The route a maker documents for a lost case is a replacement: Apple Support says that if you lose your AirPods or case, you can order a replacement.
One do-it-yourself alternative is wiring the earbuds straight to a power source. In an r/redneckengineering thread where one person did this, commenters warned it may destroy the battery and might cause a fire.
Check how your earbuds charge
Your earbuds’ listing or manual is the place to check where charging happens. For EARSOLE’s Core White earbuds, the listing tells you to place both earbuds inside the compact case for storage and charging, and the box contains the earbuds and a hinged charging case. If your pair works the same way, the case is the charger, and the realistic fix is getting another case.
The supported fix: order a replacement case
Apple’s setup page for a replacement charging case gives these steps for AirPods 1, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro 1 and AirPods Pro 2:
- Put both AirPods in the case, connect the case to power, close the lid and wait 20 minutes.
- Open the lid. If the status light does not flash white, press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for 15 seconds until the light flashes amber, then white.
- With the light flashing white, close the lid, then go to Settings, tap Bluetooth and, if your old AirPods appear, tap Forget This Device next to them.
- Open the lid, and in the setup animation on your iPhone or iPad tap Connect, then Done.
For AirPods 4, AirPods 5 and AirPods Pro 3, the page uses a sequence of double-taps on the front of the case instead of the setup button.
These steps are for AirPods only. For other brands, ask the maker whether it sells a replacement case and how to pair old earbuds with it.
What people try instead, and the warnings they got
In the r/redneckengineering thread, the poster said they dropped the case down a sewer drain and would now need to charge the earbuds without it.
One commenter told them to shop for a used case and said the hack may destroy the battery. Another warned that the earbuds may not have an internal charge controller, and the poster replied that theirs do. A third said the poster might genuinely cause a fire.
Commenters also disagreed about the hardware: one said the charging logic is in the bud on their Sony LinkBuds, while a reply said that as far as they know most earbuds have the charging logic in the case.
These are opinions from one forum thread, not test results. EARSOLE has not tested charging earbuds without their case, so this article does not give wiring steps.
If you still have the case
If the case is there but the earbuds will not charge in it, that is a different problem: see earbuds not charging in the case. For other fixes, see earbud repair options.
Is it possible to charge earbuds without a case?
For AirPods, Apple Support says you can order a replacement if you lose the case. One Reddit poster who lost their case charged the earbuds without it, and commenters in that r/redneckengineering thread warned this may destroy the battery and might cause a fire.
