Can You Use a 20W Charger on Airpods?

Owner’s of Apple’s new 20-watt iPhone charger is enjoying faster-charging speeds than ever before. 

The luxury of plugging in and having fifty 

percent of your iPhone’s battery back in thirty minutes is an evolutionary experience. 

Apple fans may be wondering if they can use their new 20-watt charger to get the same experience of fast charging with their AirPods. 

Can I Use a 20W Charger on AirPods?

Owners of Apple AirPods can use the 20-watt Apple-branded charger to fast-charge their AirPod charging case. The higher wattage will complete the full charge of the AirPod case much faster than the standard charging block that came with it. 

The beauty of the Apple ecosystem comes down to the cross-compatibility of software and hardware components. 

While we don’t often find ourselves tinkering inside Apple hardware, we are frequently swapping chargers and device dongles/adapters.

In our journey to discover what works with what, we have learned that the 20-watt charger is perfect for use with the AirPod charging case.

That is if it’s an Apple-branded charger. 

Third-party products may cause damage. 

With Apple’s 20-watt charger, there’s no concern with overheating or charging damage. 

Apple has built-in small components to help monitor and prevent damage that could be caused by charging malfunctions.

Third-party products, on the other hand, often are not equipped with these small components to monitor energy transfer. 

Some brands may be safe, but we have not done the research required to be able to determine which is best. 

This is mostly because Apple already offers every cable option that we have needed so far.

It is important to note that we recommend not keeping your AirPods plugged into a 20-watt charger for more than two hours.

While Apple has done a fantastic job at adding security features that prevent their chargers from damaging their products, they aren’t foolproof.

It is best to let the case get a full charge, then to unplug. 

This will not only help to prevent overheating and possibly harmful damage to your AirPods and charging case, but will also extend the overall life of your charging case. 

The battery inside the AirPods charging case can only be recharged so many times before it will no longer hold a full charge.

Can I Use Any 20w Charger?

Technically, any 20-watt charger that brings a charge to the charging case will ‘work’. 

However, that’s not the danger of leaving a powerful charge connection running on a battery-powered device. 

Without proper safety features, it can lead to overcharging which may cause device failure, critical temperature levels, or even battery explosions.

As consumers, we like to think we are conscious of what we purchase on the market, but the reality is that cheaper prices are very tempting. 

We look at one lightning cable compared to a third-party lightning cable and can’t see the difference, but there is one. 

To avoid the dangers caused by manufacturing short-cuts and design flaws, it’s best to stick with Apple-branded chargers. 

Not only is there much less chance of device failure, sticking within the Apple ecosystem will mean that you can make use of Apple technical support.

What if my AirPods aren’t Charging?

If you’re confident that you’ve got the right cable and charging block and your AirPods aren’t charging, then it’s time to inspect the possible faulty points. 

Our first recommendation is to always make sure you are using Apple-branded charging cables and outlet adapters. 

Third-party products may have issues that are difficult to fix or locate.

Try to Charge Wirelessly

If you happen to have a wireless charging base station for your AirPods, now would be a good time to use it. Not to avoid the cable.

This is to make sure that your AirPod’s charging case is accepting an incoming charge.

If the wireless charger works, we can move forward to find out what’s wrong with your charging setup.

Perform a Physical Cord Check

The first thing to check is the most common problem with wired charging. 

The cable itself may be damaged. 

Check your charging cable for any slits, cracks, twists, or cuts. 

Over time, the ends of the cable can wear down and break.

To prevent these kinds of damages, it is best to never twist the cable or cause the cable to snap by squeezing an angled cable too tight. 

If any damage is visible on the cord, it is likely that the cord is the main issue. 

Try replacing the charging cable.

Inspect the Outlet Adapter(Charging Block)

If replacing the cable didn’t work or the cable is undamaged, then the next step is to check on the condition of the outlet adapter.

Make sure the pins are connected and that there is no sign of heat damage around the connection ports.

Charging blocks are usually incredibly durable, so it is unlikely there would be an issue with the block without the owner being aware of it.

Inspect the AirPod Charging Case

If the charging block is fine and the cable has no signs of damage, the issue might be in the charging case itself. 

For owners of the original release AirPods, you may be reaching the end of the internal battery’s recharge cycles.

If the battery is no longer holding a charge, you may need to replace the charging case entirely.

Inspect the Earbuds

While you are taking a closer look at the charging case, it’s a good time to take out the left and right earbuds. 

Make sure no dirt or wax is blocking the charging port connections. 

Conclusion

Apple’s 20-watt charger is a perfect additional accessory to use with AirPods, Ipad Air, and your iPhone.

It offers a much faster charging time for all of your Apple products without the concern of overheating damage. 

If your Apple charger is experiencing difficulty, hopefully, the section above helped you isolate the issue and get your devices charging again.