AirPods Lifespan

[ksassy]

So I’ve had every pair of AirPods except for the 3rd generation. I started with AirPods in 2017 then AirPods 2 in 2019, AirPods Pro in 2020 then AirPods Pro 2 in 2022 and now AirPods Pro 2 USB-C in 2024. It seems the lifespan of AirPods for me is every two years the battery life goes downhill and they stop holding a charge. I use them with my iPhone, Apple Fitness+, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and MacBook Pro. This pretty much puts me in the heavy use category. I rotate between two sets of AirPods daily but don’t use optimized battery charging since I need both charged to 100% for usage throughout the day. Initially I tried using optimized battery charging but they wouldn’t be fully charged until later in the day and that didn’t fit my schedule for how I use them. Is the battery lifespan of your AirPods beyond two years? Maybe I need to stop using mine so much because I’m getting tired of having to replace them every two years. Sometimes I miss having wired headphones from back in the day but I love the freedom of AirPods. I guess I should use either use them less or pay for new ones every two years.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Great question, but one I’m unable to answer. My use case is nowhere near yours, and therefore, my AirPods Pro 2nd Generation still has excellent battery life. With that being said, I hope someone with a similar use case comes along and offer his or her experience.

 

[EdwinG]

I bought my AirPods 1 in December 2016, then replaced them for AirPods 2 in August 2019.

After that, when I lost their charging case, I bought the AirPods Pro 1 in October 2021, and replaced those in February 2024 after they stopped working (washing machine/drier damage) with the AirPods Pro 2.

I guess that adds up to 2.5 years? And I used them all day every day (like 8-10 hours per day)

 

[ksassy]

I bought my AirPods 1 in December 2016, then replaced them for AirPods 2 in August 2019.

After that, when I lost their charging case, I bought the AirPods Pro 1 in October 2021, and replaced those in February 2024 after they stopped working (washing machine/drier damage) with the AirPods Pro 2.

I guess that adds up to 2.5 years? And I used them all day every day (like 8-10 hours per day)

I think the reason why I’m only getting two years out of mine is due to heavy usage. I thought rotating between two sets of AirPods would help but in the end they’re both kaput around the same time of two years. Maybe I need to dedicate one set to certain tasks to try and stretch out the lifespan a bit more.