AirPods case bad standby battery life

[bronksy]

So don't flip case like a zippo between uses and should be good?

Not sure. Used mine today. About 2 hours of music and 45 mins call. Pods 100% case 85% is that about right ? I don't know anymore!

 

[Arran]

...Sorta funny that the problem wouldn't be a problem if I just never bothered checking the battery levels to see if there was a problem. Haha.

Sounds like a case of the "Observer Effect": You can't measure anything without changing it.

 

[heyyoudvd]

I've been losing 10 to 15% of the case's battery overnight, just from it sitting there 6-7 hours.

Last night before bed, I took it off the charger and then didn't touch it until well into the afternoon today (more than 12 hours later). When I went to check, it was still at 97%.

 

[thewusman]

Seems like mine is fixed with the unpair / reset suggestion made here and elsewhere.

Let's see.

 

[NauticalDan]

So some new information came from a test I did near the end of my third log.

Log 3 (auto ear detection on, double tab Siri)
Fri 1100 - AirPods 100 / case 100
Sat 0930 - AirPods 100 / case 100
(used 120 min music)
Sat 1130 - AirPods 55 / case 99
Sun 1230 - AirPods 100 / case 88
(Used 20 min music, 6 min talk)
Sun 1300 - AirPods 89 / case 88
Mon 0600 - AirPods 100 / case 82
(Used 30 min music)
Mon 0630 - AirPods 92 / case 82
Mon 1200 - AirPods 100 / case 75
(used 30 min music)
Mon 1230 - AirPods 92 / case 75
Tues 0600 - AirPods 100 / case 69
(used 120 min music)
Tues 0800 - AirPods 61 / case 69
Wed 0600 - AirPods 100 / case 57
(used 120 min music)
Wed 0800 - AirPods 55 / case 57
Thurs 0600 - AirPods 100 / case 47
(used 100 min music)
Thurs 0740 - AirPods 65 / case 47
Thurs 1617 - AirPods 100 / case 37
(used for 1 min music)
Thurs 1618 - AirPods 100 / case 37
Thurs 2100 - AirPods 100 / case 27
(used for 7 min music)
Thurs 2107 - AirPods 98 / case 27
Fri 0600 - AirPods 100 / case 18
# end of log - recharging #

I wanted to see if the same great performance on battery charge levels in standby would hold if instead of using the AirPods for 30 min minimum, I only used them for a smaller amount of time (1 min, with the AirPods charge level still at 100% when returned to the case. Then another test of 7 min use, with the AirPods charge level at 98% after use).

The discharge problem re-appeared after it had been gone for days. So there could be evidence here that you have to use the AirPods some minimum amount of time, or the AirPods need to be below a certain charge level before being returned to the case, to avoid the bug.

 

[JTravers]

Good info. Definitely sounds like a firmware issue. Hopefully, Apple's engineers care as much as you do about identifying AND fixing this problem.

 

[alFR]

So there could be evidence here that you have to use the AirPods some minimum amount of time, or the AirPods need to be below a certain charge level before being returned to the case, to avoid the bug.

Dan, you are a hero. If this is reproducible you should report it via Apple's feedback pages.

 

[Cnasty]

Put the pods in the case and charged to 100% right before bed.

Woke up with pods in case all night and not connected to a charge....Pods are at 100%, case 99%

Working perfectly here.

 

[NauticalDan]

Put the pods in the case and charged to 100% right before bed.
Woke up with pods in case all night and not connected to a charge....Pods are at 100%, case 99%
Working perfectly here.

Actually, that's a perfect example of another observation I noticed which could explain something about the issue.

You know when you open the case and the indicator light is orange for a second or two, then turns green? Well last night (Thurs 2100 in the log a few posts back), the light was immediately green when I opened the case. Same thing Fri 0600 this morning. And not shown on the log, but I used the AirPods for about 15-20 min or so after Fri 0600 and drained the AirPods to 94%. I put them back in the case and checked an hour later - the light was immediately green when I opened the case. I'm pretty sure that for the past week when I wasn't experiencing the drain issue (and was using the AirPods at least 30 min every time I used them before returning to the case), when I opened the case to use the AirPods the light was always orange for a second or two before turning green.

So it could be that once you trigger the problem, it is persistent regardless of how much use the AirPods. The things that fix it (make it so that the light is orange for a second or two when you open the case, then turns green) could be either of these:
- Resetting and Repairing
- Charging the case

That could explain the variation in performance - why some users say that after a charge, their AirPods seem to hold the whole charge overnight. And also why the Reset/Repair seems to work for some users but not others.

Dan, you are a hero. If this is reproducible you should report it via Apple's feedback pages.

Well thanks! No hero, but I've worked in software for years and got to be a pretty good troubleshooter. It wasn't that much effort to just log the charge level before use and after use, and then look to see if there was a pattern.

I'll see if I can report the info to apple as you suggest.... obviously I can't say exactly what the problem is, but at least can sort of describe now a pretty reliable way to reproduce it and where the problem could lay.

 

[MathersMahmood]

Actually, that's a perfect example of another observation I noticed which could explain something about the issue.

You know when you open the case and the indicator light is orange for a second or two, then turns green? Well last night (Thurs 2100 in the log a few posts back), the light was immediately green when I opened the case. Same thing Fri 0600 this morning. And not shown on the log, but I used the AirPods for about 15-20 min or so after Fri 0600 and drained the AirPods to 94%. I put them back in the case and checked an hour later - the light was immediately green when I opened the case. I'm pretty sure that for the past week when I wasn't experiencing the drain issue (and was using the AirPods at least 30 min every time I used them before returning to the case), when I opened the case to use the AirPods the light was always orange for a second or two before turning green.

So it could be that once you trigger the problem, it is persistent regardless of how much use the AirPods. The things that fix it (make it so that the light is orange for a second or two when you open the case, then turns green) could be either of these:
- Resetting and Repairing
- Charging the case

That could explain the variation in performance - why some users say that after a charge, their AirPods seem to hold the whole charge overnight. And also why the Reset/Repair seems to work for some users but not others.

The green light just indicates if the airpods are fully charged. Orange light means it is charging. I do not think this is one of the issues as mine have always been green when opened yet i have the battery drain every now and again. For me its mainly when i keep opening and closing the case. If i only open the case when i use them the battery is fine for me so i think for me that was the issue.

 

[NauticalDan]

The green light just indicates if the airpods are fully charged. Orange light means it is charging. I do not think this is one of the issues as mine have always been green when opened yet i have the battery drain every now and again. For me its mainly when i keep opening and closing the case. If i only open the case when i use them the battery is fine for me so i think for me that was the issue.

That's right, but the fact it knows immediately that the AirPods are fully charged could maybe be a sign there is a problem. If the AirPods were truly in standby and asleep, then the case probably wouldn't know anything about them until you open the case and it wakes them up and checks. That's really just a guess - I don't know the mechanics behind it, or how it works. Just trying to guess why there was an orange light for a second or two before it turned green when I was opening the case and didn't have the problem. When I did have the problem, it was always green as soon as I opened the case.

 

[NauticalDan]

I think I was wrong about the green light vs. orange light meaning something. I must have been imagining that it was orange for a second or two when fully charged and opening the case. Sorry bout that!

 

[bronksy]

35% case down in 43 hours. Is this good or bad? Lost the plot with this.

 

[NauticalDan]

35% case down in 43 hours. Is this good or bad? Lost the plot with this.

Don't know enough if that's good or bad, don't know how much you used it, etc.

But if you weren't using them for music at least 5-6 hours or 2 hours talk, then it's a problem.

problem resolved for me by recharging case and AirPods to full OR resetting and repairing. After either of those solutions, if u open the case you need to take them out and use them at least 30 min. If you don't, the problem just seems to re appear for me until charged up or reset.

Those conditions worked for me.

 

[BlueLux]

Just to share my experience. Like already mentioned here before, as long as I don't flip the cover to check the battery status, everything's fine. I lose around 5-6% case battery everytime I open the lid before it stops discharging. And it doesn't matter if I take out the AirPods after opening the lid, using them before putting them back, etc.. To me it's like when I open the lid, I wake up the AirPods, and they continue to be on for a certain amount of time before going back to sleep. And during that time, the case keeps charging them up. Maybe this was by design, I don't know.

Anyone knows exactly how long time it takes before the AirPods goes to sleep after taking them out from the case? In the beginning after I got them, I thought it took around 15 minutes or something. At least after a certain amount of time, when I put them back on my ears, they won't turn on again until I put them back in the case and out again. But I tried to take them out 15-20 minutes yesterday, and they were still on when I put them back on my ears. I'm guessing if they take around 30 minutes or so of inactivity before turning off after waking up, that would explain the 5-6% drop of case battery after I open the lid.

 

[bronksy]

Don't know enough if that's good or bad, don't know how much you used it, etc.

But if you weren't using them for music at least 5-6 hours or 2 hours talk, then it's a problem.

problem resolved for me by recharging case and AirPods to full OR resetting and repairing. After either of those solutions, if u open the case you need to take them out and use them at least 30 min. If you don't, the problem just seems to re appear for me until charged up or reset.

Those conditions worked for me.

On the first day of a full charge I used them for around 2 hours music and prob an hour talk.

 

[przidentkendall]

I am on my second pair of AirPods, after receiving them on the 19th December, I realised within 2 days that the AirPods Battery Case was discharging much faster than any bluetooth product in "supposed" standby should. So I contacted Apple, and had a new pair sent out. Firstly, when they say it will be prioritised, it will be, but it will still take 2 weeks, as Apple have really dropped the ball on the supply side.

However, upon receiving my second pair, eagerly and expectedly I thought that it was a hardware issue, a battery defect. But it seems that the issue is occurring again. Charge to 100% with AirPods in case, both Case & AirPods on 100%, and over 8 hours of NO Use, the case has magically dropped 15%!!!

Additionally, I have restored my iPhone, thinking it could be an iOS 10.2 issue, and I have discharged the case down to 0% and back up to 100% before the 8 hour/15% drop.

I am now around 15 hours in and the case is down to 52%. I cannot stress this point enough, that I have had very little use of the AirPods themselves today. maybe a total of an 1 hour of listening.

Here my suspicions of what is causing the Battery Case to deplete so fast:

1. I have noticed quite a few times, where the AirPods are at 100% inside the case, only to drop to 95% without being used or removed from the case, meaning that they are triggered as on inside the case and therefore use the battery and then the Battery Case has to charge back up to 100% again. Essentially 'Yo-Yo-ing' up and down, trickle charging all day. If this is true, when the AirPods reach 100% inside the case, the case should go into standby and so should the AirPods.

2. Opening the magnet hinge all the time, is making the AirPods trigger the charging mechanism. We all play with the case, it's just so god damn addictive. But every time you open the case, it seems that the AirPods are being trickle charge past 100%.

So please let me know if this is similar to anyone else's experience and let's troubleshoot this as a community as Apple seem to have gone quiet about this. I will be getting another replacement pair, but once stock is meeting demand.

 

[JTravers]

If you stop opening and closing the case when you aren't using the AirPods, the drain should stop.

 

[przidentkendall]

Stop opening and closing the case when you aren't using the AirPods, and the drain will stop.

LOL, I have not been opening the case during that 8 hour period, I was asleep, it was throughout the night. So how would that explain a 2% battery case drop per hour???

 

[JTravers]

Well that's the impression you gave, lol. Read the last few pages of this thread. It's been discovered that opening the case without removing the AirPods causes drain. It's also been shown that using the AirPods for only short periods between charges will cause drain, as well. Basically, don't open the case unless you are going to use the AirPods. And then use the AirPods for at least 30 mins or so before returning to the case.

Don't mistake me saying this as an excuse for the drain or accusing you of "charging it wrong." Just summarizing some findings that users like NauticalDan have discovered through many rounds of testing and experimentation. Hopefully, Apple can fix this with a firmware update.

 

[heyyoudvd]

If you stop opening and closing the case when you aren't using the AirPods, the drain should stop.

Sadly, it doesn't work like that. Once you open the case the first time, the battery drain persists, even if you leave it closed.

However, if you charge the case, take it off the charger, and then you don't open it, it will NOT drain. I tried that last night. I haven't touched my AirPods for about 18 hours since charging, and I just checked - the case is at 98%. It only lost 2% over about 18 hours, whereas normally, I'd lose a good 25-30% of idle drain in that time.

The point is that there's some firmware bug with opening the case. When you open it once, that causes the AirPods to become active and they will not shift back into low power mode until you charge them again (or perhaps listening to them, putting them in the case, and then not opening the case returns them to low power, as some people have reported).

That gives me hope that Apple will be able to fix the problem with a firmware update.

 

[JTravers]

Sadly, it doesn't work like that. Once you open the case the first time, the battery drain persists, even if you leave it closed.

However, if you charge the case, take it off the charger, and then you don't open it, it will NOT drain. I tried that last night. I haven't touched my AirPods for about 18 hours since charging, and I just checked - the case is at 98%. It only lost 2% over about 18 hours, whereas normally, I'd lose a good 25-30% of idle drain in that time.

The point is that there's some firmware bug with opening the case. When you open it once, that causes the AirPods to become active and they will not shift back into low power mode until you charge them again (or perhaps listening to them, putting them in the case, and then not opening the case returns them to low power, as some people have reported).

That gives me hope that Apple will be able to fix the problem with a firmware update.

I think my post following that one kind of speaks to what you mention in your second paragraph. Definitely some kind of bug which can, hopefully, be fixed.

 

[jonhoy]

I started the day with my case at 55% or so. In the evening, using my airpods at the gym (first time all day) the case had dropped to ~45% or so. The airpods were at 85% when I put them back in the case and that little top-up charge has reduced my case to 13%. Is this normal behaviour? I've only had my airpods for a couple of days now.

 

[thewusman]

I started the day with my case at 55% or so. In the evening, using my airpods at the gym (first time all day) the case had dropped to ~45% or so. The airpods were at 85% when I put them back in the case and that little top-up charge has reduced my case to 13%. Is this normal behaviour? I've only had my airpods for a couple of days now.

Nope. That's the case drain bug right there.

Apple need to fix this asap.

 

[tomaustin44]

What experiences have people who've gone through the Apple Support process and have been sent a replacement had? I'm currently talking to Apple Care Ireland about my problems (on my 3rd pair) and am trying to convince them that the problem is software related, however they're very keen to send me a replacement pair - which is great a) if they work as advertised (I'm sceptical having had three dud pairs) and b) they don't take 6 weeks to arrive.

So I guess my questions are... are people finding the Apple Support replacements better? How long have they had to wait for them?