If you’ve ever opened your AirPods case only to find one earbud nearly dead while the other is fully charged, you’re not alone. This common problem happens for several reasons and usually it’s not a fault in daily use, but a mix of battery behavior, usage patterns, and sometimes charging-case issues. Each AirPod has its own tiny battery. Over time and with repeated charging cycles, those batteries age and uneven wear can cause one side to have less capacity than the other.
But battery aging isn’t the only culprit. Other frequent causes include:
- Uneven use — if you use one AirPod more often (for phone calls, single-ear listening, or as a mic), it will drain faster than the other.
- Charging connection problems — if one AirPod doesn’t sit perfectly on the pins inside the case, it might not truly charge even if it appears to. Dust, grime, or slight misalignment can block contact.
- Different roles for each bud — sometimes one earbud is used more for microphone tasks (calls, voice assistant), while the other is passive. That puts extra load on one battery.
- Because of these factors, the discrepancy can grow over time — leading to frequent frustration when one bud dies during a workout, commute, or video.
How to Diagnose the Problem
Before assuming the battery is ruined, it helps to check what’s actually causing the imbalance:
- Are both AirPods showing 100% when you start? If yes, but one dies quickly, that suggests uneven usage or battery degradation on one side.
- Does one bud always seem weaker, even right after charging? This could indicate a charging-case pin-contact issue. Try charging both earbuds again carefully and see if the problem persists.
- Do you tend to use only one AirPod at a time? If you often use just one (for calls or listening while the other charges), that bud naturally wears out faster. Over months or years, this leads to noticeable capacity loss.
- If none of these seem true — both are used equally, both get a full charge, and usage is balanced — but the problem continues, the battery itself may have degraded unevenly.
What You Can Do to Fix or Mitigate It
Here are practical steps that many users find helpful to reduce or eliminate the “one AirPod dies first” issue:
- Clean the charging contacts — Use a dry, soft cloth or a cotton swab to gently clean inside the charging case around the metal pins and the base of each AirPod stem. Even invisible dust or grime can block contact and prevent proper charging.
- Rotate earbuds usage — Try to alternate which AirPod you use for calls or single-ear listening so both wear roughly equally over time. This helps avoid stressing only one battery.
- Reset and re-sync — Sometimes software glitches or calibration issues can affect battery reporting or charging behavior. Resetting the AirPods (disconnecting, forgetting the device, and re-pairing) often helps restore balance.
- Update firmware — Keep your AirPods firmware up to date (if applicable) to ensure optimal battery and power-management performance.
Accept minor imbalance — Some difference between earbuds is normal — small differences in charge percentage or discharge rate don’t necessarily mean a problem. Significant disparities over time, however, may indicate battery wear.
When It Might Be a Battery Issue
If, after cleaning, rotating usage, and resetting, one AirPod still drains dramatically faster than the other, it’s likely the internal battery has degraded more than its counterpart. Since the batteries are sealed and not user-replaceable, there are few options: you can either continue using both while charging the low one more often, or consider replacing the problematic earbud (or get a full new set). Over many charge cycles, lithium batteries naturally lose capacity — sometimes unevenly.
Bottom Line: Not Always a Defect — Sometimes It’s Normal
While it’s annoying when one AirPod dies before the other, this doesn’t always mean a defect. Quite often, it reflects typical wear and tear, or small usage and charging habits that cause imbalance. By cleaning contacts, alternating use, and ensuring proper charging, you can extend their usefulness and avoid surprises. But if the problem persists significantly — even after troubleshooting — the battery inside one earbud may simply be worn out. In many cases, a bit of maintenance and balanced use makes a big difference — and both AirPods can stay useful for much longer.
