Some AirPods Users Facing Battery Drain Issues With Charging Case

[JTravers]

Curious to see if the case drain issues can be isolated to those AirPods bought from Apple only or if other retailers like Best Buy are selling AirPods with the problem, as well.

It might be helpful if people reporting issues also disclosed where they bought the AirPods and when.

 

[redshovel]

It might be helpful if people reporting issues also disclosed where they bought the AirPods and when.

Mine were ordered from online Apple Store UK and delivered 20th. Obvious case drain from the off. Build quality of pods not great but would live with them if case functioned as advertised.

 

[Ishayu]

Someone is sending the tech world A LOT of faulty/**** batteries, and Apple seems to be particularly affected - though to be fair at least their batteries aren't bursting into flames, and furthermore Apple's products have really good battery life and energy efficiency WHEN the batteries work according to what Apple ordered from their manufacturer. Apple don't make intentionally terrible battery life, which is a lot more than what you can say for most of the industry.

Even so, about 50% of the Apple products I've owned have had battery life issues and had to be replaced.
iPad 2 was OK
iPhone 5 was bad
MacBook Pro 2011 15" was OK, though the charging port died at one point so...
iPad Air 2 was OK
iPhone 6S was bad

And this year Apple released what... 3 products with rampant battery issues? Come on, man. This is getting ridiculous.

 

[calzon65]

Someone is sending the tech world A LOT of faulty/**** batteries, and Apple seems to be particularly affected - though to be fair at least their batteries aren't bursting into flames, and furthermore Apple's products have really good battery life and energy efficiency WHEN the batteries work according to what Apple ordered from their manufacturer. Apple don't make intentionally terrible battery life, which is a lot more than what you can say for most of the industry.

Even so, about 50% of the Apple products I've owned have had battery life issues and had to be replaced.
iPad 2 was OK
iPhone 5 was bad
MacBook Pro 2011 15" was OK, though the charging port died at one point so...
iPad Air 2 was OK
iPhone 6S was bad

And this year Apple released what... 3 products with rampant battery issues? Come on, man. This is getting ridiculous.

You are so right!!!!

From the IOS 10 (even 10.2) rampant battery drain problem with iPhones prior to the iPhone 7, combined with Consumer Reports' refusal to endorse the new MacBook because of inconsistent battery drain issue, and now the AirPods alleged battery issues ... yes Apple is defiantly smack in the middle of a whole slew of battery problems (or software/firmware battery related problems).

The IOS 10 battery drain issue itself has persisted for months with no fix in sight, just google and you will find countless articles and posts about this problem where the iPhone dies when it reaches 30% battery life. I think an earlier poster on this thread said that Tim Cook is not tough enough with the quality control whip ... I think that poster is correct.

Consumer Reports:
http://www.consumerreports.org/laptops/macbook-pros-fail-to-earn-consumer-reports-recommendation/

Forbs:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonk...os-10-2-iphone-battery-problems/#53c746ff4f2c

 

[JTravers]

Here's a very short term result for me.
AirPods at 100%, Case at 91%.
After 2 hours: AirPods at 100%, Case at 91%.
After 4 total hours: AirPods at 100%, Case at 81%.
The AirPods were in the case the entire 4 hours. I only opened the case at the 2 hour and 4 hour marks to check the battery.

Not sure what to make of that. I got my AirPods from Best Buy. Delivered on the 22nd, shipped on the 20th.

 

[nia820]

The hits from Apple keeps on rolling. I said it ten times before and I'll say it again, Apple should have waited until iPhone 8 to release these AirPods and kept the headphone jack until AirPods were perfected.

Bad move on Apple's part.

 

[calzon65]

The hits from Apple keeps on rolling. I said it ten times before and I'll say it again, Apple should have waited until iPhone 8 to release these AirPods and kept the headphone jack until AirPods were perfected.

Bad move on Apple's part.

Amen to that!

 

[redshovel]

The hits from Apple keeps on rolling. I said it ten times before and I'll say it again, Apple should have waited until iPhone 8 to release these AirPods and kept the headphone jack until AirPods were perfected.

Bad move on Apple's part.

Have to agree with this. I understand the push to wireless and the need to 'move things on' - but the iPhone 7 and the AirPods definitely should have been released in tandem. Dare I say they should have been bundled with the iPhone.
Sadly it seems they have been rushed out for Christmas.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

My pair arrived 12/23. Plugged in the case immediately then paired them an used them until they were 3/4 spend. Used them for under an hour early on 24th. Haven't touched them since b/c I didn't have any need for them the past few days. 4 day in the case unplugged from charger.

This article got my curiosity up so I checked the battery life. Case is still at 84% and buds at 98%. Seems OK for 4 days off the charger but also seems odd the buds are 98%, not 100%, being untouched in the case for all those days.

 

[truthertech]

Have to agree with this. I understand the push to wireless and the need to 'move things on' - but the iPhone 7 and the AirPods definitely should have been released in tandem. Dare I say they should have been bundled with the iPhone.
Sadly it seems they have been rushed out for Christmas.

As a shareholder, I'm glad Tim Cook doesn't make his decisions by reading comments. LOL. If he had listened to you Apple would have not only foregone the tremendous reviews from around the world, but tens of millions in sales of the AirPods and billions in profits. Moreover, the iPhone 7 is on pace to set an all time record for sales in its first quarter. I guess 80 million people agreed with Apple that removing the jack was well worth the larger battery, second speaker, larger Taptic Engine and improved waterproofness.

 

[bice]

Had mine since day 1 and havent used them in 4 days so just checked and both my case and AirPods are reading 100% so everything is good

Same here. No issues. Just went on a 4-day trip to visit family. Didn't even use them, but threw them into my bag fully charged. Only lost about 8% from the case by the time I got back home.

You must be the dream customers for Apple. Buy pricey new tech early on, don't use it, and then tell people new tech is working just fine.

 

[Jim Lahey]

I have a tip for those berating others for adopting new, immature technology, and not waiting until you buy it;

Read your comments in your head before posting. Take a moment to pause and reflect, and ask yourself "am I really this stupid?"

 

[tillsbury]

Dare I say they should have been bundled with the iPhone.

That would have been plain silly. And what price would the iphone be then? I haven't ever taken a set of iphone/ipod earbuds out of their box, they're always still sitting there years later when I pack it up to sell. Plenty of users never use headphones with their devices. Bundling anything but a pair of real cheapies is a waste.

 

[44267547]

The hits from Apple keeps on rolling. I said it ten times before and I'll say it again, Apple should have waited until iPhone 8 to release these AirPods and kept the headphone jack until AirPods were perfected.

Bad move on Apple's part.

What hits? You can say whatever you want a 100 times. Clearly the Airpods are a strong success thus far with orders shipping out almost until March. And even if there are some technical issues, nothing is perfect. Waiting until the iPhone 8 has no significance.

 

[Kameha]

The Spermgate lol

 

[DevNull0]

Hmm. My AirPod charging case discharges at a rate of roughly 10% per day. Not enough to make it even remotely inconvenience me.

Heya Abazigal.

Has there ever been a single Apple product that people complained they were having problems with which you didn't own on day one and post on page one how great it was for you?

 

[Abazigal]

Heya Abazigal.

Has there ever been a single Apple product that people complained they were having problems with which you didn't own on day one and post on page one how great it was for you?

Can't really recall. I just know they all work great for me.

 

[redshovel]

That would have been plain silly. And what price would the iphone be then? I haven't ever taken a set of iphone/ipod earbuds out of their box, they're always still sitting there years later when I pack it up to sell. Plenty of users never use headphones with their devices. Bundling anything but a pair of real cheapies is a waste.

From a pure initial cost point of view it could be defined as 'pure silly' but as a mechanism to display 'courage', pushing wireless use forward, I think bundling AirPods makes sense.

 

[tob!]

What iPhone is everybody with these issues using? Is it the 6s by any change?

 

[Tech198]

Your using them wrong.

I bet most issues at Apple could be avoided, even the Macook displays having issues, could be been avoided, if Apple just did their testing better..

But Apple likes to rush things out.... And we keep hearing they never release anything until it's finished.

That is harder to keep saying if there are more problems.

 

[daijholt]

What iPhone is everybody with these issues using? Is it the 6s by any change?

iPhone 7 plus here. If it's any consolation to people, my iPhone battery has been miles better using AirPods than Powerbeats 2. The W1 chip works miracles for my phone. Apparently not so much for my charging case...

 

[iSayuSay]

Could've avoided this problem if only the case has a button to control the pods charging. But of course Jony Ive hate buttons so the case continuously charge the pods (used or not).

For a $160 headset, I think it's unacceptable. The pods definitely are power hogs, or the batteries are too small. Maybe a little bit of both.

 

[The Game 161]

What iPhone is everybody with these issues using? Is it the 6s by any change?

7 plus here with no issues

 

[Phil A.]

A integrated key chain/carabiner loop would be nice to have. When I get a set I may just have to rig something up to my EDC monkey fist. Sure would not want to loose it.
[doublepost=1482958836][/doublepost]

No your right - Tim Cook doesn't crack the whip of quality control that SJ once did.

Out of all the Apple devices I've ever bought, I've had one that was DOA: It was an iPhone 4, produced while Steve Jobs was in charge. I've also only had to have one phone replaced for issues, which was a 3GS which had the cracking back issue. Guess who was in charge when they were produced...

Apple aren't perfect, but then again they never have been (remember MobileMe?) - at the volumes they're making devices now, there are bound to be issues that affect a small number but that doesn't mean they're letting standards slip

 

[tomaustin44]

I'm also affected by case battery drain issues.... the question is, is this something that can (and will) be fixed with a firmware update or is it worth returning the units and getting a new pair?