New AirPods Pro 3 not working, charging, lighting up...

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New AirPods Pro 3 not working, charging, lighting up...

AirPods Pro 3 purchased new on April 10 for use at work. Originally they connected fine and figured they were charged. Put in my desk draw. Used them once or twice without issue. Pulled them out today to make a phone call and they would not connect. Tried charging them and no response. Case won't light up. Case won't reset. Removed from my list of connected devices (which makes NO sense to me) and tried resetting which of course did not work. Other AirPods charge fine using same cord/charger.

I am assuming these are simply dead now? Apple service is so difficult to work with these days and there is no apple store within an almost 2 hour radius, so I guess I just have to find a Best Buy (which I basically loathe) to confirm for me that these are defective? Since I did not buy them from best buy, what do I do if they can't repair them?

Posted on Jul 9, 2026 10:18 AM

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Answer 1

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v1v3km

Level 5

6,544 points

Jul 9, 2026 10:29 PM in response to indychris

This does not mean they are dead — what you are describing sounds like a deep discharge, where the case battery has drained so completely it cannot respond to charging or show the LED. Try this before assuming they are defective:

1. Use a different cable and plug directly into a wall adapter (not a computer USB port or hub) with an Apple-certified USB-C cable. Leave the case charging for 30 to 60 minutes without opening it or checking. A deeply discharged battery will not show the LED right away.

2. If you have a MagSafe or Qi wireless charger, try that instead. Sometimes the wireless charging circuit wakes up when wired does not.

3. After the extended charge, press and hold the button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds and look for the amber flash followed by white. If still no response, there may be a genuine hardware defect.

4. You do not have to go to Best Buy. Go to getsupport.apple.com — Apple offers mail-in service and can arrange a carrier pickup regardless of where you bought the AirPods. Since these were purchased in April 2026, they are within the one-year warranty and Apple will service them for free if defective.

Do not write them off yet — the 60-minute wall charge attempt resolves this in a lot of cases.

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