How to Tell if Your AirPods 2 Are Charging

AirPods have so many benefits compared to regular earphones.

However, there’s one thing to pay attention to if you’re about to leave home: their battery status. You wouldn’t want to hear that “beep” in the middle of your run or on your way to work, would you?

If you tend to leave them in the case overnight, it’s not likely to happen. But how can you be sure if your AirPods are even charging? When do you need to charge the case?

Read the rest of the article to find out.

Checking the Light Indicator

The first sign of charging you’ll be looking for is the status light on the AirPods and the case.

There’s one light on the front of the case and another one when you open the lid. The light inside has two roles: when the pods are within the case, it indicates their battery level. When you take them out, it’ll inform you about the battery level of the case.

When it comes to the colors, if the light is green, the case is fully charged. If it’s amber, the battery level has started dropping.

The amber light is also an indicator of charging. If you plug the case into an outlet or your Mac, for instance, this is the light you’ll want to see to be sure the AirPods are charging.

If there’s no light at all, it means your case needs to be charged.

The AirPods will notify you by sound if the battery is running low. You’ll hear two beeps: one at 10% and another just before the pods turn off.

Using Your iPhone for Monitoring

Checking your AirPods 2 battery status via your phone is pretty straightforward.

Have you already paired them with your iPhone? Then you can use it to check the pods. Just remember that you need to be within range to do so.

Here are the steps to follow:

Open the AirPods case without taking the AirPods out.
Bring your iPhone close to the case.
Check your phone screen for a new notification: you’ll see images of the AirPods and the case.
Below these images, you can see the current battery levels. If any of these two are charging, you’ll see a small lightning bolt icon next to the battery.

In some cases, only one of these will be charging. For instance, the case may already be full, while the AirPods still need to reach 100% of the battery level.

When the battery level of your AirPods gets too low, you’ll receive a notification – you’ll see it at the top of your iPhone or iPad screen. These notifications are sent at 20, 10, and 5% left.

Ask Your Virtual Assistant

Did you know you could also ask Siri about the battery status of your AirPods?

Well, that’s one of the things virtual assistants are for.

Here’s what to do:

If you’re currently using the AirPods, you don’t need to take them out or place them in the case. However, you will need to specify what you’re asking Siri about – the pods or the case.
If your AirPods are inside their charging case, Siri will inform you about both battery levels when you ask the question.

Use the Widgets

Here’s one more way to check your AirPods battery status along with any other device you’ve connected to your iPhone.

Widgets are located on your Home Screen and allow you quick access to multiple handy functions. Follow the steps below to set them up on your phone screen:

Unlock your phone and stay on the home screen.
Tap and hold an empty place on your screen.
You’ll see the Add button with a plus sign in the top left corner.
Choose the battery widget, pick the size you consider appropriate, and tap on Add Widget.
To confirm your choice, select Done.

Another way is to add the battery level widget to Today View.

To open Today View, swipe right from your home screen.
Tap and hold an empty place.
Go to Add in the top left corner.
Find the widget you want to install and customize it to fit your screen.
When done, tap on the Add Widget and Done buttons.

How Long Does the Battery Last?

The longevity of AirPods battery is pretty great. According to the official Apple website, you can listen to music for five hours non-stop before you run out of battery in an ideal scenario. You can also talk for three hours on a single charge.

If you use the case to recharge the battery throughout the day, this time goes up to 24 hours of listening. After that, you’d need to charge your case as well. Multiple charges also allow you to talk for 18 hours before charging the case.

Sometimes, it’s enough to charge the AirPods for only five to 15 minutes to get up to three hours of music or around an hour of phone time.

Charging the Charger

Yes, it may sound a bit weird, but you need to charge the case first because the pods are charged through it.

When you’re not sure if your AirPods are charging, you have two ways of finding out. If your phone is near, you’ll be able to see exactly how much battery the pods and the case have. If not, just check the status light on the case.

How long does your AirPods battery last? How often do you charge the case? Let us know in the comments section below.