How Long Do AirPods Last?

This article tells you how long you can use your Apple headphones, both between charges and across their whole lifespan, along with how to make them last as long as possible.

What Is the Lifespan of AirPods?

The question of how long AirPods should last is actually two questions: How long before you’ll need to replace them, and how long you can use them on a charge? We’ll answer the second question first.

Apple says that a fully charged set of AirPods should get you between five and six hours of use, “[depending] on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.” That’s not super specific, but here’s what they mean:

• Device settings: Listening at a higher volume or using features like noise cancellation or monitoring will shorten battery life.
• Environment: Temperature can affect battery life, and using noise cancellation in a busier setting will make the AirPods “work harder,” which uses more energy.
• Usage: Using the AirPods’ mic—either for phone calls or even Siri requests—will shorten battery life. Apple estimates that you can get three to four and a half hours of talking time on its current lineup of AirPods, so any combination of listening and talking will reduce the overall time between charges.

The bigger question, of course, is how long your AirPods will last overall, and again, that’s mostly going to come down to the batteries.

The lithium-ion cells in the AirPods have a limited amount of “throughput” (the amount of power they both receive and transmit).

A study on lithium-ion battery lifespans concluded that a fully charged unit in storage will last one to two years before its capacity decays, but that’s not how one typically uses their AirPods (which is to say, not using them at all).

The same report says that a particular kind of decay—lithium plating—can be responsible for decreased battery life, and it sets in after different numbers of charge cycles. The best results had the battery dropping to 80 percent capacity after about 400 cycles.

How Often Should I Charge My AirPods?

That depends on your actual use. You can always put them back in the case to charge every time you're done with them but it's really not necessary. If you charge your AirPods every other day, you won't start seeing significantly less capacity until after about 27 months.

You can still use them after that, however. The same result showed the batteries keeping 50 percent capacity up to about 475 cycles (about 31 months, charging every other day), but you’ll get progressively worse results after that.

Generally, then, with regular use, you can probably expect to get three years of good performance from your AirPods before you absolutely must replace them, and you can help them along with some basic care and maintenance.

How to Make AirPods Last Longer

A few basic practices will keep your AirPods working reliably for as long as possible.

First, keep them out of extreme temperatures (and keep them dry); room temperature is the best environment for your AirPods. Big changes can affect the batteries’ abilities to take and maintain a charge. If you’re going to the beach, for example, maybe leave them behind (or keep them out of direct sunlight, if you bring them along). If it’s cold outside, keep them in your pocket.

Cleanliness is also important. It’s not just about stopping dirt and grime from getting inside the case (although that is also a good idea). Keeping the speaker clean lets it work most efficiently. If it’s clogged with debris, sound doesn’t come through as well. You may need to adjust the volume to compensate, meaning more battery drain.

Don’t leave transparency or noise canceling on all the time. Sure, you want transparency on when you’re taking a walk or otherwise need to be aware of what’s going on around you, but you may not need it if you’re just hanging out at home.

Charge to at least 80 percent. You don’t need to worry about “charge memory” with lithium-ion batteries, but it’s better to make sure your AirPods have plenty of power to increase the time between full charges.