Hearing a Mysterious Chime From Your AirPods Pro Case? It's a Feature

If you've been hearing a chiming sound from your AirPods Pro 2 case when the AirPods are charging, it's a feature that Apple added with the launch of Hearing Health last year.

airpods pro 2 botw
In a support guide, Apple says that the AirPods Pro may play a sound every so often while in the case to ensure the microphones and speakers are working as intended. From Apple:

To help ensure that your AirPods microphones and speakers are operating at their best (for example, to help provide high-quality hearing test results), your AirPods may periodically play a quiet chime when they're in their charging case.

Information on the mysterious chime was highlighted on Mastodon after Apple's unclear AirPods sounds were discussed on today's ATP podcast.

As noted on the podcast, Apple does not have an established guide that provides insight into the different sounds that the AirPods make, so it can be confusing.

The AirPods Pro will play a sound when battery is low or when the charging case is placed on a charger or plugged in. Some sounds can be disabled by connecting the AirPods to an Apple device, going to Settings, tapping on the AirPods icon, and turning off Enable Charging Case Sounds.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

These 5 Apple Products Will Reportedly Be Upgraded With OLED Displays

Friday January 16, 2026 7:07 pm PST by
Apple plans to upgrade the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iMac, and MacBook Air with OLED displays between 2026 and 2028, according to DigiTimes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPad mini and MacBook Pro will receive an OLED display as early as this year, but he does not expect the MacBook Air to adopt the technology until 2028 at the earliest. A new iPad Air is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, Macs, and More

Thursday January 15, 2026 11:19 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the United States, according to the company's website. Most of the values declined slightly, but some of the Mac values increased. iPhone ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Friday January 16, 2026 12:12 pm PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around eight months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...

Top Rated Comments

litmag01 Avatar
13 months ago
Why isn't it smart enough to know that 2 AM is probably not a good time for this test.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Viridian5 Avatar
13 months ago
I always thought that meant the AirPod didn’t properly connect to the nodes in the case for charging. ??‍♂️
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swiftapplefan Avatar
13 months ago
So that’s what it was. I kept hearing for months a tone like you’d hear in Knicks knockoff Chinese electronics. I was starting to think I had fakes or that I was crazy, because I couldn’t find anything online
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
13 months ago
That is Apple testing the microphone is to make sure they can pick up all the surrounding sounds just to alert everyone that Apple isn’t listening to everyone. o_O
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nattK Avatar
13 months ago

Finally thought to look this up last week and was relieved to find out that I’m not going insane, lol. Very un-Apple and it sounds like wireless interference a little, but I’ll survive.
Oh god, it was driving me absolutely crazy! I legit thought it was coming from some hidden electronic device in my house because it didn’t resemble any sound my Apple devices made or any other devices I own.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hank001 Avatar
13 months ago
An entire article about a sound....and then the journalist forgot to post...the sound. Amazing.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)