Apple first released its wireless earbuds in December 2016 and is expected to launch its fourth generation series sometime later this year towards the end of 2022. The Apple wireless earbuds are coming with the Apple H1 system on a chip, first used in the 2019 AirPods and later released to a selection of Beats headphones, AirPods Pro, Max, and AirPods.
The H1 chip has been designed for wireless earbuds and headphones and features Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, 30% lower latency than the W1 chip used in earlier AirPods, and supports Apple’s Siri personal assistant and the “Hey Siri” command. If you are wondering how to check AirPods battery life and the remaining percentage on mac and Apple phones and tablet devices, this quick guide will take you through the process. It will please you to know that you can check your AirPods battery life on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac computer.
Apple AirPods expected battery life
Each generation of wireless headphones released by Apple improves on the earlier versions’ battery life, below is a quick reference to what you can expect from each model when totally charged.
AirPods (3rd generation)
Apple has designed its third-generation AirPods to provide up to 30 hours of listening time or 20 hours of talk time with a fully charged AirPods case. On their own, each AirPod can provide you with up to 6 hours of listening time or 5 hours when spatial audio is enabled says Apple. Although this will slip to 4 hours during talk time. Charging your third-generation AirPods for 5 minutes in their case will provide approximately 60 minutes of battery life for listening or talk time.
AirPods Pro
With a fully charged AirPods Pro case you can expect to enjoy 24- hours of listening time or over 18 hours of talk time says Apple. Each earbud can provide up to 4.5 hours of listening time or up to 3.5 hours of talk time on a single charge and a quick five-minute charge from the case will provide approximately 60 minutes of battery life to talk or listen.
AirPods (2nd generation)
Again with a fully charged case, the second generation AirPods can provide over 24 hours of listening time or up to 18 hours of talk time similar to the AirPods Pro. Each AirPod battery can also provide 5 hours of listening time or 3 hours of talk time on a single charge. Charging your AirPods in their charging case for 15 minutes will provide you with up to 3 hours of listening time or 2 hours of talk time.
Checking AirPods battery life iOS
To view the remaining battery life of your AirPods on any iOS device, simply bring your AirPods close to your iPhone or tablet and open the AirPods case lid with your earbuds still inside. After a few seconds, you should see a pop-up from the bottom of your screen revealing the remaining battery life of the AirPods charging case and the remaining battery life of your earbuds.
Apple has also made a handy batteries widget available for its iOS operating system that can add to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod home screen and will show the remaining charge on your AirPods when at least one AirPods is in the case.
Check AirPods battery life Mac
If you would like to check the amount of AirPods battery life, you have remained using your Mac computer simply open the lid or take your AirPods out of their charging case and then click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar in the top right-hand corner of your macOS computer. Then simply hover your mouse pointer over your AirPods in the menu to reveal the amount of charge you have left in each AirPod and their charging case.
AirPod Battery life alerts
Apple has designed its AirPods to provide alerts when their battery life is running low and you will receive a notification on the screen from your iOS device when your AirPods battery life has dropped to 20%, 10%, and 5%. You will also hear an audible “tone” when wearing your AirPods and your battery life has dropped to 10% and a second audible alert just before the AirPods battery life runs out completely.
Optimized battery charging
One unique feature of the Apple AirPods wireless earbuds is how they can extend their battery life and optimize battery charging by learning from your daily charging routine. The technology will then wait to charge your AirPods Pro or AirPods 3rd generation past 80% battery life until just before you need to use them. Reducing the wear on your battery and improving the lifespan of your Airpods battery by reducing the time your earbuds spend fully charged.
If you would prefer not to optimize your battery, the feature can be turned off by going to Settings > Bluetooth and tapping the information button next to your AirPods in the list of devices. Then simply select “Turn off Optimized Battery Charging” to disable the feature. If you experiencing issues with your AirPods battery life, it might be worth jumping over to the official Apple support site for further help.
