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How long do AirPods take to charge?
The Apple AirPods are some of the best wireless earbuds on the market. Like every true wireless earbud, they have a charging case that allows multiple charging cycles without connecting to a power source.
But how long do AirPods take to charge fully when placed in the case? How long does the case itself take to charge when empty?
Keep reading to find out the answers to these questions and more.
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1st and 2nd generation AirPods take around 25 minutes, 3rd generation AirPods and AirPods Pro take about an hour, and AirPods Max take roughly 2 hours to charge fully.
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How long do AirPods take to charge?
Apple doesn’t have any official information about the charging time of the AirPods. However, tests and individual usage show that it varies between models.
When completely dead, the 1st generation AirPods can go from zero to 100% in less than 25 minutes and last up to 4.5 hours. The 2nd generation AirPods take roughly the same time to charge fully and give you up to 5 hours of listening time. The 3rd generation AirPods and AirPods Pro, on the other hand, take an hour to charge fully. They last for around 6 hours.
The longer time is likely because of the Optimized Battery Charging feature on these newer models that stops charging at 80% and resumes when you usually stop charging, based on your past patterns. It’s enabled by default to protect your battery by reducing the number of full charges the device undergoes. But you can deactivate it in your iPhone or iPad settings.
The AirPods Max’s case is only for storage and doesn’t function as a charging case. So you need to plug them directly into a power source. They’re estimated to take approximately 2 hours to charge fully and can last 20 hours with ANC and Spatial Audio enabled.
How long do AirPods take to fast charge?
If you need to use your dead AirPods Pro or 3rd generation AirPods urgently, plugging them into a power source for about five minutes gives you an hour of listening or talk time.
Meanwhile, you need to plug the 1st and 2nd generation AirPods for around 15 minutes. But that gives you approximately three hours of listening or two hours of talk time. The AirPods Max gives you one and a half hours of listening time after a 5-minute charge.
How long do AirPods cases take to charge?
If your AirPods case is out of charge, you must plug it into a power source or place it on a wireless charging pad for supported models. It’ll show orange when plugged in and green when fully charged.
The charging time is different for wired and wireless charging. The AirPods case goes from zero to 100% in about an hour when plugged with a charging cable. It takes about 30 minutes longer to use a wireless charger because it doesn’t support fast charging. It takes even longer if the AirPods are drained and within the case.
After a refill, the case recharges your AirPods up to four times.