The AirPods Anomaly: Why One Earbud Drains Quicker And How To Fix It

Is your Apple Inc.'s AAPL AirPods battery draining weirdly where one earbud drains faster than the other? There’s a working hack to get lasting harmony and avoid the battery woes of your buds. 

What Happened: Have you ever experienced the frustrating scenario of taking your AirPods out of the charging case only to find one earbud almost dead while the other is charged?

Unfortunately, such a scenario is more common than you can imagine, but worry not as we tell you why it happens and how one can fix this battery dilemma. 

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Let's start with the basics: 

Why One AirPod Drains Faster? 

According to Greg Wyatt Jr, who handles the YouTube channel Apple Explained which has 1.37 million subscribers, this issue can be attributed to various factors.

One possibility is contact issues within the charging case, where one AirPod fails to properly contact the charging pins, causing its battery to drain gradually. To tackle this problem, it is advisable to use a cotton swab to clean the metal pins deep inside the case, even if they appear clean at first glance. Similarly, wiping the metal area on the AirPods’ stem can prevent charging problems inside the case. 

However, there are other culprits behind uneven battery drain. If one AirPod is set to use Siri, it will likely deplete faster due to continuous microphone usage. Adjusting the configuration details of your AirPods in Bluetooth settings can help resolve this issue.

The YouTuber further recommended users pay attention to which AirPod they remove when someone starts talking to them. Removing the same AirPod repeatedly causes the remaining one to stay active while the removed one enters a deeper power-saving mode, leading to uneven battery drain and long-term degradation. Since the batteries in AirPods are small, even slight usage differences can significantly impact their lifespan. 

Watch the complete video here: 

Now that we understand why one AirPod sometimes drains faster than the other, the time has come to discover the solution. 

To prevent excessive battery degradation on a specific AirPod and ensure prolonged endurance, follow these steps:

Step I: Connect your AirPods to your iPhone or iPad.

Step II: Open the Settings app and locate your AirPods below your Apple ID name.

Step III: Scroll down and tap on the “Microphone” option.

Step IV: Choose from the available options: “Automatically Switch AirPods,” “Always Left AirPod,” or “Always Right AirPod.”

While “Automatically Switch AirPods” provides the most convenient option, if you notice one AirPod draining quickly, consider selecting either “Always Left AirPod” or “Always Right AirPod.” Although this might diminish the seamless experience, it helps combat the potential long-term wear and battery discrepancies, as reported by MUO. 

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