If you love enjoying music and making calls while on the go, the AirPods will serve you right. With these wireless earbuds, you can enjoy great features like audio sharing, a one-tap setup, up to 6 hours of playtime, and wireless charging. However, even with these fantastic features, your AirPods might develop issues, and even refuse to function properly.
The reason why AirPods get hot is because of exposure to high temperatures, hardware issues, charging system being faulty, damaged, or supplying higher voltage. It can also be caused by the accumulated dust and magnet currents between the earbuds and the charger.
If you love enjoying music and making calls while on the go, the AirPods will serve you right. With these wireless earbuds, you can enjoy great features like audio sharing, a one-tap setup, up to 6 hours of playtime, and wireless charging. However, even with these fantastic features, your AirPods might develop issues, and even refuse to function properly.
When they get too hot, they might malfunction or stop working completely. Do you want your precious earbuds to stop working? Read this article to understand the causes of AirPods overheating and how to fix the issue.
Hot and Not Working
According to Apple, you should ensure that you use the AirPods at temperatures ranging from 00C to 350C. When they are exposed to hot temperatures above 350C, they might get temporarily or permanently damaged.
Some of the reasons that can cause them become too hot and stop working include using a faulty or third-party charger, dust, or hardware issues. Let’s discuss each cause at a time and how to solve the problem.
Exposing them to High Temperatures
They should not be exposed to temperatures above 350C. You should ensure that you keep the earbuds at ambient temperatures.
If you expose to direct sunlight or in hot places like the car dashboard when it’s hot, it can cause damage. To avoid this, always ensure that you place the AirPods on their protective case and then store them in a cool place.
Excess Dirt and Dust
Apple made them with ventilation spaces to reduce their temperatures when it gets hot. As you continue using your them, they accumulate dust and dirt from the environment or your ears. When the dirt collects, it blocks the ventilation holes.
If the ventilation holes are blocked, the earbuds cannot release the heat, making them overheat. You can prevent dirt accumulation by regularly cleaning your AirPods. Since they are soft and brittle, you should use a soft microfiber material to wipe and clean the dirt and dust.
If you want to deep-clean them, use a soft toothbrush to unblock the holes and remove the dust from your earbuds. Always keep them on their protective case and in places that aren’t dusty such as your clean drawer.
Using Faulty or Third-Party Charger
When you are far from home and forgot your original charger, you might be tempted to borrow or buy another charger to recharge them. If the third-party charger is faulty or has a higher voltage, it will to charge your AirPods quickly.
The quick charging and high voltage may cause the AirPods to overheat and stop working. The solution to this issue is always using the original Apple charger. When traveling, always ensure you pack your charger to avoid the temptations of using unreliable chargers.
Hardware Errors
Besides the already mentioned causes, your AirPods might overheat if the hardware is experiencing issues. You will note that the earbuds overheat while charging or after wearing them for a while.
If they are still within the warranty period, you should return them to the nearest Apple store. You can also contact the Apple support team for expert assistance.
Why is My AirPods Case Overheating While Charging?
The AirPods case can overheat while charging because of dirt or grease, protective covering, and firmware issues. Besides your AirPods overheating, you might note that its case overheats when you plug in the charger.
It is standard for the case to become warm while charging but overheating beyond average temperatures should not happen. To solve this problem, try the following tips:
- Make sure the case is clean:
Dirty substances like dirt or grease can cause interferences and make the case, and AirPods overheat. Before charging, ensure that you wipe the case clean using a soft dry cloth.
- Remove any protective cover:
To ensure your earbuds are safe, you might have bought and put a protective covering on the AirPods case. However, they can cause the charging case to overheat while charging as they retain heat. Permanently remove the protective cover before you start charging.
- Disconnect the charger:
When the charging case overheats, you can disconnect it from the charger and remove the AirPods. After the charging case cools down for a few minutes, put the earbuds back and reconnect them to the charger.
If you have tried all the above troubleshooting methods with no success, it is advisable to find assistance from Apple Support.
How Do You Fix an Overheating AirPods?
You can fix an overheating AirPods by cleaning the surfaces, removing the cover, restarting, resetting, and by forcing firmware update. You can avoid or fix some of these overheating issues while others are beyond repair.
Overheating may damage them or deplete the durability of your battery. However, Apple AirPods have a unique design that protects its internal features.
When you notice that they are overheating, you can restart or try updating your firmware to see if you will solve the issue.
Resetting AirPods
Resetting them will help clear any technical problems causing them to overheat or behave abnormally. If they are not charging, keeps disconnecting, or overheats while charging, resetting might be the best troubleshooting method.
To reset the AirPods, follow these steps:
- Place the AirPods inside their original Apple charging case
- Close the case’s lid
- Wait for about thirty seconds and open the case’s lid
- Go to the settings menu of your iOS device; iPod touch, iPad, or iPhone
- Scroll to Bluetooth settings and tap on the More Info icon on AirPods.
- You could proceed to the next step if you did not see AirPods on the Bluetooth submenu.
- Click on the Forget This Device option and confirm by clicking again
- Keep the lid of the case open, then locate the setup button mounted on the back of your charging case. Press and hold the button for 10-15 seconds and wait for the status light to turn from amber to white.
- Once you’ve reset the AirPods, try connecting them to your device by placing the device near them while the lid is open.
After resetting, try charging them to see if the process has solved the overheating issue. Suppose it hasn’t; try the following troubleshooting method.
Updating the Firmware
To solve various issues and improve performance, you should always ensure that your AirPods Pro runs on the latest software. However, it is not always straightforward to know if they are fully updated or not.
To check if the AirPods are running on the latest firmware, follow these simple steps:
- Launch the Settings app on your iOS device
- Scroll down and open the Bluetooth menu
- On the connected devices, locate your AirPods
- Click on the more information (i) icon
- Scroll down and check the current firmware version
You should always check if Apple has released a new firmware for AirPods. When writing this article, the latest firmware version for AirPods 3 is 4C170. If your firmware version is 4C165 or any other version, it requires an update.
However, Apple does not have an application or a manual method for updating the software of AirPods. To force the update, do the following:
- Put the AirPod in the charging case
- Connect to your iOS device (iPhone or iPad)
- Plug the case to power either using wireless charging or a power cord
- Ensure the lid is open and wait for a few minutes for it to auto-update
After a while, confirm if the AirPods have updated by checking the firmware version on your settings.
Can You Leave AirPods on Charger?
You can leave AirPods on charger. This is because, when it is fully charged, the charging will stop automatically. In previous years, leaving your device like a smartphone on charge for an extended period would damage your device’s battery.
Apple uses recent technology and Lithium-ion battery to make AirPods. They will automatically stop charging with this overcharge protection once the battery is 100% full. Therefore, it is safe to leave the them on a wireless or plug-in charger for long without damaging their batteries.
Though AirPods do not overcharge, it is advisable to plug out the charger once they are fully charged. When the status light on the charging case turns green, they are fully charged, and you can disconnect them from power.
Final Thoughts
Wireless earbuds and headphones have replaced the era of wired earphones. AirPods are on top of the list in providing excellent wireless sound. However, like other devices, they also have various technical issues to do with overheating as I have discussed above.
Therefore, if you were worried about overheating, this post has provided you with solutions and you have learned the causes of overheating and how to avoid that.
To increase the durability of your AirPods and solve various issues, always use the guidelines in this article since they are helpful in understanding overheating issues and other problems you might have faced with your AirPods.
Integraudio is an audio blog made specifically for musicians and those seeking audio knowledge.