How to Check If Airpods Are Still Under Warranty

This year, Apple released its latest AirPods, with the third generation slated to follow in 2020. It’s easily the most popular “hearable” on the market, and initial criticisms and concerns proved to be mostly unfounded.

They’re a high-quality product with a price tag to match – not far above average in their category, but still among the priciest peripherals on the market. That makes losing it a real bummer when they’re lost or stop working.

Keep reading to learn how to check if your AirPods are still under warranty and what that warranty covers.

Apple’s One Year Limited Warranty

The good news is that all AirPods are covered by a manufacturer’s warranty for one year from the day of purchase. The bad news is that the warranty covers precious little. A lot of potential problems will incur an out-of-warranty fee. They don’t call it a “limited” warranty for nothing!

If you just bought a pair of AirPods with no additional coverage, this warranty basically protects you from defective batteries. If your battery has a manufacturing defect and that defect falls under the terms of the warranty, you can get it serviced free-of-charge. If the defect isn’t covered, you’ll have to pay for the replacement.

The warranty also extends to the charging case with the same restrictions. It doesn’t cover normal wear or accidental damage. It also excludes any damage from unauthorized modifications. Lost parts can be replaced for a fee.

How to Check If You’re Still Covered

If you’re unsure about when you purchased the AirPods, Apple has a tool to check if they’re still under warranty. It’s worth noting that this tool can also be used to check the warranty status of any Apple product. Here’s how it works.

Go to Apple’s Check Coverage website. There you’ll have to supply some information about your AirPods.

Type the serial number into the field in the center of your screen then type the Captcha code in the next field and click “Continue.”

You’ll find the serial number on the underside of the lid of your charging case. Alternatively, you can find it on the original packaging next to the bar code.

Finally, if the AirPods are connected to a device, you can go to Settings > General > About > AirPods for the number.

What You’ll Find

When you enter your serial number and the system locates your information, you’ll see four sections about your warranty.

AppleCare Eligibility

This section shows whether or not you can still purchase AppleCare+ for your AirPods. This extends the one-year warranty to two years. It also includes a little more coverage. Two instances of accidental damage are covered and can be repaired for a $29 additional fee per instance. You can purchase this when you buy an Apple product or within 60 days of purchase.

Purchase Date

This section shows if Apple has a record of the date that the AirPods were purchased. When you use phone support, you may have to provide this date as part of authentication.

Tech Support Eligibility

Most Apple products — AirPods included — come with 90 days of complimentary phone support. This section will show you if you’re still eligible for tech support over the phone.

Repairs and Service Coverage

This is the main warranty. If it’s within one year of your purchase, this should be active. If it isn’t, you’ll need to contact Apple to report the mistake. You’ll find information on how to do that on this page. You’ll need a valid proof of purchase to make your case if there’s a mistake.

Is AppleCare Worth It?

The price of extending your warranty for another year is $29. That’s quite a bit of money, so is it worth it? Probably, but not for the reasons you might think.

The plan covers repair or replacement from Apple-authorized technicians on the earphones, battery, charging cables, and charging case. As stated above, two incidents of accidental damage are also covered but lost AirPods are not.

However, there’s one more reason why the extended warranty may be worth the expense. Early adopters of the first generation AirPods saw their battery life markedly reduced right around the two-year mark. Under warranty, the battery replacement charge is $19 cheaper per AirPod.

Therefore, if you’re planning on holding on to your AirPods, and the battery starts to show signs of its age, it definitely makes sense to buy it. You’ll make back the price of the warranty and then some when you replace the batteries.

How to Find a Lost Airpod

Airpods are tiny, and they’re incredibly easy to lose. As we’ve discussed above, missing Airpods are not covered by Apple’s warranty so if you find yourself in this predicament, you can try this to recover your lost Bluetooth before purchasing a replacement part.

The cost of one replacement pod can range anywhere from $69 to $89, not to mention the cost of a new case.

You can track and locate your missing Airpod as long as these conditions are met:

• You have used an Apple device with it and still have that Apple device – This means that you’ve paired your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to it at some point so it will show up in iCloud.
• It still has battery life – Depending on how long ago you lost it, you’ll need it to have some power.

Open Find My iPhone on your Apple device (you can also visit icloud.com from a browser and select the Find My iPhone option). Scroll through the list of devices until you see your AirPod. Click ‘Play Sound’ and your AirPod will begin to play a musical melody hopefully helping you to find it.

If you aren’t in range, you can select the ‘Play Sound’ function and it will begin to play when you come in range.

It’s important to keep in mind that the tone isn’t very loud. Assuming you’re searching around the area you last saw your AirPod, try to make sure the area is as quiet as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

My AirPods are still under warranty. How do I get help?

There are several ways that you can get help with your AirPods from Apple. The first option (and often the fastest option) is to visit an Apple Store. It’s a good idea to make an appointment before going as the store can get busy at times. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eUnfortunately, for a lot of consumers, Apple stores are few and far between. If your AirPods need to be serviced and you live too far away to visit a physical store, you can call Apple directly. Using the u003ca href=u0022https://support.apple.com/contactu0022u003eApple Support pageu003c/au003e to find the phone number for your location, give Apple a call but be prepared to give the serial number of the AirPods to get help.

I can’t find my Airpod’s serial number. What can I do?

If you’re having trouble finding your Airpod’s serial number, we have an u003ca href=u0022https://www.techjunkie.com/find-view-airpods-serial-number/u0022u003earticle here u003c/au003ethat can help. Assuming you’ve lost the case and the serial number isn’t showing up in your phone’s settings, contact Apple for additional help.

Nothing Lasts Forever

Apple products are known for their high quality, but even the best products don’t last forever. If you’re experiencing problems with your AirPods, Apple can help but it probably won’t be free. Their products all come with a complimentary one-year warranty that might cover all or part of the problem.

To find out if you’re still covered, you can simply calculate the time from your date of purchase. If you don’t know exactly when that was, use their search tool. All you need is the serial number from the inside of the AirPods case.