Learn what to do if your AirPods or AirPods Pro don’t charge to 100 percent and stay stuck at 80 percent even though you have put them in the charging case for a long time.
Just like iPhone, MacBook, and Apple Watch, newer AirPods also have the Optimized Battery Charging feature, which helps extend the lifespan of your AirPods’ battery. It does so by cutting down the time your wireless buds spend fully charged (i.e., at 100%).
Even though you shouldn’t be too strict or worried about when or how to charge your iPhone or AirPods, it’s a fact that the batteries inside them wear out over time. Aside from excessive heat, one of the reasons that causes them to degrade faster is sitting at both ends of the charge limit. In other words, keeping your AirPods at 100% or around 0% for extended periods can cause their battery to wear out faster.
Therefore, to ensure your AirPods last a few years with good battery backup on a single charge, it’s advisable to keep the Optimized Charge Limit feature enabled. It learns from your charging habits and decides whether to fully charge to 100% or delay charging until you’ll need to use the earbuds again.
All things considered, it’s a thoughtful feature. But if your schedule changes or you always want to start using your AirPods with a 100% charge and eliminate any possibility of it being stuck at 80%, then you can turn off Optimized Battery Charging, as explained below.
AirPods that support Optimized Charge Limit
- All AirPods Pro (1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations)
- AirPods 3
- AirPods 4
- AirPods 4 with ANC
Charge AirPods to 100% now
When you put the AirPods in the charging case or open the case lid with the AirPods inside, and your iPhone or iPad is nearby with Bluetooth enabled, you may see the option to charge them fully now, rather than charging to the limit recommended by the Optimized Battery Charging feature. Simply tap the green Charge to Full Now button, and your AirPods battery will get to 100% in no time.
However, if you don’t get this button, try pulling the AirPods out of the case and putting them back in. The absence of the ‘Charge to Full Now’ button also suggests your AirPods will automatically charge to 100 percent, ignoring any charge limit.
Turn off Optimized Charge Limit for AirPods
Disabling the Optimized Battery Charging feature for your AirPods will ensure it always charges to 100% instead of staying stuck at 80 percent. You only need to follow these steps on any one of your Apple devices, not all of them separately.
1) Connect your AirPods to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
2) Open iOS Settings or macOS System Settings and select your AirPods.
3) Tap Battery.
4) Turn off Optimized Charge Limit.
5) Choose to deactivate it until tomorrow or hit Turn Off to disable it permanently.
From now on, your AirPods will always charge to 100% and never get stuck at 80% battery, ensuring you can use them for hours for calls, music, and movies without needing a top-up.
If you ever change your mind, return to AirPods battery settings and turn Optimize Charge Limit back on.
Also, check out: