Does Leaving My AirPods In The Case Drain The Battery? | All You Need to Know in 2022

by Michael Dwain

If you’re wondering how does leaving my AirPods in the case drain the battery, then you’ve come to the right page.

AirPods have become one of the most carried essentials for the everyday human being. From listening to your favorite tunes in the sub on your way to work to attending all your calls while you are working.

The AirPods are here to stay and with their constant use of them, we sometimes wonder if we are getting the best from the battery.

First, let’s understand that there are two batteries we need to look into to find the issue with the charging of these batteries.

One is present inside the charging case and the other is present in the AirPods themselves. So if you’re facing a fast drain issue with your AirPods, you need to look into both to find the issue.

A friend of mine had noticed the battery back up on his Apple AirPods was dropping even though it was in the charging case.

I checked it out and found a solution that I’m going to share with you in this article. I’ve also provided solutions for some of the issues that might be the reason for your AirPods battery to lose its charge faster than normal.

Recommended Read: What Do the Lights on AirPods Mean

Does Leaving My AirPods In The Case Drain The Battery?

Do AirPods Lose Charge If Left in The Case? 

Does Leaving My AirPods In The Case Drain The Battery

Yes, your AirPods can lose the energy stored in the battery if you’ve left it connected to your iPhone or Smart Device via Bluetooth. It is not that noticeable as the percentage that decreases is very minimal to the amount of energy spent when you listen to your music or on a call actively. 

This happens because Bluetooth connectivity requires energy to stay active and in the case of AirPods if it is still connected to your iPhone or Smart device while still in the case. It is going to drain the battery by a very minimal amount. 

Since there is no way of turning off the AirPods manually as Apple has not provided the option. The only other thing that can be done is to keep track of the battery percentage and manage it to the best we can. 

I’m going to take you through a couple of tricks and tips that helped me maintain my AirPods battery longer than expected. 

Does Overcharging Cause Damage to the AirPods?

Does Leaving My AirPods In The Case Drain The Battery

No, overcharging your Apple AirPod Case will not damage the battery or the AirPods present inside. This is thanks to the smart battery preserving technology implemented by Apple on the AirPods. 

This feature prevents the case from charging once it has reached 100% of its full charge.

By doing this there is no excess energy being sent to the batteries present on the AirPods as well as the batteries in the AirPod case. This helps prevent any damage to the unit. 

Now you can rest easy knowing that no damage can come out of your leaving your AirPods in charge in their case overnight. 

Apple AirPods General Battery Life

Does Leaving My AirPods In The Case Drain The Battery

The Apple AirPods when used outside the case holds a decent amount of charge for a good amount of time depending on the model of AirPods you are using. But they will not lose charge as long as the case has a charge in it.

They will be able to get back to full charge status within an hour or two as the AirPod case is designed to provide a fast charge to your AirPods which is faster than the rate it loses battery. 

But in the case, your AirPod case has zero charges left in it and you’ve kept the AirPods back in the case. Your AirPods will lose battery as there is no energy to provide your AirPods to charge or sustain battery within the AirPods. 

There is still good in keeping your AirPods in the case even though the battery is zero in your AirPod case. Apple has designed the case to reduce the rate of discharge of your AirPods when kept inside them and switch the AirPods to low-power mode. 

This is a brilliant way to really manage your battery back in your AirPods. 

Features That Can Be Turned Off To Increase AirPods Battery-Life

Does Leaving My AirPods In The Case Drain The Battery

Apple AirPods are designed to assist you through your everyday life, Apple has kept some of the battery-consuming features active that drain the battery of your AirPods while they are not in use. 

The two main features that are kept active are the double-tap feature on the AirPods that help you answer calls and change songs by tapping the side of either AirPod when plugged into your ear.

This is an active feature and there is no manual way of turning it, you can only switch this feature off using your iPhone or Smart Device. 

The other feature is the automatic ear detection, this feature allows the proximity sensor present in the AirPods to be active when moved or put on the ear. Leaving this feature active will drain the battery.

By turning these features off you will notice a difference in the battery percentage reduction, but this means you will have to manually change songs and answer calls but will be able to use all the main features of your AirPods including Siri.

The only difference would be that you will have to access it through your iPhone. 

How To Turn Off Double-Tap Feature To Save AirPods Battery

Does Leaving My AirPods In The Case Drain The Battery
  • Open the Settings in your iPhone.
  • Once you are inside the settings of your iPhone, check for “My Devices”.
  • Once inside My Devices, check for your AirPod settings
  • You will now get the option to turn off Double-Tap Feature, go ahead and turn it off. 
  • This has to be done on both left and right AirPods. 

Note: By doing this you will turn off the smart sensor feature as well on the AirPods. So you will have to manually change songs and control the volume levels of the AirPods through your iPhone.

How To Turn Off Automatic Ear Detection To Save AirPods Battery

Does Leaving My AirPods In The Case Drain The Battery
  • Open the Settings in your iPhone.
  • Once you are inside the settings of your iPhone, check for “My Devices”.
  • Once inside My Devices, check for your AirPod settings by clicking on the icon next to AirPods. 
  • Turn off the Automatic Ear Detection Feature. 

Note: By doing this you will not be able to use any of the touch detection features on the AirPods and would have to manually operate it through your iPhone.

FAQ’s

Should I leave AirPods in the case when not using it?

The Best option is to keep the AirPods inside the case when you aren’t using them as there are two benefits that come out of it. 

1. They sustain the charge that is present from the previous time you’ve charged the unit and also recharges the AirPods if the case has sufficient battery left.

2. Protects the AirPods from unwanted damage to the connecting rings to help it charge and also prevent the AirPods case from overcharging.

How long will AirPods stay charged in the case?

The AirPods alone after being in charge inside the case and showing 100% percent on your iPhone can easily last you 4-5 hours if you use them continuously only for music and about 4 hours tops if you are using them to talk continuously.

With the case after the AirPods are fully charged. It can last up to 24 hours with it being recharged 3 times in the case after being completely discharged.

Do AirPods Drain iPhone Battery?

Yes, AirPods do drain iPhone battery because of the connectivity of Bluetooth which requires a minimal amount of battery that isn’t very noticeable but if the question is asked does it drain battery or not? It definitely does. 

Why do my AirPods drain so fast?

The only reason why your AirPods might be losing charge fast is if the AirPods are still connected to your iPhone or Smart device and not put back in the case after use.

Apple has designed their AirPods to be conveniently connected to you without having to reconnect every time you use them.
 
If you place them back in the case every time after use, it will retain its charge longer and better for your convenience. 

Takeaway

I hope this article has helped you understand how the battery backup and the unit works when it comes to your battery draining out too early.

At the end of the day, electronic gadgets lose their capabilities over time so taking care of them by following the above tips will provide them a longer life than most. 

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Author Profile

Greetings! My name is Michael and this is my website.

I've been specializing in audio equipment and accessories for a while and have a little something in store for every kind of hi-fi enthusiast.

Based in California, I keep attending special launch events across the globe. This has helped me understand the products better, and with a unique hands-on experience I'm able to provide you with easy to understand reviews about the best in audio tech from around the world.

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