How to check the battery charge on your AirPods

It can be incredibly frustrating when your AirPods run out of battery, especially if you’re in the middle of listening to a really good song or podcast.

Thankfully, AirPods charge their battery extremely quickly, and checking the life of your AirPods battery is very easy. With just a few simple steps, you can monitor the battery’s charge on your AirPods charging case, as well as the battery of both the left and right AirPods. 

How to check your AirPods battery life on your iPhone or iOS device

Whether you’re on your iPad or your iPhone, checking the charge your AirPods have is the same, though it may take a few awkward seconds for your device to connect to actually see the battery level. 

Here’s what to do…

Open the AirPods case next to your iOS device

For this, you’ll need your AirPods case with the AirPods inside it, and your device. Open the lid of your AirPods case and keep it open while you hold the case and your device close to each other. After a few seconds, a screen will pop up displaying the charge level of both your AirPods and the charging case. You can see this screen from your lock screen or your home screen. 

Use the Battery Widget on your iOS device

1. Edit the home screen

Another way to check the battery status of your AirPods is by using the Batteries Widget, which was released in iOS 14. If you don’t have iOS 14 or later, this method will not be available to you. To add the widget app, simply hold down on a blank space on your home screen until the apps start to wiggle. You want to click on the plus sign in the upper left hand corner of the screen. 

2. Find the Batteries Widget

At the top of the screen, there will be a search bar where you can search through all of the widgets available to your device. 

3. Click on the Batteries Widget in the Search Widget tab

Type “Batteries” into the search bar and select the Batteries Widget. 

4. Choose your style and add widget

Swipe to choose the style of Battery Widget that you prefer and add click on “Add Widget” at the bottom of the screen. 

5. Move your Battery Widget to the desired location

Hold down on the Batteries Widget that you just added to your home screen to move it to your desired location. 

There you have it, now you can easily check the battery status of your AirPods, the charging case, your phone, and other Bluetooth devices such as an Apple Watch directly from your home screen.

Note: If your AirPods are not connected to your device, they will not show up on the Batteries Widget. But this is an easy way to check your AirPods battery charge if you are currently using them with your iOS device. 

How to check the AirPod battery status on your Mac

Checking the battery charge status on your AirPods via your Mac is incredibly easy. 

1. Click on the Bluetooth icon

Click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar in the upper right hand corner of your screen to connect your AirPods to your Mac.

2. Connect your AirPods to your Mac

3. Hover your cursor over the name of your AirPods

Hover over the device name in the Bluetooth menu to see the individual battery level for each of your AirPods. 

Use the Status light

Apple included a small light on the AirPods case, though the location may vary depending on what model AirPods and case you have. Regardless, the different colors can tell you how much juice your case has, as well as your AirPods.

If your case is open with the AirPods inside, the light will tell you the charge status of the AirPods themselves. If your AirPods are not in the case, the light will show you the charge on the case. 

A green light means the device is fully charged. An orange light means there is less than one charge remaining, and it’s probably a good idea for you to charge up your AirPods and/or case. Fully charged, your AirPod charging case should contain multiple charges, but there are many factors that affect your battery life, such as listening volume, device settings, and environment. Apple claims that AirPods should get about five hours of listening time, or three on a single charge. AirPods Pro, however, get about four-and-a-half hours listening time, and three-and-a-half-hours of talk time on just one charge. 

And if there’s no charge at all, well, you know what to do.