AirPods Gain Optimized Charging to Preserve Battery Health in iOS 14

Apple in iOS 14 added an Optimized Battery Charging feature for the AirPods, which is designed to preserve the battery of the AirPods to maximize longevity.

airpodsoptimizedcharging

Image via Twitter

The new AirPods charging feature lets the AirPods learn a person's daily charging routine, and will wait to finish charging past 80 percent until they're needed.

So, for example, if the AirPods are charged at night while you sleep, the optimization feature might charge them up to 80 percent right away, but wait until an hour or so before you wake up to charge the remaining 20 percent.

Apple uses a similar battery health optimization system for iPhones and Macs to extend the total battery life of the devices. Avoiding topping up a lithium ion battery continually while it sits on the charger reduces the amount of time that a device spends at maximum capacity, and over a long period of time, this better preserves the health of your battery.

Optimized Battery Charging was added to the iPhone in iOS 13 and a similar Battery Health Management feature was added to macOS in macOS Catalina 10.15.5.

Related Roundup: AirPods 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Don't Buy)
Related Forums: AirPods, iOS 14

Top Rated Comments

GubbyMan Avatar
45 months ago
I enabled this on my iPhone last year and I've never seen it stop charging at 80%, not even before sleep. I want an option that gives me a choice to stop at 80% when I plug them in instead.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lucas284 Avatar
45 months ago
This learn system makes absolutely no sense. We should be able to decide when it stops charging at 80%, not AI.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Devnul0 Avatar
45 months ago
How many people use and charge their AirPods (or even their iPhone) on a consistent enough schedule for the AI to figure out how to charge them usefully? For that matter, is it the case, or the pods themselves?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sasparilla Avatar
45 months ago
This is good to hear. I'd like a user setting to just toggle off charging at 80% automatically with a user override alert for all my Apple chargeable devices (till we get batteries that last the life the device) - make the machine think version another option.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
edwrap Avatar
45 months ago
I realize these “smart” features are probably better for the average user, but I wish Apple would put in a toggle somewhere to let me always just stop charging at 80%
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macos68 Avatar
45 months ago
This is going to be interesting. I'd expect Airpods charging habits to be a mess to figure out. The airpods themselves get constantly dropped in / out of the case through my workday. So basically here we're saying: Apple is supposed to understand that after 6-7pm, I likely won't be on phone calls till tomorrow so it's ok to wait till tomorrow morning to top off 80%? Unless I call a friend. Good luck, Apple.

I turned on the battery optimization feature on my iPhone a year ago and saw it activate ONCE. I have NEVER, EVER used my phone between 2am and 6am during a weekday, and ALWAYS have it plugged in to charge, yet Apple hasn't figured that part out... I really am disappointed with their machine learning for a device that should be much easier to learn as far as charging habits go.

I'd side with the manual toggle as well. Let me just create a schedule myself in some advanced settings, so that users that care can make it work while you fine tune your ML with everyone else.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....