AirPod Battery Degredation

[ayresm]

My AirPods were purchased late January 2017 and have had light-moderate use since then:

- 30 mins each way on a commute (1h)
- occasional movie at home (2h)
- a weekend run (1.5h)
- general listening time (2h)
- occasional flights

Unfortunately after 20 months the battery degredation on both my airpods is awful. They drain at about 1% per minute now when listening to audio, or about 3% per minute if on a phone call.

I’m fully aware of battery degredation - and certainly expected some. I don’t do anything unusual in the way I use or charge them. But only getting 1h40 from the original 5h listening time is far in excess to what I expected.

I’m personally super disappointed and frustrated at sending £159 for earphones that will very soon become unusable junk. I hoped for 3-4 years before they were dead.

Have I just received a dodgy set, or have others had a similar experience with woeful battery life after <2 years?

 

[Gregintosh]

I got mine in December 2016 when they first launched. Been using them almost daily for workout and walks. Battery has been degraded for a while also.

I’d say at this point 2 or maybe 3 hours of listening and an hour and some change for calls.

It is disappointing. I’ve had to go back to using my Beats Solo 3 for business calls cause I got tired of fiddling with the AirPods in the middle of calls.

 

[Tdosthp]

I got mine in December 2016 when they first launched. Been using them almost daily for workout and walks. Battery has been degraded for a while also.

I’d say at this point 2 or maybe 3 hours of listening and an hour and some change for calls.

It is disappointing. I’ve had to go back to using my Beats Solo 3 for business calls cause I got tired of fiddling with the AirPods in the middle of calls.

Pretty much my exact story also.

 

[Banglazed]

At same charge, after a few hours of using it, my left AirPod would be 15% less than my right AirPod. Bought in Dec 2017, still under warranty so I might try to replace before it expires.

 

[doboy]

My AirPods were purchased late January 2017 and have had light-moderate use since then:

- 30 mins each way on a commute (1h)
- occasional movie at home (2h)
- a weekend run (1.5h)
- general listening time (2h)
- occasional flights

Unfortunately after 20 months the battery degredation on both my airpods is awful. They drain at about 1% per minute now when listening to audio, or about 3% per minute if on a phone call.

I’m fully aware of battery degredation - and certainly expected some. I don’t do anything unusual in the way I use or charge them. But only getting 1h40 from the original 5h listening time is far in excess to what I expected.

I’m personally super disappointed and frustrated at sending £159 for earphones that will very soon become unusable junk. I hoped for 3-4 years before they were dead.

Have I just received a dodgy set, or have others had a similar experience with woeful battery life after <2 years?

Similar story regarding battery life after ~18 months of infrequent use. I get like 3 hr music and about 70 min or so talk. F’ing disappointed and won’t be buying it again. The battery replacement is like $50 for each earphone AFAIK. They probably just replace it with refurb.

 

[chanerz]

At that rate, might as well buy a new pair.

 

[djeeyore25]

My two year old Airpods only get about about 90 minutes of music listening, at best. I’ve only used them for casual listening once or twice a week since I bought them. The odd thing is that the battery denigration was sudden, like overnight.

 

[thadoggfather]

Mine seem fairly degraded too

Got them in January 2017

I love my AirPods but WHACK

And my right one goes through battery faster since i use it solo on calls sometimes more than left side

 

[txlpaul]

Almost exact same situation here. Bought in January 2017, daily use for almost 2 years. A few months ago I noticed a drop in listening time to 1 - 1,5 hours with full charge.

Today I finally got around to visit the Apple Store and after telling the symptoms got them replaced under warranty free of charge, no questions asked. Very much old Apple style.

Great service, great product, happy camper.

 

[thadoggfather]

Almost exact same situation here. Bought in January 2017, daily use for almost 2 years. A few months ago I noticed a drop in listening time to 1 - 1,5 hours with full charge.

Today I finally got around to visit the Apple Store and after telling the symptoms got them replaced under warranty free of charge, no questions asked. Very much old Apple style.

Great service, great product, happy camper.

Was it a Genius Bar appt?

And tied to ac+ on an iDevice or they just comp'd it for ya ?

 

[metalsiren]

I just bought a new pair. I use them so much and it suck with the existing battery sucking on the old ones.

 

[Ansath]

I've had mine just over a year, and the case never seems to fully charge. I've just unplugged the lightning cable and the iPhone says it's only at 94%, it was on charge since yesterday, so a good 18 hours.

Might take them to the Apple store, to get them to look at it, but annoying that it's outside of the 1 year warranty, though not sure how the 2 year thing works in the UK.

 

[txlpaul]

And tied to ac+ on an iDevice or they just comp'd it for ya ?

No Apple care. Warranty for products sold in Germany is by law (Gewährleistungsrecht) always at least 2 years.

 

[DiamonDecoden]

My left airpod is significantly lower volume than the right side. My short term solution is to fix it in the accessibility to make it more equal sounding. I definitely see a BIG battery degradation after owning it for ~1 year...not that it had too great of a battery to begin with.

I do have some question for people who had experience with Bluetooth headsets

1. What is average lifespan of a Bluetooth headset in the same price category?
2. Is there another product that has better sounds / lifespan?
3. Will Apple replace 1 or both of the airpods out of its limited warranty?

I am disappointed with these airpods especially with the short lifespan (I feel though not sure the average lifespan of other similar products). The design is very sleek, I like the white color but found it hard to use generally and really easy to lose or drop. However, if Apple will replace these for me, then I wouldn't be as upset with these airpods, but then I don't know if they will just tell me to buy another one (which I do NOT want!).

 

[omihek]

I noticed a huge drop recently as well. Got mine January 2017. I can talk on the phone for maybe an hour before they hit 3%. Weird thing is I put them in the charger for 5 minutes and suddenly they're back up to 90%, then back in my ears for another 30 minutes or so before they're back to 3%. I feel like the actual percentage charge isn't translating to the iPhone correctly or something.

 

[NT1440]

My AirPods were purchased late January 2017 and have had light-moderate use since then:

- 30 mins each way on a commute (1h)
- occasional movie at home (2h)
- a weekend run (1.5h)
- general listening time (2h)
- occasional flights

Unfortunately after 20 months the battery degredation on both my airpods is awful. They drain at about 1% per minute now when listening to audio, or about 3% per minute if on a phone call.

I’m fully aware of battery degredation - and certainly expected some. I don’t do anything unusual in the way I use or charge them. But only getting 1h40 from the original 5h listening time is far in excess to what I expected.

I’m personally super disappointed and frustrated at sending £159 for earphones that will very soon become unusable junk. I hoped for 3-4 years before they were dead.

Have I just received a dodgy set, or have others had a similar experience with woeful battery life after <2 years?

I got mine on Christmas Eve when they launched (I managed to get a preorder). I use them probably 10 hours a day (I keep one in and listen to podcasts all day at work/around the house).

Mine don’t last as long as they use to, but only like 30 minutes less than they did.

If you’re in the US you’re still under the mfg warranty, have them looked at if you can.

I would try simply re-pairing them first and foremost though, that might solve the problem.

 

[DiamonDecoden]

I just chatted with an adviser only to find out that I am definitely out of warranty (only 1 year) and that to fix the hardware issue requires additional charges in amounts of either 45 dollars each (just for the battery). It will not make sense to repair the battery. Is just reaffirms that Apple stuff is not easily reparable and they don't want to make it so.

I have not used other Bluetooth headset to know the average lifespan but somehow I feel extremely disappointed in the longevity of this product for the money unless someone can provide a different perspective.
the limited warranty is really not good, I like the fact European countries offers 2 years.

 

[NT1440]

I just chatted with an adviser only to find out that I am definitely out of warranty (only 1 year) and that to fix the hardware issue requires additional charges in amounts of either 45 dollars each (just for the battery). It will not make sense to repair the battery. Is just reaffirms that Apple stuff is not easily reparable and they don't want to make it so.

I have not used other Bluetooth headset to know the average lifespan but somehow I feel extremely disappointed in the longevity of this product for the money unless someone can provide a different perspective.
the limited warranty is really not good, I like the fact European countries offers 2 years.

I’m having a hard time figuring out what any truly wireless earphone should look like if it were designed with “repairability” in mind.

That said as mentioned above, my AirPods get what I’d figure would be extreme usage and my battery life is only down by half an hour or so.

 

[DiamonDecoden]

I’m having a hard time figuring out what any truly wireless earphone should look like if it were designed with “repairability” in mind. That said as mentioned above, my AirPods get what I’d figure would be extreme usage and my battery life is only down by half an hour or so.

Edit- just only saw your previous post.
My only question is have you used another product similar to draw up a comparison?

I had mine for about 1 year, it is out of warranty now. I use it either daily or every other day. There have been months that I don't use it at all when I used my Note 8 as my main phone so wired headphones. My L is a LOT quieter than my R. The battery on my is down 1-2 hours.

Does anyone have a better product or experience with another bluethooth earphone can tell me if there is a better product that exist?

 

[txlpaul]

Edit- just only saw your previous post.
My L is a LOT quieter than my R.

Try cleaning them with a soft toothbrush. Had the same problem and that helped a lot.

 

[Dunkrag]

Similar problems here- mine were bought Dec 2016.
Now getting barely 2hrs playback for music- reckon I might get another 6 months and then they will be junk.

So looks like 2.5 years life from these things for the price.

 

[bambooshots]

My AirPods were purchased late January 2017 and have had light-moderate use since then:

- 30 mins each way on a commute (1h)
- occasional movie at home (2h)
- a weekend run (1.5h)
- general listening time (2h)
- occasional flights

Unfortunately after 20 months the battery degredation on both my airpods is awful. They drain at about 1% per minute now when listening to audio, or about 3% per minute if on a phone call.

I’m fully aware of battery degredation - and certainly expected some. I don’t do anything unusual in the way I use or charge them. But only getting 1h40 from the original 5h listening time is far in excess to what I expected.

I’m personally super disappointed and frustrated at sending £159 for earphones that will very soon become unusable junk. I hoped for 3-4 years before they were dead.

Have I just received a dodgy set, or have others had a similar experience with woeful battery life after <2 years?

Ha, I was just about to make a bread concerning the very same thing.

I’ve had my pair since late Dec. 2016 and it has been in my pocket and years nearly every day since.

I’ve noticed the airpods are lasting much shorter; maybe a couple hours at best.

I know that it’s normal and just wanted to see if anyone else was in the same boat. I’m not disappointed. $160 for two years of good use and maybe another year of “worn out” use is just fine by me.

I had $100 earbuds that I thought did great lasting three years before they started fraying the cables.

Apple better hurry up with their AirPods 2.
[doublepost=1546206441][/doublepost]

I just chatted with an adviser only to find out that I am definitely out of warranty (only 1 year) and that to fix the hardware issue requires additional charges in amounts of either 45 dollars each (just for the battery). It will not make sense to repair the battery. Is just reaffirms that Apple stuff is not easily reparable and they don't want to make it so.

I have not used other Bluetooth headset to know the average lifespan but somehow I feel extremely disappointed in the longevity of this product for the money unless someone can provide a different perspective.
the limited warranty is really not good, I like the fact European countries offers 2 years.

I really can’t think of earbud-style accessories that are easily repairable.

 

[ericg301]

surprised carriers aren't rolling in airpods into the cost of devices on monthly installment plans. what's another $160 over the course of two years? then when you trade in your device, get a fresh set of airpods too

 

[bambooshots]

surprised carriers aren't rolling in airpods into the cost of devices on monthly installment plans. what's another $160 over the course of two years? then when you trade in your device, get a fresh set of airpods too

Other than warranties, I don’t see too many carriers rolling accessories into the monthly plan.

 

[shankar2]

Yes my airpods battery too took a beating after about 1.5 years. Top that, the apple store guy only offered replacement option to me and no battery repair option. I walked away disappointed as the replacement option is $69 which can fetch a decent bluetooth wireless headphone from amazon.com.