This article explains how to conserve battery life on AirPods. Instructions apply to AirPods (1st generation), AirPods with wireless charging case (2nd generation), and AirPods Pro.

What to Know

  • You can’t turn off AirPods, but you can conserve their battery life.When not in use, AirPods use very little power.

You Can’t Turn Off AirPods or Their Charging Case

We know. You’re not alone. Lots of people wonder whether you can turn AirPods off to save battery life or just prevent them from working when you don’t want to use them.

Apple-designed AirPods so that they’d always be ready. All you have to do is open their case, pull out the AirPods, put them in your ears, and they work. No need for on/off buttons, no need to tap a bunch of on-screen buttons to connect to your device.

Because of this, Apple didn’t create a way to turn off AirPods. If you could turn them off, you’d have to turn them on before using them and you might put them in your ears only to find out they were turned off.

So, Apple did not create a way—either in hardware or software—to turn off or power down the AirPods or their charging case. There are, however, a few tips for stopping AirPods from playing audio and for extending their battery life.

Put AirPods in Charging Case To Stop Audio and Save Battery Life

So, you can’t turn AirPods off to stop them from working or to save battery life. However, Apple built some features into the AirPods that let you do both things.

The button on the AirPods charging case is not an on/off button, even though it seems like it might be. That’s the button that you press to set up AirPods or to reset the AirPods. Only press it if you’re trying to do one of those things.

How to Conserve AirPods Battery Life

Most people want to turn off their AirPods to save battery life. Since you can’t turn them off, the best way to conserve battery is to place your AirPods back in their charging case when you’re not using them. According to Apple, when the AirPods are in the charging case they “shut down” and don’t use battery power. In fact, they recharge themselves with any power that’s stored in the case’s battery.

Even though Apple says AirPods “shut down” when in their case, we understand that to mean “stop working” not “turn off.”

Use One AirPod at a Time to Conserve Battery Life

If battery life is your main concern, squeeze more life out of your AirPods by using one earbud at a time. Keep the one you’re not using in the charging case so it stays fully powered. This is only really good if you’re making calls (who wants to listen to music in only one ear?), but it can help in that situation.

How to Prevent AirPods From Working When Not In Your Ears

The other reason you may want to turn off your AirPods is stop them from playing music when they’re not in your ears. Luckily, there’s nothing you need to do here. AirPods include Automatic Ear-Detection, a setting that helps them know when they’re in your ears. If they are, they play audio. Take them out and the audio automatically pauses. There’s no concern about them playing tunes while sitting in your pocket.

If you want to turn off your AirPods due to concerns about battery health, don’t worry. Even if your AirPods are in the case, they’re not always charging. Once your AirPod batteries are fully charged, the case stops sending power to them.

If you dig deep into the AirPods settings on iOS or Macs, you’ll find an option called Off (it’s in Settings > Bluetooth > AirPods > Double-Tap on AirPod). That doesn’t turn the AirPods off. Rather, that setting controls what happens when you double tap your AirPods. If you select it, you’re turning off that feature; nothing will happen when you tap the AirPods. You’re not turning off the AirPods themselves.

  • How do I turn off notifications on AirPods?
  • On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications. Tap the Announce Notifications switch to turn off notifications. Siri won’t interrupt you with texts, alerts, and other reminders while wearing AirPods.
  • How do I connect AirPods?
  • To connect AirPods to your iOS device, ensure Bluetooth is activated. With your AirPods in the charging case, hold the case close to your iOS device, and then open the case. Tap Connect on the iOS device’s setup screen. Tap Done, and you’re good to go.
  • How do I reset AirPods?
  • To reset AirPods, select Settings > Bluetooth on your iPhone. In the My Devices list, tap the i next to your AirPods. Tap Forget This Device > Forget This Device, and place your AirPods in their case. Wait 30 seconds, open the case, and press/hold the button until the light flashes yellow. When it flashes white, you’ve reset the AirPods.
  • How do I connect AirPods to a Mac?
  • To connect AirPods to a Mac: Go to System Preferences on the Mac and select Bluetooth > Turn Bluetooth On. With your AirPods in their charging case, open the lid and press the button on the case until the status light flashes. Click Connect on your Mac.

On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications. Tap the Announce Notifications switch to turn off notifications. Siri won’t interrupt you with texts, alerts, and other reminders while wearing AirPods.

To connect AirPods to your iOS device, ensure Bluetooth is activated. With your AirPods in the charging case, hold the case close to your iOS device, and then open the case. Tap Connect on the iOS device’s setup screen. Tap Done, and you’re good to go.

To reset AirPods, select Settings > Bluetooth on your iPhone. In the My Devices list, tap the i next to your AirPods. Tap Forget This Device > Forget This Device, and place your AirPods in their case. Wait 30 seconds, open the case, and press/hold the button until the light flashes yellow. When it flashes white, you’ve reset the AirPods.

To connect AirPods to a Mac: Go to System Preferences on the Mac and select Bluetooth > Turn Bluetooth On. With your AirPods in their charging case, open the lid and press the button on the case until the status light flashes. Click Connect on your Mac.

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