AirPods case bad standby battery life

[profets]

The case communicates with devices. That uses battery. I think the case and pods are pretty active so that they can connect quickly.

The case itself only seems to connect to the AirPods - and any communicate to a Bluetooth connected devices is via the AirPods. If you remove both, you won't get any communication from the case itself.

Also, when the case is closed, the AirPods don't show up as a device that you can connect to from iPhone, Watch or Mac. However the AirPods do seem to be doing something while in the case - as if they were fully powered down or sleeping, the battery wouldn't be depleting at this rate.

 

[Lihp8270]

More updates this morning. Lost 9% over night, I went to bed at 1am with the case at 33%, and woke up at 9am ish with the case at 24%.

After just 3 hours of playback, my case is at 22%. It lost a further 2% while there was nothing in the case while I was using them for an hour this morning.

It does look like I will get the full 5 hours out of the AirPods, so the case only adds an additional 3 hours of usage. So long as you use it within 2 days.

I don't think a set of wireless headphones, that require you to carry a charger every day is really what Apple intended. I will see what happens after they fully drain and then recharged. It may just be that the batteries are almost low, but are reporting as full. So you don't get a full charge until they have been fully drained. But this theory will be tested.

@profets any overnight update on your airpods in your wifes case?

 

[Eduardboon]

My case drained to 3 percent yesterday; the airpods just kept draining as well; I went to bed at 12 with the case at 3 and the pods both at 96.

This morning I checked; case 100, pods 100 (and not charging). 10 minutes later (the case had not been removed from power) the pods were at 96 again, case still 100.

Seems like the drain only occurs when you open up the case.

 

[Lihp8270]

My case drained to 3 percent yesterday; the airpods just kept draining as well; I went to bed at 12 with the case at 3 and the pods both at 96.

This morning I checked; case 100, pods 100 (and not charging). 10 minutes later (the case had not been removed from power) the pods were at 96 again, case still 100.

Seems like the drain only occurs when you open up the case.

When on the charger, the airpods batteries will be cycled to prevent damage. This is common in all LiPo batteries. Which is why you are seeing them going from 100 to 96 and back again

 

[Eduardboon]

When on the charger, the airpods batteries will be cycled to prevent damage. This is common in all LiPo batteries. Which is why you are seeing them going from 100 to 96 and back again

I see the exact same drain with the case off the charger though. Yesterday I didn't look at the stats for over 12 hours, left the house with the case at 58, then 12 hours later the case was still at 58, but 1 hour later the case was at 44 because the pods had drained.

It's too bad the pods themselves keep draining. At first I suspected only the right pod, but since my case went empty both the pods drained the same amount. Actually using the pods all the time seems to get me the best battery life. Better than standby.

For comparison; My iPhone was at 31hours of standby when I went to put in on the charger; with 34 percent left. By airpods were at around 20 hours standby and empty at the same time. Only difference; I did actually use the phone.

 

[txfloppy]

I have the same problem. About 6% drain per hour.
I phoned apple and they told me I have to wait for 6 weeks to get replacement

 

[Lihp8270]

I see the exact same drain with the case off the charger though. Yesterday I didn't look at the stats for over 12 hours, left the house with the case at 58, then 12 hours later the case was still at 58, but 1 hour later the case was at 44 because the pods had drained.

It's too bad the pods themselves keep draining. At first I suspected only the right pod, but since my case went empty both the pods drained the same amount. Actually using the pods all the time seems to get me the best battery life. Better than standby.

For comparison; My iPhone was at 31hours of standby when I went to put in on the charger; with 34 percent left. By airpods were at around 20 hours standby and empty at the same time. Only difference; I did actually use the phone.

My first set kept doing what you describe while off the charger. My second set sit at 100% unless on a mains charger.
[doublepost=1483356150][/doublepost]

I have the same problem. About 6% drain per hour.
I phoned apple and they told me I have to wait for 6 weeks to get replacement

Told me the same, I just returned them for a refund. Then bought more via one of the stock monitoring sites.

 

[CharlesShaw]

We would be a lot happier if Apple hadn't provided battery percentage meters.

"If your AirPods are in your case, then the light shows the charge status of your AirPods. If not, the light shows the status of your case. Green means charged, and amber means less than one full charge remains."

 

[Lihp8270]

We would be a lot happier if Apple hadn't provided battery percentage meters.

Not if they were dead after 3 hours of playback! You don't need a battery meter to tell you that 3 hours is considerably less than the advertised 24. Can't even take them a weekend away camping, as they will be dead. Hurrah for the wireless future?

They have been commented on regularly for their exceptional battery life, but the truth is that this is only the case for those who have correctly functioning devices. Those with faulty ones, have a set of bluetooth headphones that are currently the worst battery life on the market.

 

[CharlesShaw]

Those with faulty ones, have a set of bluetooth headphones that are currently the worst battery life on the market.

Oh my, I had no idea. I think it's simply terrible that Apple is forcing those unlucky people to keep faulty units. /s

Seriously, Apple has the best tech support and replacement program of anyone. Why not call them?

 

[Lihp8270]

Oh my, I had no idea. I think it's simply terrible that Apple is forcing those unlucky people to keep faulty units. /s

Seriously, Apple has the best tech support and replacement program of anyone. Why not call them?

I did call them. Their solution was to mail it to them, and wait 6 weeks for a replacement. Or I could phone the store myself every day and check to see if they had any new stock in to exchange it, as they couldn't take my details and let me know when an exchange set was available.

My first support chat with the 1st set went to a Senior Advisor, they booked me a Genius Bar appointment. Even though I was talking with the US people from the UK. Exceptionally helpful. But I was passing an Apple store, and since only a few days old. I popped in to see if they had any replacements in stock that I could just switch out rather than waiting another week. They did not, but forwarded me to AppleCare. AppleCare wanted me to mail them their device, and wait 6 weeks with no device, and no money. So I said I'd rather keep hold of them (as they work beyond needing daily charging) until an exchange set was available, or just refund for cash and I'll order more. So I went back to the store. Asked if they are able to take my details and set any aside and I will exchange my faulty set when they come in. They said no, I'd have to call the store everyday, and ask about stock. Then when they had some, to get in ASAP and swap them before a customer purchased them. No solution they offered was convenient. So I had them refunded.

I have spoken to Customer Services regarding this, and they were very apologetic. Annoyingly, the store I was at DID have DoA stock, but were not available to retail staff. All they had to do was ask one of the Genius Bar staff who could have sorted this.

I bought a second set the day after, from the same store using fruit surge to find them, but again these are faulty. I have another Genius Bar appointment on Saturday, as this seems to be a better solution. If they have DoA stock then, hopefully my 3rd set will be fine. If they don't have DoA stock, hopefully they can get a replacement set, and let me know when they have them. Similar to what they're doing with my OH's iPhone 6s battery. That way I can at least keep, and get some use out of the product I've paid for. As having no device for 6 weeks, and no cash isn't an acceptable resolution.

If you read through my posts, I've not criticised Apple (beyond the above comments with regards to trying to swap them previously), it's a new product. It's one that makes big claims, and one that is quite an achievement. Of course with the first batches, there's likely to be bugs. And I understand as an early-adopter this is a risk you take.

In the mean time, there's nothing wrong with gathering data and information to give to Apple when I go and see them. Rather than "here you go mister, they broked". And in the mean time, there may be a common issue that can be resolved by the user. And then there's no need to go back to Apple. And those with issues also searching the net may find it useful.

 

[profets]

@Lihp8270 @CharlesShaw - I'm in Canada and fortunately all the stores have had ample stock for some strange reason. So I was able to pick up another set a few days back. They've been running the same as my original AirPods wrt battery life. Honestly, I can't imagine how the genius bar will be able to troubleshoot this issue. We probably know more about how these function than they do at this point.

Yesterday I charged all 3 sets to full (2 are mine and 1 my wife's). I did swap the case from my original pair and my wife's though. My original AirPods I'm going to leave unused, and only use the second pair casually to see how battery life is.

8 hours after coming off charge:
AirPods 1: Case 100%, AirPods 100%
AirPods 2: Case 100%, AirPods 96%


10 hours after coming off charge:
AirPods 1: Case 94%, L AirPod 100%, R AirPod 93% (they weren't used at all)
AirPods 2: used for about an hour at the gym this morning (almost all of that was single AirPod): Case 89%, AirPods 100%


It seems that if you really don't touch the case for many hours, they go into a deeper sleep or standby of some sort, as it takes a bit longer for them to connect when you flip open the case. As opposed to checking the status more often, they connect quickly. Maybe once case is opened they're in a more operative state for a certain period of time (even if the case is closed)?

 

[Lihp8270]

It seems that if you really don't touch the case for many hours, they go into a deeper sleep or standby of some sort, as it takes a bit longer for them to connect when you flip open the case. As opposed to checking the status more often, they connect quickly. Maybe once case is opened they're in a more operative state for a certain period of time (even if the case is closed)?

My battery loss seemed to be consistent checking every 3 hours, and checking after being asleep for 8 hours.
[doublepost=1483359704][/doublepost]

My battery loss seemed to be consistent checking every 3 hours, and checking after being asleep for 8 hours.

I'm down to 11% life now on the AirPods, after 38 hours, and just 3 hours of playback. Gonna use them in the office and be ignorant. See if I can get them flat and recharged to see what happens in the next cycle.

 

[CharlesShaw]

I did call them. ...
they booked me a Genius Bar appointment. ... But I was passing an Apple store... I popped in to see if they had any replacements in stock ... rather than waiting another week. ... They did not, but forwarded me to AppleCare. AppleCare wanted me to mail them their device...

Sorry to hear about the defective AirPods. I'm sure that many of us are familiar your frustration, but learned the hard way that trying to avoid the inevitable often compounds the frustration and delays the resolution.

I couldn't believe my ears back in 2007 when I took my dead Mac to an Apple Store and was told I'd have to make an appointment for warranty service. I hope I wasn't rude to them, but probably was.

 

[profets]

12 hours off charge:

AirPods 1: Case 81%, Pods 100% - 0 usage

Wife's AirPods: Case 99%, Pods 100% - 0 usage

Reminder I swapped the cases between mine and my wife's. She had excellent battery standby life the first time testing. Seems that is the AirPods maybe causing drain and not the case at all.

I'm curious next to try unpairing both of our AirPods completely, and swapping them, then pairing and testing standby battery again.

 

[Lihp8270]

12 hours off charge:

AirPods 1: Case 81%, Pods 100% - 0 usage

Wife's AirPods: Case 99%, Pods 100% - 0 usage

Reminder I swapped the cases between mine and my wife's. She had excellent battery standby life the first time testing. Seems that is the AirPods maybe causing drain and not the case at all.

I'm curious next to try unpairing both of our AirPods completely, and swapping them, then pairing and testing standby battery again.

This sounds like progress. So it is AirPods causing drainage, rather than the case. OR, it is a device paired to the AirPods causing the drain. This of course would be confirmed, when you unpair, reset, and then switch the pair.

 

[NauticalDan]

They have been commented on regularly for their exceptional battery life, but the truth is that this is only the case for those who have correctly functioning devices. Those with faulty ones, have a set of bluetooth headphones that are currently the worst battery life on the market.

Yeah, most reviewers have always said the battery life was great. And they are if you just look at how long the AirPods last when using them. I got six hours use on a single charge before they died, more than the five I was expecting.

I haven't read a single review though that commented on battery life over a period of several days without charging.

I don't think it's a matter of defective units vs. Non defective units. Almost everyone here who has got replacements ends up with similar performance (or only comments on performance over a 5-24h snapshot which can vary a lot). I think it's a problem most people don't notice.
(Some people are going to fully charged to dead in a day with no use though, and that seems a little extreme / defective)

 

[Lihp8270]

Yeah, most reviewers have always said the battery life was great. And they are if you just look at how long the AirPods last when using them. I got six hours use on a single charge before they died, more than the five I was expecting.

I haven't read a single review though that commented on battery life over a period of several days without charging.

I don't think it's a matter of defective units vs. Non defective units. Almost everyone here who has got replacements ends up with similar performance (or only comments on performance over a 5-24h snapshot which can vary a lot). I think it's a problem most people don't notice.
(Some people are going to fully charged to dead in a day with no use though, and that seems a little extreme / defective)

The AirPods life is great in use, but not in standby. 6 hours on a single charge and 9 hours with the case is also not right.

I do think that this is a software issue rather than a hardware one. Hopefully now the holidays are over Apple will be looking into it.

I'm not looking too hard at others, and just focussing on trying to find my issue. But iJustine commented that she had hers over a week in her bag, and still hasn't charged them yet.

 

[NauticalDan]

Here's my charge to discharge log. Gonna start again and try to turn automatic ear detection off.

I'd take them back if I really believed a new set would be different. Since I don't, I'm gonna try to re adjust my expectations and hope they make an on-off switch for version 2!!! Haha. Other than this battery life disappointment, they are pretty cool.

Thurs 1330 - AirPods 98 / case 100
Fri 0500 - AirPods 100 / case 97
Fri 0600 - AirPods 97 / case 97
(used for 30 min, music)
Fri 0630 - AirPods 89 / case 96
Fri 0800 - AirPods 100 / case 87
Fri 1200 - AirPods 100 / case 81
Fri 1600 - AirPods 100 / case 75
Sat 0700 - AirPods 100 / case 72
Sat 0930 - AirPods 100 / case 65
(used for 140 min music, 10 min talk)
Sat 1200 - AirPods 47 / case 64
Sat 1330 - AirPods 100 / case 44
Sat 1830 - AirPods 100 / case 38
Sun 0900 - AirPods 100 / case 34
Sun 1100 - AirPods 100 / case 29
(used for 120 min music)
Sun 1300 - AirPods 63 / case 27
Sun 1430 - AirPods 100 / case 5
Sun 1530 - AirPods 95 / case 2
Sun 1630 - AirPods 94 / case 0
Sun 2030 - AirPods 72 / case dead
Sun 2130 - AirPods 63 / case dead
Sun 2230 - AirPods 55/68 / case dead
Mon 0200 - AirPods 33/52 / case dead
Mon 0600 - AirPods 11/36 / case dead

 

[Lihp8270]

12 hours off charge:

AirPods 1: Case 81%, Pods 100% - 0 usage

Wife's AirPods: Case 99%, Pods 100% - 0 usage

Reminder I swapped the cases between mine and my wife's. She had excellent battery standby life the first time testing. Seems that is the AirPods maybe causing drain and not the case at all.

I'm curious next to try unpairing both of our AirPods completely, and swapping them, then pairing and testing standby battery again.

If it is the device they're paired to causing an issue. That "should" be prevented by fully charging, unpairing them. And then leaving them sat there with no connection.

That will be my next test if this full discharge doesn't resolve the issue, the fact that there are different "fixes" suggests it's just a bug, or glitch. Rather than a hardware failure
[doublepost=1483367835][/doublepost]

Here's my charge to discharge log. Gonna start again and try to turn automatic ear detection off.

I'd take them back if I really believed a new set would be different. Since I don't, I'm gonna try to re adjust my expectations and hope they make an on-off switch for version 2!!! Haha. Other than this battery life disappointment, they are pretty cool.

Thurs 1330 - AirPods 98 / case 100
Fri 0500 - AirPods 100 / case 97
Fri 0600 - AirPods 97 / case 97
(used for 30 min, music)
Fri 0630 - AirPods 89 / case 96
Fri 0800 - AirPods 100 / case 87
Fri 1200 - AirPods 100 / case 81
Fri 1600 - AirPods 100 / case 75
Sat 0700 - AirPods 100 / case 72
Sat 0930 - AirPods 100 / case 65
(used for 140 min music, 10 min talk)
Sat 1200 - AirPods 47 / case 64
Sat 1330 - AirPods 100 / case 44
Sat 1830 - AirPods 100 / case 38
Sun 0900 - AirPods 100 / case 34
Sun 1100 - AirPods 100 / case 29
(used for 120 min music)
Sun 1300 - AirPods 63 / case 27
Sun 1430 - AirPods 100 / case 5
Sun 1530 - AirPods 95 / case 2
Sun 1630 - AirPods 94 / case 0
Sun 2030 - AirPods 72 / case dead
Sun 2130 - AirPods 63 / case dead
Sun 2230 - AirPods 55/68 / case dead
Mon 0200 - AirPods 33/52 / case dead
Mon 0600 - AirPods 11/36 / case dead

Towards the end of this log, are those AirPods in use? Or depleting themselves, in the case while unused?
[doublepost=1483368121][/doublepost]Another thought. If it is a device issue. Then it may explain why resetting, or repairing works for some. If I have issues after a discharge. I may try the "reset all settings" fix that sorted out my watch with drain issues.

 

[NauticalDan]

Towards the end of this log, are those AirPods in use? Or depleting themselves, in the case while unused?
[doublepost=1483368121][/doublepost]Another thought. If it is a device issue. Then it may explain why resetting, or repairing works for some. If I have issues after a discharge. I may try the "reset all settings" fix that sorted out my watch with drain issues.

They are not in use - just sitting in the case depleting themselves.

I don't believe yet that unpairing or resetting all settings works for anyone. Anytime I've seen that, the evidence it "worked" was just them noticing overnight they only dropped a few percentage, if anything, and I see that all the time too. It's the average over many days that is the real evidence, not just an overnight period or single day.

 

[Lihp8270]

They are not in use - just sitting in the case depleting themselves.

I don't believe yet that unpairing or resetting all settings works for anyone. Anytime I've seen that, the evidence it "worked" was just them noticing overnight they only dropped a few percentage, if anything, and I see that all the time too. It's the average over many days that is the real evidence, not just an overnight period or single day.

I don't think they should be depleting themselves while in the case on standby. But that does explain the case discharge too.

@profets is the ideal one to solve this though, since he has a good set, and a bad set And has confirmed it is his AirPods that deplete the case, not the case losing its charge. When the device pairing is switched between the airpods, then it will be interesting to see whether his device drains his wife's AirPods, or whether his AirPods also drain while paired to his wife's phone.

Hopefully this can point towards a common cause of the drainage, if it's caused by the device, it may be fixable with an iOS update.
[doublepost=1483369623][/doublepost]

They are not in use - just sitting in the case depleting themselves.

I don't believe yet that unpairing or resetting all settings works for anyone. Anytime I've seen that, the evidence it "worked" was just them noticing overnight they only dropped a few percentage, if anything, and I see that all the time too. It's the average over many days that is the real evidence, not just an overnight period or single day.

Just looked at your devices in your signature. Have you tried pairing them via regular Bluetooth to the Nano, rather than to the iPhone?

 

[NauticalDan]

The nano is pretty old. No Bluetooth.

 

[tomaustin44]

On my second pair now and they're not doing so great either... 2nd full charge cycle (fully drained and recharged) and I've lost 6% in four hours with no use at all. Going to persevere with these ones and see if they improve as more charge cycles are completed and b) see if Apple releases a software fix. If this is a hardware defect affecting a small minority then the chances of getting two duff pairs are very small (one bought from Apple.com the other from EE).

 

[Lihp8270]

On my second pair now and they're not doing so great either... 2nd full charge cycle (fully drained and recharged) and I've lost 6% in four hours with no use at all. Going to persevere with these ones and see if they improve as more charge cycles are completed and b) see if Apple releases a software fix. If this is a hardware defect affecting a small minority then the chances of getting two duff pairs are very small (one bought from Apple.com the other from EE).

I am thinking similar. 2 Pairs with the same issue is unlikely. Unless it's a battery batch. If they appear faulty still as time goes on, a late swap may fix if it is hardware related. There is a long warranty at least.