If the batteries in your AirPods have about run their course, there’s another option besides buying a new pair for $159 or more. If you take your AirPods to an Apple Store there’s no option to get the AirPods’ batteries replaced but there is a keyword to get new ones at a discounted price.
As discovered by The Washington Post, Apple’s technicians and Geniuses aren’t all on the same page about the options for customers with consumed AirPods batteries. And there’s no replacing the batteries in the ones you have, Apple didn’t design the wireless earphones that way.
You may be presented with the option to replace them at the Genius Bar for $138 but that’s not much below the price of picking up new ones. However, Apple’s AirPods service and repair document notes that there is a “battery service” for $49 per AirPod.
As it turns out, that’s the key if you head to the Apple Store, make sure to say the words “battery service.” If the battery in your charging case is still okay (they usually outlast AirPods) then you can save $60 or so by asking for battery service.
Notably, as pointed out by WaPo, Apple doesn’t currently have a way to test the battery health of AirPods and it doesn’t state how long the batteries are expected to last like it does with its other devices. An Apple representative also gave a generic answer.
If you do end up picking up new AirPods sometime soon, Apple did just begin offering AppleCare for AirPods for $29 that covers the earphones for two years.
Finally, if your AirPods end up having a manufacturing defect and are under warranty, Apple will replace them free of charge.
