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 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)
Related Forums: AirPods, iOS 14

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

GubbyMan Avatar
58 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
58 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
58 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
58 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
58 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
58 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)