'How long does AirPods' battery last?': Here's how long your AirPods will last before you'll need to recharge them

• Your AirPods battery should last up to 24 hours after charging them in their case the night before, if you keep the case with you.
• AirPods can last on their own for up to five hours of listening time and 3.5 hours of talk time on an individual charge depending on your model.
• Your AirPods' case contains multiple full charges, offering between three to five hours of use from a single charge.
• To help your Airpods' battery last longer, place the wireless headphones back in their case immediately after use to recharge them throughout the day.
• Though AirPods versions vary in other ways, the battery life on all models is relatively the same.

Your AirPods work in tandem with their charging case: you charge the case so it can charge the wireless headphones. The headphones charge faster than the case, which holds multiple charges to sustain the Apple accessory.

Thankfully, you can check your AirPods' battery at any time. For iPhones and iPads, you can hold the case near your device, while on your Mac, you'll have to check the Bluetooth tab at the top of your screen. You can use a battery widget or manually check the light on the back of the case to regularly approximate your time remaining.

Here's everything else you need to know about your Airpods' battery life.

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How your AirPods' battery works with its charging case

The charging case that comes with your AirPods holds multiple full charges, though Apple does not specify an exact number. The case takes longer to charge than the headphones, but once it's fully charged, you can re-juice your headphones multiple times without plugging the case in.

Airpod users can use their wireless charging case with a Qi-certified charging mat that you place your case on with the status light facing up, and the case lid closed. To ensure your Airpods and case are charging, you can check the status light. On Airpod Pros, you'll need to tap the case to see the status light.

You can also charge your Airpods via a Lightning to USB-C cable or a Lightning to USB cable, but it's fastest when you use an iPhone or iPad USB charger or plug your cable straight into your Mac. To charge your case using a wired connection, you need to connect the Lightning cable into the Lightning connector on your case and the other end into a USB charger or port.

How long you can expect your Airpods' battery to last

If you charged your AirPods in their case during the night and have it with you, you should be able to get a full day's use through re-charges when your Airpods' run out of juice. With both AirPods and AirPods Pro, you'll get over 24 hours of total listening time or 18 hours of full talk time with multiple charges in your case.

Apple suggests these usage times based on your earbuds being used at 50% volume with noise cancellation enabled. But be aware that battery life is dependent on many factors, including your device's settings, the environment, and your usage.

How the different AirPods models' batteries compare

According to Apple, the different AirPods' battery life spans are about the same. Although the AirPods Pro boasts other significant differences compared to the AirPods 1st and 2nd generations, battery improvements are hardly noticeable.

AirPods Pro battery life will span 4.5 hours of listening time or 3.5 hours of talk time for the stretch of a single charge. Regular AirPods clock a slightly longer listening time at 5 hours, but a shorter talk time at only 3 hours. All in all, the models are separated only by half an hour.

For quick charges, however, the models differ a bit more. Charging your gen one or gen 2 AirPods for up to 15 minutes will earn you 3 hours of listening time but just 2 hours of talk time. Charging AirPods Pro for 5 minutes will make you one hour of either type of use

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• How to check the battery life of your AirPods on various Apple devices, including your AirPods case

• 'Why won't my AirPods charge?': How to diagnose and fix common AirPod charging problems

• The AirPods Pro are the first noise-cancelling AirPods — here's how to control their noise-cancellation modes

• How to change your AirPods' name, and make them easier to find in Bluetooth menus

• How to customize all of your AirPods' features using an iPhone or iPad