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AirPods case bad standby battery life
- Thread starter ssrij
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teidon
macrumors 6502
Those having battery issues: try to calibrate the batteries. Use the charging case and the AirPods till their battery is completely empty and then charge fully. And don't just use for example an AirPod till it shows 1%, but keep using it till it turns off - and then make sure it won't turn on after a second or two. Once it actually turns off for good, put it in the charging case and charge it to full. And do that for the other AirPod and the case as well.
The battery indicator might work weirdly if it's not calibrated. New batteries and batteries that have been used for long without calibrating will have uncalibrated battery indicator. One common symptom is that the battery indicator claims that the battery has 0% charge (= empty battery) but yet the device is fully functioning. Or that the indicator shows 1% left and will continue to do so even though you keep using the device.
The battery indicator might work weirdly if it's not calibrated. New batteries and batteries that have been used for long without calibrating will have uncalibrated battery indicator. One common symptom is that the battery indicator claims that the battery has 0% charge (= empty battery) but yet the device is fully functioning. Or that the indicator shows 1% left and will continue to do so even though you keep using the device.
CjonesHouston
macrumors 65816
daffie
macrumors 6502
Well did a test with the airpods and case. First charging both to 100%, then switching Bluetooth off on my iPhone and not using the airpods for 24 hours.
The case lost only 2% ! (airpods still at 100%)
That seems to strongly suggest the standby connection between iPhone and case (through the W1 chip) is the culprit for the high standby drain.
Not sure what to think of this as I really do not want to have to switch off Bluetooth when not in use (I also use Bluetooth connection with my car radio).
Probably will be reason enough for me to return the airpods. That or wait for firmware or ios update of some sort to sort out the standby drain...
The case lost only 2% ! (airpods still at 100%)
That seems to strongly suggest the standby connection between iPhone and case (through the W1 chip) is the culprit for the high standby drain.
Not sure what to think of this as I really do not want to have to switch off Bluetooth when not in use (I also use Bluetooth connection with my car radio).
Probably will be reason enough for me to return the airpods. That or wait for firmware or ios update of some sort to sort out the standby drain...
Last edited:
Sikh
macrumors 6502a
expect an update soon. if this is the case, they will have an update out within 2 weeks. they need more people to complain so they can collect usage data
Try doing a total reset of the case with the Airpods inside them. Hold the button on the back for about 20 seconds, let the flight flash a few times until it stops flashing and goes white I think.
It has improved my battery I think.
It has improved my battery I think.
ulinerg
macrumors regular
You should run the batteries down in the case and the pods until depleted. That way the case and pods will be calibrated and your results should improve.
I ended up returning mine unfortunately.
Neither the online support nor the people in store had any idea how long they would expect the airpods to last in standby (without using the earpods). In fact they didnt seem primed with much information at all about Airpods. I decided to return and maybe try again some time in the future when it's confirmed that any issues are resolved.
Neither the online support nor the people in store had any idea how long they would expect the airpods to last in standby (without using the earpods). In fact they didnt seem primed with much information at all about Airpods. I decided to return and maybe try again some time in the future when it's confirmed that any issues are resolved.
Traverse
macrumors 604
My AirPods shipped early! WOO!
This doesn't sound too bad to me. I keep an apple lightning dock at my desk as an accessory charger and manual device sync base so I'll just pop the AirPods in that after work after my pencil charges.
Never thought almost every item in my life would need to be charged! 😛
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I've always heard that this is bad for new lithium ion batteries.
ulinerg
macrumors regular
Most Apple devices are setup to stop working before the batteries get dangerously low. For example the AirPod case stops at approx 5%.
teidon
macrumors 6502
Li-Ion batteries don't care about age nor do they have any kind of "memory effect" (like NiMH batteries have). But in general it's bad to use Li-Ion batteries empty as well as to charge them full because both will slightly damage them (= shortens the battery's lifetime). But Li-Ion batteries have a piece of technology that informs the host machine about the battery's charge level. It's accuracy gets worse over time and new batteries rarely are properly calibrated. Common method to calibrate that piece of fancy technology is to discharge the battery and then fully charge it. One shouldn't do that more often than once a month or few due to above mentioned reason. Also using an uncalibrated battery doesn't in any way affect the battery's lifetime or the amount of electricity it can give. The host machine just will give slightly wrong estimation of the battery's current charge level (for example the host might think that the battery has 5% left while in reality it has 15% or 0.5% or something).
Every Li-Ion battery must have certain safety measures built-in to prevent it from exploding or otherwise falling apart. If Li-Ion battery's charge level drops low enough, it will refuse to draw energy from normal charger. But it can still be charged with special chargers (also the battery is damaged at this point but will likely continue to work, just not able hold as much charge). If the charge level drops even lower, the battery will disable itself or otherwise refuse to draw energy from any charger because the battery would burst open or explode during the charging process. Also over-charging Li-Ion battery will cause it to burst open or explode so Li-Ion batteries must have safety measures against over-charging too.
CjonesHouston
macrumors 65816
Bluetooth earpieces or headsets have small batteries. You are not going to get a smartphone battery life experience with most of these devices. The AirPods and case has performed above my expected levels. In the case of battery life. I've been out of town since yesterday. I have not charged my AirPod case yet. I'm loving this new device. Apple Watch with AirPods should be sold together as a bundle. When you have both. It brings you the controls and normal functionality you need.
Amazing products from a amazing company.
Amazing products from a amazing company.
CharlesShaw
macrumors 68030
This gives me hope that a firmware update could extend standby life.
Would storing them in a metal container have the same effect as turning off BT?
I spoke to soon. The case had 21% battery and the Airpods 100% this morning. 11 hours later (and after no use) the case has 6% and the Airpods 97%.
Does this sound faulty to anyone else?
I'm seeing this as well: paired the AirPods to my phone yesterday morning with about 75% battery on both the earbuds and the case, played with them for about 30 minutes then put them away & haven't used them since (doing family stuff so no time for listening to music etc), as of now the case is completely discharged (doesn't even register on the battery display status on the phone) and the earbuds are at 78%. The earbuds loook to be draining about 10% per hour sitting in the case. For something sitting in standby that's not really acceptable I'm afraid - at that rate every time I go to use them they're going to be flat. I intend to run them down completely, un-pair them & re-pair them from the phone in case there's some glitch with that then see if they do the same: if they do they're going back and I'll make do with wired.
janezblond
macrumors regular
If you read ArsTechnica's review of the AirPods, you can read the following quote about battery life:
That sort of drain would be fine, i don't mind charging a couple of times a week. That's a lot less drain than I was seeing yesterday, however, as noted above. Have just fully charged my AirPods and case and repaired with the phone, will see what happens after that.