Apple will make you cough up $69 for a new case if you want to charge your AirPods wirelessly, according to some reports. But if you can get your hands on the right components, you can add wireless charging capabilities to an existing case for next to nothing.
Here’s how.
Not only will the official AirPods wireless charging case be expensive (probably), but it isn’t even available yet. Apple says we’ll have to wait until 2018 to get it. One AirPods fan couldn’t wait that long, so they hacked an existing AirPods case to support wireless charging.
Add wireless charging to AirPods
Simon Cowley picked up a wireless charging receiver with a Lightning plug attached. This is what you might use to add wireless charging functionality to an older iPhone. He then removed the copper coil and accompanying components from their casing.
The coil was then plugged into the AirPods case using the Lightning plug, and held in place with some sticky tape. A cheap silicone AirPods case cover keeps everything protected and out of sight.
Photo: Simon Cowley/ Redmond Pie
Assuming the charging coil wasn’t broken during this process, it should now allow the AirPods case to charge wirelessly. Just like iPhone 8 and iPhone X, it can be used with any Qi-compatible wireless charging pad.
Cowley’s hack isn’t exactly pretty, but it works just as intended. It was also incredibly cheap to implement, and it beats waiting for Apple’s official solution.
Via: RedmondPie
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
8 responses to “AirPods wireless charging hack beats Apple to the punch”
Well, that looks awful.
And yet it’s about 45 dollars cheaper.
Gonna do it now.
45 bucks isn’t that much…
“Cowley’s hack isn’t exactly pretty” is the equivalent of saying they has a nice personality when asked about about a person’s looks.
It looks pretty! Very Apple design alike. Seamless
So… you have to plug in your “wireless” charging system? HUH? Why not skip the expense of the coil, and the wireless charger, and PLUG THE DAMN THING INTO THE CHARGER AS IT WAS DESIGNED. The charger has to be plugged in… this is one of the most boneheaded things I have ever read. Makes my head spin as to how and why this is “cool”. You kids and your cult of Apple, it just makes no sense.
You have to see it with the case on https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f845bac97bd002b6e3e6b33d80924afad1b9876049ea9809c6a36639ea6e60d5.jpg
and it’s in black… lol I love it.