Why is My AirPods Won’t Charge Past 80%? – Causes & Fixes
I’m a first generation AirPods Pro user and I love listening to my favorite playlist on repeat. AirPods Pro gives an insane comfort and excellent sound quality.
Though I’m totally satisfied with audio quality and comfort, battery backup is always an issue that I face.
Apple claims 4.5 hours of battery backup, but it never crossed 3 hours with active noise cancellation in my case.
I recently noticed that my AirPods won’t charge past 80, so I thought there were some hardware problems.
When I searched on Google, then found that – I’m NOT alone! Many other AirPods users reported similar issues.
If you’re facing similar issues with AirPods, you’re at the right place.
I contacted Apple technical support for troubleshooting, and I’ll share it in this guide.
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Why is My AirPods Won’t Charge Past 80?
If you think any hardware problem stops your AirPods from charging beyond 80%, then you’re partially wrong.
Hardware problems could be a reason, but other reasons also stop your AirPods from charging fully.
Apple’s Optimised Battery Charging feature is the most common reason why your AirPods Case is not charging past 80.
Yes, it’s not a bug; rather, it’s a feature that Apple introduced in iOS 13 and macOS Big Sur to reduce battery aging.
Apple enabled Optimised Battery Charging option in the settings, which learns your charging pattern and stops charging at 80% to extend the battery lifecycle.
However, you can bypass it and charge your AirPods case fully.
I’ll share some troubleshooting methods that helped me to fix my AirPods charging issue, and you can also try them.
How To Fix AirPods Case Stops Charging At 80?
When you’re at home, you can charge your AirPods anytime, but for outdoors, it’s not easy.
So, better charge your AirPods fully to enjoy listening to music for 30 hours.
Follow these steps to charge your AirPods battery fully:
1- Disable Optimised Battery Charging
Apple collects various data when you’re using any gadget. If you’re at home, it automatically detects location services and stops your AirPods case from charging fully.
So, you can disable Optimised Battery Charging temporarily to bypass the charging restrictions and charge your AirPods fully.
Follow these steps to disable Optimised Battery Charging on AirPods-
1. Connect AirPods
Open the AirPods case lid to connect with your iPhone or iPad.
2. Open Settings
Go to the Apps menu and tap on Settings.
3. Open Bluetooth
Tap on Bluetooth from the iPhone settings.
4. Select AirPods
Tap on the Info icon (i) next to AirPods.
5. Toggle Off Optimised Battery Charging
Scroll down and toggle off Optimised Battery Charging.
6. Tap on Turn Off
Confirm the action by tapping on “Turn Off.”
After turning off the Optimised Battery Charging, insert the charging cable and see if your AirPods start charging or not.
If not, move to the next solution.
2- Try a different power source
If you’re using your Laptop or any other power source to charge AirPods, then it could be another reason.
The power output from the Laptop USB is not as per AirPods power input. So, if you charge your AirPods with MacBook, then you may face such an issue.
It’s better to use Apple’s original power adapter to charge the AirPods.
Connect the charging cable from the box and plug it into a wall socket. If it shows green light on the case, then it means your AirPods start charging.
After that, you can enable Optimised Battery Charging from the settings, and it’ll automatically bypass the 80% charging restriction.
3- Check for hardware issue
If you notice that your AirPods case is too hot, then it means there may be a hardware problem, and you’ll face a charging issue.
First, check the lightning connector, clean it with a cotton swab, and remove any debris from the port.
Let it cool down for a few minutes, and then insert the charger to charge your AirPods.
You may have to contact Apple care for professional help if the issue is not resolved.
4- Faulty battery
Even after trying all the troubleshooting methods, if you’re still facing the same problem, then it means there is a battery issue.
It’s better to contact Apple customer support and ask them to check your AirPods case. If they find the battery faulty, you’ll get a replacement.
5- Restore AirPods to factory settings
If you’ve tried all the troubleshooting methods and still your AirPods Pro is not charging, restoring it to factory settings is the last thing you can do.
You can follow these steps to restore factory settings on your AirPods-
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap on the “i” icon next to your AirPods.
- Tap on ‘Forget This Device‘ and then confirm by tapping on Forget Device.
- Press and hold the setup button on the AirPods case until the light turns red to amber.
- Now connect your AirPods with your iPhone or iPad and then check whether it’s charging or not.
Conclusion
These methods helped me fix my AirPods charging issue, and you can also try them. If you know any other method, then feel free to share it with us in the comment section below.
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