Can You Connect Airpods Without a Case?
Oops! You swear you left your Apple Airpods case on your desk, but it is nowhere to be found. You’ve searched high and low. Or, say you accidentally dropped the case, and it doesn’t seem to be working anymore.
Can you connect your Airpods without the case of the Airpods?
If you’re here, you’re obviously interested in tech. Well, guess what? I’ve got two pieces you’re going to love: “Can You Use Airpods With An Apple Watch Without An iPhone?” and “Do AirPods Need the Case to Work?” They’re perfect reads for all tech enthusiasts out there.
Can You Connect Airpods Without a Case?
If your Airpods case becomes lost or damaged, you can connect your Airpods without it. But it will take a few extra steps. You can also find ways to charge your Airpods without the case, but you’re likely going to want to buy a replacement since it makes life with Airpods a lot easier.
Your AirPods are normally connected to your iPhone using Bluetooth technology. This Bluetooth connection is essential for pairing your pods up to your phone, which is why most users choose to take their case with them when they are out and about.
According to Apple, the Airpods sleek case was designed to do only one thing: charge Airpods. It is your phone’s power bank. If you need to connect your Airpods to your iPhone, you must connect them using Bluetooth. While the wireless charging case does not have Bluetooth built into it (and there is nothing actually connected), it is essential for charging up your Airpods.
Luckily, there are ways to connect your Airpods if you somehow lose or damage the case. And, of course, you can always buy a replacement case from Apple if you need one. Let’s talk about how you can connect your Airpods without their case and some alternative means for getting them charged without the case to do the job.
How to Connect Your Airpods Without a Case
Connecting your Airpods to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or other Bluetooth device is a relatively simple and straightforward process. Here are the steps you can take to do this:
- Open your iPhone to its Home Screen.
- Open the AirPods charging case lid without removing the Airpods. Keep the case positioned closely to the iPhone; if there is no setup prompt showing up, try moving them closer together.
- A setup animation should appear on the device once they are within range of each other. A Connect button will then pop up on the display. Tap that.
- Let’s quickly address the folks who own the higher-end Airpods Pro. If you own this Airpods model, you first need to use the “Hey Siri!” function on your Android devices or iOS devices. Quick and easy to follow, this will help you set up Siri so that you can use Siri with the Airpods Pro. A Done prompt will pop up to let you know when you have finished the setup process.
- Take note that your Airpods will automatically set up with supporting devices if you were already signed into iCloud.
Once you remove your Airpods from the case, they turn on and connect to your iPhone. That makes them ready to use. They’ll automatically start playing music once you pop them into your ears and will pause as soon as you take them out.
This gives you the utmost control over your audio playback, which is the big appeal behind Airpods. You don’t necessarily need the case to pair your Airpods; it is just there to charge them so you can play your music again.
Can I charge my Airpods without a charger or case?
You cannot charge your Airpods without the case or charger. You will have to go ahead and buy an entirely new set of Airpods from Apple if you have lost the case since Apple doesn’t sell replacement cases. You need both the case and the charger to keep your Airpods charged.
Can I charge my Airpods with a different case?
Standard Airpods cases are interchangeable and backward compatible. So, let’s say you have the Airpods 2 but lose their case. If you have your Airpods 1 case still lying around, you can use it to charge the Airpods 2.
The only hitch here is that you cannot use the Airpods Pro case to charge standard Airpods. The cases are designed differently, so you will have to find a standard Airpods case to use for charging.
Can I charge my Airpods case without the Airpods?
You can charge your Airpods case without the Airpods. The case has its own internal battery, as do each of the two Airpods. If you have a lighting cable available, you can use that to charge the case’s battery. You just won’t be charging the your wireless earbuds too since they are not in the case.
That being said, charging the case will prepare it for charging the Airpods later when you put them inside of it. You will see an amber-colored light on the case while it is charging and a green light when charging has reached 100% – but the only way to get it to 100% is to be charging the case with the pods inside of it.
Closing Thoughts
Having a working case is essential for getting your Airpods charged up. Without it, you can’t really do too much. You can, however, still connect your Airpods to your iPhone if you do not have the case. Is it ideal? No, not at all.
If your case is lost or damaged, you will unfortunately have to buy an entirely new Airpods set – unless, of course, you’re fortunate enough to already have a back-up case from your Airpods 1 or 2 set. At least Apple was kind enough to make the standard generations of the Airpods backward compatible.
Just be prepared to shell out some serious cash for a full replacement if you cannot get your hands on a spare Airpods case.