What’s there not to love about Apple’s AirPods? Well, except maybe the fact that sometimes you may encounter the problem of one AirPod not charging. Irrespective of which AirPod model you have, you have probably come across the pesky issue of having only one out of the two AirPods charging in the charging case. What do you do in such a situation?
Lucky for you, we have researched this rather annoying one AirPod not charging issue and put together a quick guide on how to fix it. Keep reading to find out more!
Why Is Only One of My AirPods Not Charging?
First, check if it is always the same AirPod that has issues in charging. If just one of your Apple AirPods is not charging, there are high chances that the issue may lie within the AirPods charging case itself. You are probably wondering how your AirPods charge in the charging case they come with. Let us explain.
When you place your AirPods in their charging case, you will find that there are points of contact at the base of the case. These contact points act as the medium between your AirPods and the charging plate. When your Apple AirPods are kept inside the charging case, power flows through the conducting contact points, which then charges the AirPods.
If there is anything that is acting as a barrier or an obstacle between the charging points and the AirPods, smooth charging of the AirPods could be affected. There are various possible reasons of interference, such as:
- Dust in the charging case
- Some dirt, crumbs or particles
- Faulty charging case
How to Fix Only One AirPod Not Charging Issue?
Since more often than not, the AirPods charging case is the reason only one of your two Apple AirPods may be charging.
Here is how you can fix the problem of only one AirPod not charging.
Ensure the Apple AirPods’ Charging Case Has Sufficient Charging
First things first, make sure the AirPods charging case has at least 10% charging left. If the charging case has a battery percentage of anything less than 10%, chances are that the battery won’t be enough to charge both of your Apple AirPods.
We found that a lot of Apple AirPod users tend to forget charging the charging case, since their AirPods have lasted for such a long time upon a single charge. We recommend keeping in mind to charge the AirPods charging case for around 10 to 15 minutes every day or so, to make sure the charging case always has an adequate amount of charge in it.
If you are wondering about if your Apple AirPods can get damaged because of frequent charging, or because of overcharging – don’t worry. The AirPods have Lithium – Ionalcohol batteries incorporated into their design, which are highly durable. Along with this, the Apple AirPods charging case automatically stops charging the AirPods once the AirPods have been fully charged. Because of these two reasons, you do not need to worry about your Apple AirPods overcharging.
Here is how you can check your charging case’s battery.
- Place your AirPods in their charging case.
- Close the lid.
- After this, bring the charging case close to your phone.
- Once you have done this, open the charging case’s lid. The battery status will automatically be displayed on your phone, with the percentage of each individual AirPod as well as the charging case’s battery percentage.
Remove the AirPods From the Case, and Place Them Back In
Sometimes what happens is that the AirPods fail to charge because they aren’t in proper contact with the charging plates inside the charging case. This could happen because of various reasons, such as some dust or food crumbs interfering with the connectivity, or maybe you just somehow managed to incorrectly place the AirPods inside the case.
In such a case, all you have to do is simply take out your Apple AirPods from the charging case, and carefully place them back in. We recommend trying this a few times till the problem gets resolved, just in case.
Here’s what to do:
- Remove the Apple AirPods from their charging case.
- Close the lid.
- After this, bring the charging case close to your phone.
- Once you have done this, open the charging case’s lid. The battery status will automatically be displayed on your phone, with the percentage of each individual AirPod as well as the charging case’s battery percentage.
Clean Your Apple AirPods
It isn’t always that the issue is with having a dirty charging case – maybe it is the AirPods that need some cleaning. While we are sure (or at least, we hope) you keep your Apple AirPods clean on a regular basis, there are always chances that there may be some dirt that could be stuck on them.
It is important to keep your AirPods clean – not only from a hygiene and aesthetic point of view, but also to ensure that you have a great music listening experience. Having dirt on your AirPods can sometimes impact the way the audio flows from the AirPods to your ears. It is highly advised to keep them clean.
Having unclean AirPods, especially at the tail of the AirPods, can greatly impact the ability of the AirPods to charge. You can use cotton ear buds, or q-tips, semi-wet wipes, dry tissue paper, a drop or two of cleaning alcohol, toothpicks or paper towels to clean your Apple AirPods.
Here is what you will need to do to clean your AirPods. Please note that you can also use the equipment listed below to clean out your Apple AirPods’ charging case.
- Dab a drop of cleaning alcohol onto a dry tissue paper, or a paper towel, or a cotton q-tip.
- Rub this on the unclean areas on your AirPods.
- If there is any dirt stuck in those hard to reach places, grab a toothpick and gently clean out the area, especially the mesh.
- Once you are done, carefully dry the AirPods using a dry tissue paper.
- Make sure to also clean the tail of the AirPods and tap it dry using a tissue paper.
Reset the AirPods
If nothing else seems to work, we recommend resetting your Apple AirPods. Usually, this helps to resolve any battery, firmware and charging problems that may be coming up. Keep in mind, however, that resetting your AirPods brings them back to their factory settings, i.e., you will need to set up your AirPods all over again.
Here is what you need to do:
- Open your phone’s Settings app.
- Here, navigate to Bluetooth.
- You will find a list of devices that have been previously connected to your phone. Locate the name of your AirPods in this list.
- On the right of the name, you will find an ‘i’ icon. Tap this, and then tap on ‘Forget This Device.’
- To reset your AirPods, long press on the pairing button (the white circular button at the back of the charging case) till the status light turns amber in color.
- Now, your AirPods are ready to be paired again. Open the lid of the charging case and bring the case close to your phone. Ensure that your phone’s Bluetooth is turned on.
- You will get a popup on your phone which displays your AirPods. Tap on ‘Connect’ and you are good to go.
Final Words
We hope we were able to help you resolve the pesky, but common problem of ‘one AirPod not charging’. While we are sure that you must have been able to fix the issue using the above methods, if the problem still persists, we highly recommend consulting Apple Support. Take a visit to your nearest Apple Store, and we are sure they will help you pinpoint what exactly is preventing one AirPod from charging, and how to fix it.
If you have any questions, doubts or queries, feel free to drop a comment in our comments section below, and our experts will get back to you with an answer in no time!
