AirPods Case Not Charging? Try These 10 Fixes

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AirPods charging case

I get it, you just finished using your AirPods and you decide you want to charge the battery case so that you can charge your AirPods.

Unfortunately, when you went to charge your case, it didn’t charge. This means that when your case runs out of battery, your AirPods aren’t going to charge as well which means that they’ll eventually stop working.

AirPod Case Dead and Not Charging? Here’s Why

1. Cases Data Port Is Dirty Or Damaged

One reason why your AirPod case won’t charge is due to your case’s data port in the case the charging socket is dirty or damaged.

Over time, lint and other dirt particles can get stuck in your case’s charging socket and this can prevent it from charging when you put you connect your lightning cable. Cleaning the data port is simple but if your case still won’t charge after, it’s likely that the data port is fully damaged.

2. Lightning Cable Problem

If there’s a problem with the power source that you’re connecting your lightning cable to charge your AirPods case or AirPods Pro case with, then this can prevent it from charging problem. Ensuring that you’re giving your case the right amount of power from the right source is essential to how it charges. Failure to do this can result in the case not charging.

3. Software Issue

Another reason why your AirPod or AirPod Pro case isn’t charging is because of a software issue. There could be a bug that’s causing a failure in the operating system which is preventing the case from being charged. To remove this bug, a hard reset will need to be carried out so that the system can be refreshed and the software problem can be removed.

4. Battery Problems

One problem that could be causing your AirPods case not to charge is the fact that it has battery problems. If you’ve had your AirPods for long enough, then the battery is eventually going to wear out and they’ll need to get replaced.

If you haven’t had your AirPods for too long, then it’s fair enough to say that your AirPods aren’t facing battery problems.

If you notice that your AirPods are consistently not charging or the battery dies fast, then the best thing to do would be to put it down to battery problems. The battery could be dead and just need replacing, so it’s best not to get rid of your AirPods entirely. If you’ve ever noticed that one AirPod drains faster than the other, this is a symptom of battery issues within your AirPods themselves.

Why Won’t My AirPods Case Light Up?

If you notice that your AirPods case won’t light up when you go to charge it, then you’ll know that there’s a problem with the charging system. Usually, the cause of this is a glitch but if you’re noticing that you’re plugging your lightning cable in and the AirPod case isn’t showing any lights, then you can try to reset it to get rid of the problem.

To factory reset then before trying to charge them again, stick both AirPods back in the case and hold the button on the back for a good 15+ seconds. At some point, the light should (normally) flash amber. Afterward, close the case and reopen it to restart the pairing process. If the issue persists after that, you should take it to the store because it’ll likely need a replacement.

Airpod Case Not Charging But AirPods Are?

If your AirPods are charging but not your case, then this means there’s a problem with your case’s charging system and not your AirPods themselves. The internal components of your AirPod case that allows your AirPods to be charged is working completely fine and the only problem is the charging system of the case. Usually, this will be caused by a glitch, and doing a factory reset should fix the problem in no time.

AirPods Themselves Not Charging?

If your AirPods aren’t charging along with your AirPods case, it could either be that your AirPod case is dead so it’s unable to charge your AirPods, or your AirPod case still has charge but the internal components that charge your Airpods aren’t working so it’s unable to charge your AirPods.

Why Does My AirPod Case Not Charge to 100?

If your AirPod case isn’t charging to 100 percent, then this could be down to the adapter being damaged due to a short circuit. You might find that your AirPods case only charges a certain percentage but it never reaches 100%.

The best solution is to use another USB to lightning cable and adapter to charge the case. If the new cable or adapter works then your problem is solved. Another thing you could do in this case is to replace the battery because that could also prevent your AirPods case from charging 100%.

How to Know If AirPods Case Is Charging?

If you want to know if your AirPod case is charging, then you need to place your AirPods in the case and see a red or amber light, which means that the case is charging them. Once the AirPods are fully charged, the light will be green when you open the case.

Another to know when your AirPod case is charging is when you plug in your lightning cable, the AirPod case shows an amber light. If there’s no light at all, then you know that there’s a problem. Note that once your AirPod case is fully charged rather than it being amber, the light will be green.

What To Do If Your AirPod Case Won’t Charge?

Before you go ahead and try and troubleshoot the problem with your AirPod case, you need to make sure you’re charging it properly.  If you’re unsure how to charge your AirPod case properly, you need to make sure that you know how to charge it properly so this isn’t a cause of why your AirPod case is not charging.

To charge your AirPod case, connect the lightning cable to the bottom of the case. The status light should come on for a few seconds and turn off as the case charges > plug the lightning cable adapter into a power source and your AirPod case should be charging. If this process didn’t work, then you can conclude that there’s a problem with the charging process for your AirPod case.

To tell if your AirPod case is charging, you’ll see the orange light to indicate that it’s charging. If you can’t see the light turn orange when you plug in your charger, your AirPod case is not charging.

1. Reset Your AirPod Case

The first thing you need to do is to reset your AirPod case. This is a very good troubleshooting step to take when trying to fix your AirPods case because there aren’t that many troubleshooting steps you can complete with it.

Resetting your AirPods case is going to clear the operating system which could fix the charging process.

To reset the AirPods case:

  1. Press and hold the setup button on the back of your case
  2. Let go of the button when the status light flashes amber, then flashes white
  3. The battery case should charge now

If this step didn’t work, go to the next step.

2. Inspect the Charging Process

If hard resetting your case didn’t work, you want to go through each of the components of the case’s charging process and inspect those for damage.

The best thing to start with is your lightning cable power adapter. If you’re using your computer, car charger, or wall adapter to charge the case, take a close look inside them for any debris or gunk that may have gotten in there that could be interfering with the charging process.

After inspecting the power adapter, if you think you found anything that could stop your case from charging, don’t use a paperclip or anything sharp because that can cause problems with static electricity and it can do physical damage to your AirPod case or other components.

To clean out any debris from the power adapter, use an anti-static brush. If you don’t have an anti-static brush lying around somewhere, which most people don’t, the next best thing you can use is a new toothbrush. Before you use a toothbrush, make sure that it has no moisture since this can cause serious damage to the internal components of your iPhone or your charger.

Make sure you gently brush out using a circular motion. The other way you can try and fix your AirPod case not charging is by simply using another power adapter or using a friend’s. This is probably the easiest way to fix this issue.

3. Clean the Cases Charging Port

The next thing that you can do in this situation is to clean your AirPods charging port. Charging ports are notorious for getting lint and dirt stuck in them, especially if you always keep the case in your Jeans – jeans always have lint at the bottom of the pockets.

Before you know how to clean the case, make sure you don’t use anything wet or metal because this can cause a short circuit, and this can break your AirPods case for good.

To clean the charging port:

  1. Get a static brush or toothpick
  2. Scrape the dirt out
  3. Connect your lightning cable to the case and it should charge

If this step didn’t work, you can try the next step.

4. Use a Different Cable

The next step that I implore you to take is to change the cable you’re using to charge the case. If you’re using a cable that isn’t MFI certified, this may be causing the problem and you’ll need to get a certified Apple lightning cable (view on Amazon).

Fake cables don’t have good connectivity capabilities compared to MFI certified cables. Once you’ve switch lightning cables, you should check if you’re able to charge your lightning case with it.

If this step didn’t work, go to the last step.

5. Don’t Use an Extension

If you’re using an extension to try and charge your lightning cable, try switching to a wall socket. If there’s an issue with the extension, it can stop your case from charging properly. Once you’ve plugged it into a wall socket, the case should start charging.

6. Take Your AirPods Out

One thing that could be disrupting your AirPods from charging is your AirPods themselves. Sometimes when you have your AirPods in, it could disrupt the charging process.

In this situation, taking your AirPods out of the charging case could work wonders for the charging process and allow the case to actually charge. If you notice that this doesn’t work, then it could signify worse problems with the case’s charging process.

7. Replace Your AirPods

Since replacing your AirPods is the fix you probably didn’t want to hear: if you’ve found that your AirPods are damaged and the problem is deeper since you’re unable to charge your dead airpod case, you’ll need to get it replaced.

You can replace your AirPods (view on Amazon) with the new AirPods Pro since it’s the most reliable model. It’s trustworthy and doesn’t have issues like the first generation of AirPods. Upgrading your AirPods will lower the number of issues you have with it and you’ll no longer experience the charging problem.

8. Suck Out The Charging Port

Now this one might sound weird, but one thing that could help with this problem is to suck out the charging port on your AirPods case. The charging case’s lightning port can be filled with all sorts of junk and one way to easily get rid of debris that could be trapped inside there is to suck it out. To do this, you just need to plug the end with your mouth and such hard. This works well if you don’t have any compressed air to blow it out.

9. Contact Apple Support

If you have tried all the steps and the case is still failing to charge, then it looks like there’s a deeper issue that can’t be resolved with troubleshooting steps. In this case, you’ll need to contact Apple support to get this fixed.

This is likely to happen after many years of having your AirPods so don’t be taken back by the unfortunate situation. After about 3 years of having AirPods, whether that’s the Pro or the first-gen, problems start to occur. Usually, this is with the AirPods themselves but problems can still occur with the case.

Most Airpods have a full-year warranty so if you have to take them to the Apple store, you will most likely get them replaced for free. On the website when it comes to selecting the problem that you have with your AirPods, just make sure that you select the case and any qualifications relating to the charging process.

10. Use a Wireless Charger

Wireless chargers have recently become popular and they could actually be the solution to your charging problem. When your AirPod case isn’t charging, there’s a big chance that the problem is down to the charging port or the lightning cable.

The best way to fix this problem would be to charge them wirelessly so that they can bypass the traditional charging system.  Wireless chargers do not require you to plug anything inside the charging port so if your port is broken then this can be a great alternative.

To use a wireless charger (view on Amazon), you simply have to plug it on, then place your AirPod case on top of the charging mat.

11. Update Your AirPods Firmware

Firmware is the software that is placed in your AirPods and you can update it to get rid of problems such as your AirPods case not charging. Having old firmware can cause charging problems so it’s best to keep things up to date. Your AirPods firmware should be up to date and this should be done automatically, but if it’s not, then you can do it manually using a very straightforward process.

Before you can update the firmware to try and fix the charging problem, you need to make sure your Airpods are connected to your iPhone. You can check this in Bluetooth in Settings.

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Scroll down to General
  3. Click on About
  4. Scroll down and look for your AirPods
  5. Look at the current firmware version

If you want to update them, make sure they’re first connected to the device then you want to plug the charger into the case and close it. Once this is done you need to leave the AirPods overnight and wait for them to update. Unfortunately, there’s no other manual step that you can carry out to update them so you’ll just have to wait.

Charging Your AirPods Case Without The AirPods Inside

The only way to charge your AirPod case and not the AirPods themselves is by removing the AirPods from the case before you charge them. When you take out the AirPods, the power is only diverted to the AirPod case and not the AirPods.

If your AirPods are fully charged, you can leave them in the case the power will only be diverted to the AirPod case. However, if your AirPods are out of battery and you put them in the case, the AirPods case will be charging but the AirPods will be draining the battery as it’s charging. Once the AirPods are done charging, then the AirPods case will start to charge.

How Long Does it Take to Charge an AirPods Case?

If you’re having problems with your AirPods cases charging process, then you’re probably wondering how long they usually take to charge them fully. Your AirPod case powers your AirPods so they require slightly longer to fully charge your AirPods.

From a dead AirPod case to a fully charged one, it takes approximately twenty to thirty minutes. That means if you’re short of time, then you can quickly get your AirPods back to full fitness and ready to be used again

David Johnson is a freelance writer with 9 years of experience writing for Techzillo and other established tech outlets like iMore. His focus and key interests are Apple and accessibility as well as consumer technology in general. Read our Editorial Guidlines and Fact Checking process.

56 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you for your help! My airpod case would charge with some cable but not the others. While none of the cables has problem with charging my iphone. Any idea on why this happens? Thank you.

  2. My AirPods charge to 100%, but my AirPod case is always at 0% no matter how long I charge it. How do I fix this?

  3. my airpods always get to 100% and my airpods are always at 0%. i’ve tried charging it for many hours on end and it won’t work. it has the indicator that it’s charging too but it won’t.

  4. my airpods always get to 100% and my airpods are always at 0%. i’ve tried charging it for many hours on end and it won’t work. it has the indicator that it’s charging too but it won’t

  5. My case doesn’t charge but it does when I leave the case open while plugged in for some reason. Try that and see if it works.

  6. My airpod case was in my pocket for whole day yesterday and today when i checked it was dead .i tried to charge it today but no indication light .its still dead , trued other lightning cable still nothing, after one hour it showed amber light for a split second and then again nothing . What should i do

  7. Check the wall charging unit as well. I followed all the steps and used apple chargers. I changed the wall unit and that worked. I guess the other one is dying.

    • I’m having issues with the case .got some water on them. They work for lil while but now the case willnt charge. No light what so ever.

  8. My AirPod is charging if I put it to the case, and my AirPod case is also charging but the problem is that case refuse to charge when Airbuds are inside. Case only charge without AirBuds. If I try to charge the case when airbuds inside case shows no light and acting being dead but after couple of hours later case indicates 61% remaining. And airbuds shows 100%. By the way I have checked all the prescribed solutions.

  9. so here is my problem. I will plug in my case to charge it with the airpods in but only the airpods charge. the case stays at 1 percent but as soon as i unplug it it instantly dies. if anyone knows any solutions please reply

  10. This was great. I cleaned out my charging port with a paper clip and got a few big chunks of lint out of it. Walla! It started charging again. Thanks for pointing out the obvious. Really appreciate you doing this.

  11. Thank you so much whoever posted this article, i was so scared i would need to by a new case, and now they work again so thank you

  12. My AirPods we’re charging but my case wasn’t. I had to go all the way to the final step of plugging it into the wall instead of out junction charging point. Finally, my case is charging. Thank you so much for your help!!

  13. Reset mine and didn’t seem to change anything. But different cables (and using a wall plug, not a power bank) seems to be working.
    Not sure if it’s the reset or cables though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  14. I ve tried all ur methods it didn’t work ..I used a necked wire to charge when it sparked up light at the charging point n i try to charge it again it didn’t work pls I need a solution I can’t afford to loose this one.

  15. Thank you for your help. I have a problem with my airpods case for 2 days. After I read your article so I can fix it by change cable^^

  16. I was having the same problem and tried all the above. I HAD to use the charging cord that came with the pods to charge the CASE. It wasn’t the case with the pods themselves, but for the case only that cable worked. This is common for Apple products.

  17. My case will not change at all but the buds will still charge, can someone help me figure out why they are doing this.

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