The biggest drawback of using wireless earbuds is having to keep them charged. Fortunately, AirPods have excellent battery life and can charge quite quickly.
While Apple has no official data on how much time it takes to charge AirPods, they have been around long enough for users (including us!) to test them. The amount of time AirPods take to charge depends on the model.
How much time does it take for AirPods to get fully charged?
As mentioned above, Apple has released no data about how much time it takes to charge the AirPods and the case, but various online sources, including us, have run tests to find out – here are the results we collected:
When the case isn’t charged
If you’re charging the case and the AirPods together, this is how much time it’ll take for each model to get fully charged:
- 1st Gen will take around 30 minutes.
- 2nd Gen will take around 40-45 minutes.
- The AirPods Pro and the 3rd Gen will take more than an hour.
| AirPods Model | Time it Takes to Charge |
| 1st Gen | 30 minutes |
| 2nd Gen | 40-45 minutes |
| 3rd Gen and AirPods Pro | 60+ minutes |
When the case is fully charged
If the case is already fully charged, this is how much time each model will take:
- 1st Gen AirPods will take around 15 minutes.
- 2nd Gen will take around 20 minutes.
- The AirPods Pro and 3rd Gen AirPods will take around an hour.
| AirPods Model | Time it Takes to Charge |
| 1st Gen | 15 minutes |
| 2nd Gen | 20 minutes |
| 3rd Gen and AirPods Pro | 45-60 minutes |
When you plug in the charger or place the case on a charging mat, the status light will glow orange/amber.
Once you’ve charged the AirPods case, you can charge your AirPods whenever you want by placing them inside the case, provided there’s sufficient battery in the case. When the battery dies, the case won’t light up when you open it.
Keep in mind that the time mentioned above is for wired charging. Charging your AirPods wirelessly will take slightly longer because wireless chargers aren’t meant for fast charging.
You don’t have to charge your AirPods to 100%, though. After you’ve charged the case, it’ll only take the AirPods about 5 minutes of charge to last an hour. If you charge them to 100%, the case’s charging will be sufficient for an entire day of listening or even more.
How much time does it take for the AirPods case to fully charge?
The case for all AirPods models will take about an hour to charge fully. Once the case has been fully charged, you can use it to charge your AirPods 3-4 times a day fully.