fix: Apple says to clean the charging case with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth, and to remove debris from the charging port with a clean, dry, soft-bristled brush. Do not put anything in the charging ports. Then put both AirPods in the case and let them charge for 30 seconds. Open the lid near your iPhone or iPad and check that each AirPod is charging.
Optimized Battery Charging holds the buds back
AirPods Pro and AirPods 3 or later wait to finish charging until just before you usually use them. AirPods Pro 3 can also stop at an optimized limit. So the case can give up the last part of the charge hours after you put the buds away.
This setting protects the battery, so leave it on unless it gets in your way. To turn it off, wear your AirPods, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, tap the name of your AirPods, tap Battery, then turn off Optimized Battery Charging or Optimized Charge Limit.
Heat
Apple says ambient temperatures above 95° F (35° C) can permanently damage battery capacity. A case left in a hot car holds less afterwards.
To fix it, keep the case out of the heat.
The battery has aged
Apple says all rechargeable batteries have a limited lifespan. If you need to charge the battery more and more often, it might be time to service it.
You cannot fix this at home. See “When to replace the AirPods case” below.
If nothing explains it
Apple’s last step for charging problems is to reset the AirPods. Put them in the case, close the lid and wait 30 seconds. Then follow Apple’s reset steps for your model. A reset also clears your custom settings.
Some guides blame Find My or firmware updates. Apple says firmware updates arrive while the AirPods are charging near your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Apple gives no figure for how much charge an update or Find My uses, so we do not list them as causes.
How to measure AirPods case battery drain
Measure the drain for three days before you replace anything.
- Charge the case and the AirPods to full.
- Put the AirPods in the case and close the lid.
- Open the lid next to your Mac and note the level of the case. The steps are in how to check AirPods case battery on a Mac.
- Close the lid and leave the AirPods unused for a few hours.
- Open the lid and note the level again.
- Repeat after a normal day of listening, and note the levels of the left bud and the right bud too.
The case only reports while a bud is in it with the lid open, so each reading needs you to open the lid. If the case holds steady while the buds are full, the drain you saw was the case charging the buds. To read each bud, see how to check AirPods battery on a Mac.
When to replace the AirPods case
Show Apple your record if the case drops a lot with full buds inside, or if a full case refills the buds far fewer times than the table says.
- Under warranty. The Apple Limited Warranty covers manufacturing issues for one year. It does not cover batteries that wear down from normal use.
- Out of warranty. Apple’s AirPods repair page gives an estimated service cost for your model. Apple inspects the product before it gives a final fee.
- Lost case. Apple lets you order a replacement case on its own, so you do not have to replace the AirPods.
What macOS does not show
- No history. macOS shows the level of the case right now, and only while a bud is in the case with the lid open.
- No battery health. AirPods and their case do not report health or cycle count.
- Nothing while the AirPods are connected to your iPhone. Your Mac only shows AirPods connected to this Mac.
Record the drain with BatteryBud
BatteryBud is a menu bar app that keeps a history for each device. It records the left bud, the right bud and the case each on its own, with day, week, month and year charts. So you can see when the case dropped, and whether the buds rose at the same time.
BatteryBud also records charging sessions. Each one lists when it started and ended, how much the battery gained, how long it took and the average charging rate.
The case reports through the buds. BatteryBud reads their Bluetooth broadcasts while the AirPods are near your Mac, also while the case is closed. Most readings are exact, and some come in 10% steps. BatteryBud cannot show battery health for AirPods, because they do not report it.
Beats earbuds with a charging case work the same way. See how to check Beats battery on a Mac.
The page about a battery monitor for Mac lists everything BatteryBud shows and what it does not do.