How to Charge Apple AirPods: Wired and Wireless
AirPods charge through their case, either via a Lightning cable or, on supported models, a wireless charging pad, with a status light confirming when charging is complete.
4 min read
In brief
AI summaryAirPods charge through a case that can be powered by a Lightning cable or a wireless charging pad on supported models.
First-generation AirPods cases don't support wireless charging, while every AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro comes with a wireless charging case.
An AirPods case status light glowing amber means less than one full charge remains; green means the case is fully charged.
Contents4 sections
Apple revolutionized wireless listening with AirPods. True wireless earbuds offer elite flexibility, partly thanks to their battery design. Each earbud lasts for a certain number of hours. They also typically come with a charging case that has enough battery life of its own to recharge the earbuds several times over. This charging case is where all the charging magic happens. When you're ready to charge your AirPods, you can power the case with a cable connection or, for the right models, a wireless charging pad. Let's go over the details to learn exactly how to charge AirPods and AirPods Pro!
How Do You Charge Apple AirPods?
Charging Your AirPods With a Wired Power Connection
If your AirPods model, such as the first and early second generation versions, didn't come with a wireless charging case (or you haven't upgraded), or you're not using the wireless charging features of later models, you'll use a cable connection to charge your AirPods case, which will in turn charge the AirPods.
- Place your AirPods in the charging case.
Every type of AirPods comes with a charging case that stores and protects the earbuds while also charging their batteries. Your first step should always be to put the AirPods back in the charging case. Each case is designed so the AirPods lock into place a specific way: on early charging cases the speaker tips face outward, while on AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro the speakers face each other. It should be pretty obvious when your AirPods are seated correctly, and the status light should flash when an AirPod is placed correctly. The exception here is AirPods Max, the over-ear headphones that don't have a charging case. You can skip this step and go straight to the charging port found directly on the AirPods Max.
- Connect your charging case to a power source with its cable.
Look at the bottom of your AirPods case and you'll see a Lightning port. This is how you charge the case whenever you need to. After connecting your AirPods to a mobile Apple device, you should be able to open the charging case near that device and see an instant notification about the remaining battery life for each AirPod and the case itself — handy if you want to know when to charge ahead of time.
- Your AirPods come with a Lightning-to-USB cable for charging. You can plug this cable into any compatible adapter (though Apple's own adapters are highly recommended) or into a USB port on your computer. Connect the Lightning end to your charging case, and it will start charging.
If you only have a device like a newer iPhone, your power adapter might have a USB-C port instead of a USB-A port. In these cases, you may need to get one of Apple's USB-C to Lightning Cables to get the compatibility you need to charge from an outlet.
Charging Your AirPods Wirelessly
Can AirPods be charged wirelessly? That depends on the type of case you have. For first-generation AirPods, the case that comes with this model doesn't support wireless charging, so you'll need to use a cable. For AirPods 2, some versions came without wireless charging and some were upgraded to a wireless charging case (buyers often had a choice when purchasing directly from Apple), so you'll need to check which version you bought. If you have AirPods 3 or AirPods Pro, every version includes a wireless charging case. You can also choose to purchase a wireless charging case separately. This case will work with both first-generation AirPods and AirPods 2, letting you upgrade to this feature. Now all you need is a wireless charger.
- Once you have a wireless charging pad, plug it into an outlet and place your AirPods case directly on top of it with the front/indicator light facing outward. You should be able to tell when the case starts charging because the indicator light will turn on and stay lit. If you're wondering, "How do I charge my AirPods Pro wireless case?" Don't worry! Even though the case design is a bit different, all of these steps apply the same way to AirPods Pro.
- Watch the charging status light for more information. Every AirPods case has an indicator or status light that can keep you updated on charging status. For the original non-wireless charging case, the status light is on the inside, so you'll need to open it. On every other case, the status light is on the outside, on the front of the case. If the case light glows amber, that means less than one charge remains and it's time to charge it. When charging with a cable or wireless pad, open the charging case to check the status light. When it glows green, the case is fully charged.
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How Do You Charge Apple AirPods?
If your AirPods model, such as the first and early second generation versions, didn't come with a wireless charging case (or you haven't upgraded), or you're not using the wireless charging features of later models, you'll use a cable connection to charge your AirPods case, which will in turn charge the AirPods. Every type of AirPods comes with a charging case that stores and protects the earbuds while also charging their batteries. Your first step should always be to put the AirPods back in the charging case. Each case is designed so the AirPods lock into place a specific way: on early charging cases the speaker tips face outward, while on AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro the speakers face…
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