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Airpods battery life is messed up after only a year

shankar2

shankar2

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 7, 2009
1,020
54
So I have these AirPods for over a year ie without warranty now.

I charge them overnight in the case but next day the total play time is usually only an hour!

Is there anything I’m doing wrong or just that the batteries have to be replaced? The cost is $49 each for battery replacement!
 
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AirPods battery degrades fast!

After 1.5 years, mine took a more noticeable dive in battery only lasting about an hour or two of audio, and under an hour on call...

Its the weakest part of them imo

i think without offering AppleCare or anything, its part of Apple's plan to get you to buy a new pair every or every other year
 
Well then I'd just to minimize their use for one hour. 90 bucks for repair can buy you another bluetooth earphone that's as good! Expensive setup for airpod repair!
 
I doubt they are actually repairing them and instead are just giving you a different set for that price. Mine are just about 2 years old now and the batteries still seem okay. Not quite as good as when I first got them, but there aren't many times I am using them for more than 1-2 hours at a time. I have only had them actually die on me once and that was when I was doing yardwork for a few hours and actually forgot I even had them in until the music stopped. I don't use mine as much as I did when I first got them though. The train commute to work was eliminated so I really only use them when working out.
 
I'd give AppleCare a call. Tell them what's going on.

Was in nearly the same boat as the original poster.

Received AirPods back in 2016, on the very first day they could be delivered. This past summer--the right AirPod, after using both for about 20 minutes, would show 80%; the left AirPod would already be down to 33%. Pretty good, that original set of AirPods lasting almost 18 full months with 5-6 days of 7 usage every week.

Did all the resets, all the things. Made sure the microphone was set to Automatic. Didn't matter. The left AirPod was about dead.

Called AppleCare; told them the story. They confirmed serial numbers and such--told me they were out of warranty. I asked -- after being told it'd be pricey to replace the left one -- if there's anything they could do to make it cost less. They put me on hold, came back after about 4 minutes & told me they'd make a one-time exception and just gratis mail me a new Left AirPod. I had to mail back the faulty one, as at that time (this was May/June 2018) the Genius said he & his supervisor had never heard of such a thing that I explained, such different battery percentages.

Story gets better. Got the Left one, and about 2 weeks later--the Right AirPod started doing the same thing. Percentages were way off. Called AppleCare again; was thrilled to hear that the Left replacement they sent me initiated a 90-day warranty on the other AirPod as well as the case. So in the mail 2 days later: a new Right AirPod.

So for free, I basically received 2 new individual AirPods by simply asking. Of course this may not happen at all for you. But as awkward as it was to simply just ask, thinking "why not?", I'm glad I did. Saved me the ~$160 or whatever it would've been for a whole new set of AirPods.

Call AppleCare and ask. It's worth a shot.
 
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Did but no success.. the cost to replace batteries is just exorbitant!
 
Same here, if apple thinks I’m gonna fork over $200CAD every 1.5 years for their AirPods, they can kiss my rear
 
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came here to say the same thing. had my airpods for 2 years now and battery life has taken a big hit, especially for conf calls. pretty shocked apple hasn't released a replacement yet. no way i'd buy the same 1st gen product.
 
I have mixed feelings. AirPods are so perfect for me in every way that I simply cannot go back. But the battery lifecycle is so poor I can't see sticking with them either.

All I can do is hope AirPods v2 are better by the time my AirPods are no longer usable.
 
the issue I am having is with the left one. It seems to drain a lot faster. I took them to Apple and they wanted to change out my case but since I wasn't under warranty any longer it was going to cost me $79. I didn't it because - 1. I was convinced it was the case. 2. I am hoping AirPods 2 comes out soon and I didn't want to spend that money if I was going to fork out more for the new airpods. I did do some testing per another forum. I decided to let the left one drain all the way down and to be honest it lasted longer than I thought. At one point it was at 10% and the right one was at 35% but when it finally died the right one was at around 12%. I didn't place it in the case until the right one died too. This was the suggestion, tried to get them both drained then charge them. It really didn't change anything. I actually don't use them to workout any longer because I don't know if they will actually last.
 
shankar2 said:
So I have these AirPods for over a year ie without warranty now.

I charge them overnight in the case but next day the total play time is usually only an hour!

Is there anything I’m doing wrong or just that the batteries have to be replaced? The cost is $49 each for battery replacement!
Click to expand...

Same here. Very disappointed.
 
I think that’s part of apple’s plan else they would provide ac+ for one of their most beloved products
 
I just bit the bullet and bought a new right earphone replacement!

Also pathetic policy is that Apple took my old airpod back in exchange
 
As much as I have enjoyed using my AirPods for 2 years, the batteries are giving out and I'm not about to drop another $160 for new ones. I always thought they sounded pretty good for the convenience they offered.

But then I bought an inexpensive($13) pair of earbuds off of Amazon that had a good rating. All I can say is what I thought sounded good with the AirPods, wasn't as good as I thought.

Honestly, I'll take the cord that goes along with extremely superior sound quality.
 
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Phone Junky said:
As much as I have enjoyed using my AirPods for 2 years, the batteries are giving out and I'm not about to drop another $160 for new ones. I always thought they sounded pretty good for the convenience they offered.

But then I bought an inexpensive($13) pair of earbuds off of Amazon that had a good rating. All I can say is what I thought sounded good with the AirPods, wasn't as good as I thought.

Honestly, I'll take the cord that goes along with extremely superior sound quality.
Click to expand...
Link please?
 
I replaced my airports but I was thinking it’d weirrd bsttery issue was caused by leaving it in my car on hot summers.
 
Based on my experience with have use they have a life cycle of <18 months - closer to a year.
It is important to get them when you get a new iPhone and have them included in AppleCare+.
I was out of cycle and ended up paying for a new set.
 
haralds said:
Based on my experience with have use they have a life cycle of <18 months - closer to a year.
It is important to get them when you get a new iPhone and have them included in AppleCare+.
I was out of cycle and ended up paying for a new set.
Click to expand...

I don’t think they are eligible to be bundled.
 
Mine go down to 54% after exactly 50 minutes. I do a 50 minute walk and always start at full charge and that's what they end up with after the walk every time. I am trying to find out when I bought them but I know it's been at least a year and probably more. I don't really want to buy another pair if they are coming out with new ones and hopefully with a longer lasting battery!
 
Some lunatics on eBay will overpay for used AirPods. I recently sold my 1st gen for 87% of what I originally paid for them!!

Will put that towards the updated ones released next month.
 
Well this thread isn’t making me happy, since I JUST ordered a pair (due to arrive tomorrow). I’ve been wanting them for a while, and putting it off hoping to hold out for the new ones, but I just really need some for walking.

They do have great resale on eBay, so maybe if the new ones offer significantly better battery life, I’ll sell these off in a couple/few months (when new ones are released), and grab me a new pair.
 
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