Bug in AirPods Pro 2 asks users to replace battery

When the charging case battery was low, several second-generation AirPods Pro users received battery replacement alerts because of a bug.

As per several reports online a bug is sending out battery replacement notification to AirPods Pro 2 users. The notifications urge the users to replace the battery soon even though it is not possible to replace AirPods batteries.

When the AirPods Pro earbuds or MagSafe charging case is low the bug sends the notification from the Find My app to nearby devices. The users may not be immediately aware that it relates to ‌AirPods Pro ‌as the notifications are simply referring to the items as "left," "right," or "Case," making it confusing for the users.

On the other hand the notifications sent out are similar to that used for AirTag when its CR2032 battery is low and there is a need to replace it. It is likely that the system is conflating the two products.

AirPods uses a U1 chip for Precision Finding and transmitting their battery levels and there may be a possibility that the alerts are related to these new features. There are also theories suggesting that Apple has used much of the AirTag's firmware for the ‌charging case, causing it to send out identical alerts even when they do not make sense.

The complaints about the bug can be seen on the MacRumors forums and Reddit, but there is no set number on how many users are actually affected by this bug. Apple is yet to acknowledge this bug but it will likely be resolved via a software update in due course.

Published on: Thursday, October 06, 2022, 02:36 PM IST