How do I tell what generation AirPods I have?

Find the model number in Settings, under the More Info button next to your AirPods, or on the underside of an earbud, then match it to Apple's list of models and years.

Where is the model number on AirPods?

On AirPods and AirPods Pro it is printed on the underside of each earbud and starts with A. On AirPods Max it is behind the left ear cushion.

What AirPods is A2031?

A2031 is one of the two model numbers for AirPods 2, the second generation, introduced in 2019. The other is A2032.

How do I tell AirPods Pro 1 from AirPods Pro 2?

By the model number. AirPods Pro 1 are A2084 or A2083. AirPods Pro 2 are A2931, A2699 or A2698 with a Lightning case, and A3047, A3048 or A3049 with a USB-C case.

Can I use an old charging case with newer AirPods?

Not across the newer generations. Apple says the AirPods 4 and AirPods 5 cases each work only with their own earbuds. The 2016 Lightning Charging Case (A1602) and the 2019 Wireless Charging Case (A1938) work with AirPods 1 and AirPods 2.

Do AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 (ANC) have different model numbers?

Yes. AirPods 4 are A3053, A3050 or A3054, and AirPods 4 (ANC) are A3056, A3055 or A3057, each with its own case.

Is the serial number the same as the model number?

No. The model number names the generation. The serial number identifies your pair, sits under the case lid, and is what Apple asks for in service.

When did the first AirPods come out?

Apple announced on December 13, 2016, that the first AirPods were available to order, with deliveries starting the following week.

Phone secrets

Every AirPods Model Since 2016, and How to Tell Which Pair You Have

Several AirPods models look nearly identical in a drawer. The model number settles it, and here is where to find it and what each number means.

ByJeremy Albelda

November 9, 202611 min read

The words "How to tell what AirPods I have" over a photo of white earphones beside a coffee cup and a keyboard on a wooden desk.

Apple's own identification page now lists 14 AirPods models, from the first pair in 2016 to three new ones in 2026, and several of them look nearly identical in a drawer. The answer to how to tell what AirPods I have, as the question usually gets typed, is not the shape or the color. It is a short model number that starts with the letter A, which Apple prints on each earbud and shows in Settings. Below is how to tell what AirPods I have in under a minute, the full list of numbers, and what changed from one generation to the next.

Key Takeaways

Every model has a number starting with A, shown in Settings and printed on each earbud (on AirPods Max, behind the left cushion).
Apple's list matches each number to a model and a year, from AirPods 1 in 2016 to AirPods 5 and AirPods Max 2 in 2026.
A2031 is one of the two model numbers for AirPods 2, introduced in 2019.
Charging cases have their own model numbers, and the position of the status light is the quickest visual clue.
The serial number sits under the case lid, and it is the number Apple asks for when a pair goes in for service.

How to tell what AirPods I have

There are three places to look, in the order Apple suggests on its support page.

Settings. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, then Bluetooth, or tap the name of your AirPods in Settings. Find them in the list and tap the More Info button next to them. The model number is on that screen.
Older software. On a device without iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, Apple's path is Settings, then General, then About, then the name of your AirPods.
The hardware. If the pair won't connect, read the number off the earbuds. Apple says that on AirPods and AirPods Pro, "the model number appears on the underside of each AirPod, starting with the letter A." On AirPods Max, it "appears behind the cushion on the left ear cup."

The print on an earbud is tiny. A phone camera zoomed in on it, with a light held at an angle, reads it faster than squinting.

The words "How to tell what model AirPods I have" over a photo of white earphones on a tablet on a wooden table.

Every model and its numbers

This is Apple's list, put in the order the models came out. Most models carry two or three numbers, and any one of them identifies the model, so two earbuds showing different numbers from the same line are still the same generation.

AirPods 1, introduced in 2016, carry model numbers A1523 and A1722.
AirPods 2, introduced in 2019, carry model numbers A2032 and A2031.
AirPods Pro 1, introduced in 2019, carry model numbers A2084 and A2083.
AirPods Max 1 (Lightning), introduced in 2020, carry model number A2096.
AirPods 3, introduced in 2021, carry model numbers A2565 and A2564.
AirPods Pro 2 with MagSafe Charging Case (Lightning), introduced in 2022, carry model numbers A2931, A2699 and A2698.
AirPods Pro 2 with MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C), introduced in 2023, carry model numbers A3047, A3048 and A3049.
AirPods 4, introduced in 2024, carry model numbers A3053, A3050 and A3054.
AirPods 4 (ANC), introduced in 2024, carry model numbers A3056, A3055 and A3057.
AirPods Max 1 (USB-C), introduced in 2024, carry model number A3184.
AirPods Pro 3, introduced in 2025, carry model numbers A3063, A3064 and A3065.
AirPods 5, introduced in 2026, carry model numbers A3531, A3532 and A3533.
AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, introduced in 2026, carry model numbers A3439, A3440 and A3441.
AirPods Max 2, introduced in 2026, carry model number A3454.

Two pairs on that list are easy to confuse. AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 (ANC) are separate models with separate numbers, and so are AirPods 5 and AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case. The number tells them apart even when the earbuds look the same.

How the line grew, year by year

The list makes more sense as a history, because each generation changed something you can still notice today.

2016, the original

Apple announced on December 13, 2016, that AirPods were available to order. The pitch was easy setup. In Apple's words, "Just open the charging case near your iPhone and with a simple tap," and the pair was ready on every device signed into the same account. A double tap called Siri.

2019, a new chip

On March 20, 2019, Apple announced the second generation, powered by "the new Apple-designed H1 chip," with up to 50 percent more talk time than the first, hands-free "Hey Siri," and the option of a Wireless Charging Case. AirPods Pro 1 joined the list the same year.

2020, over the ear

Apple announced AirPods Max on December 8, 2020, as over-ear headphones with H1 chips, Active Noise Cancellation and spatial audio.

2021, a shorter stem

The third generation, announced October 18, 2021, got a new shape. Apple wrote that "the stem is shorter than the previous generation and features the same intuitive force sensor as AirPods Pro," and gave the earbuds and case an IPX4 rating for sweat and water.

2022, the H2 chip

AirPods Pro 2, announced September 7, 2022, brought the H2 chip, Touch control for volume on the stem and a new case. Apple said the noise canceling removed "up to twice as much noise" as the first AirPods Pro.

2023 and 2024, USB-C

AirPods Pro 2 moved to a USB-C case in 2023. On September 9, 2024, Apple split AirPods 4 into two models, one with Active Noise Cancellation, gave its case "USB-C charging" at "more than 10 percent smaller in volume than its predecessor," and moved AirPods Max to USB-C charging.

2025 and 2026, health and two new models

AirPods Pro 3, announced September 9, 2025, added heart rate sensing during workouts and an IP57 rating, and Apple said its noise canceling removes "up to 2x more noise than the previous-generation AirPods Pro, and 4x more than the original AirPods Pro." Apple's list adds AirPods 5, in two models, and AirPods Max 2 in 2026.

What changed most

Two changes in that history decide the most practical questions about an old pair. One is the chip, which arrived as H1 in 2019 and H2 in 2022, and the other is the port, which moved from Lightning to USB-C in 2023 and 2024.

Telling the charging cases apart

Cases have model numbers of their own, and Apple's list gives a few visual clues for each one.

The Lightning Charging Case is A1602, from 2016, with a Lightning port. Its status light is inside the case.
The Wireless Charging Case is A1938, from 2019, with a Lightning port. Its light is on the front, and it supports Qi wireless charging.
The AirPods Pro 1 Charging Case is A2190, from 2019, with a Lightning port. Its serial number ends in 0C6L or LKKT.
The MagSafe Charging Case for AirPods Pro 1 is A2190, from 2021, with a Lightning port. Its serial number ends in 1059 or 1NRC.
The MagSafe Charging Case for AirPods 3 is A2566, from 2021, with a Lightning port. Its light is on the front, and it supports MagSafe.
The Lightning Charging Case for AirPods 3 is A2897, from 2022, with a Lightning port. Its light is on the front.
The MagSafe Charging Case (Lightning) for AirPods Pro 2 is A2700, from 2022, with a Lightning port. It has a speaker on the bottom and a lanyard loop.
The MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) for AirPods Pro 2 is A2968, from 2023, with a USB-C port. It has a speaker on the bottom and a lanyard loop.
The Charging Case for AirPods 4 is A3058, from 2024, with a USB-C port. Its light is on the front.
The Wireless Charging Case for AirPods 4 (ANC) is A3059, from 2024, with a USB-C port. It has a speaker on the bottom.
The MagSafe Charging Case for AirPods Pro 3 is A3122, from 2025, with a USB-C port. It has a speaker on the bottom and a lanyard loop.
The Wireless Charging Case for AirPods 5 is A3529, from 2026, with a USB-C port. It has a speaker on the bottom.
The Charging Case for AirPods 5 is A3530, from 2026, with a USB-C port. Its light is on the front.

The quickest tell is the light. Only the original 2016 case keeps its status light on the inside. Every later case on Apple's list puts it on the front.

The trap is A2190. Apple uses the same model number for the 2019 AirPods Pro case and the 2021 MagSafe version, and the only way it gives to tell them apart is the last four characters of the serial number.

Cases also pair narrowly in the newer generations. Apple says the Charging Case for AirPods 4 "is compatible with two AirPods 4 earbuds" and not with AirPods 4 (ANC) earbuds, and it says the same of each AirPods 5 case. The two oldest cases are the flexible ones. Apple lists both A1602 and A1938 as working with AirPods 2 and AirPods 1.

The words "AirPods charging case model" over a photo of a wireless earbud case beside a phone, glasses, a watch and a wallet on wood.

What A2031 means

A2031 sits on the AirPods 2 line, beside A2032, with 2019 as its year. An earbud stamped A2031 is second-generation AirPods, the March 2019 model with the H1 chip and hands-free "Hey Siri."

That settles which case it needs. A2031 is an earbud's number, not a case's, and Apple lists two cases for that generation, the Lightning Charging Case (A1602) and the Wireless Charging Case (A1938), both of which work with AirPods 2 and AirPods 1. It also answers whether a pair is the newer AirPods 3, which has its own numbers, A2565 and A2564, and a shorter stem.

The serial number, and when you need it

The serial number is a different thing from the model number, and Apple keeps it in a different place on the hardware.

In Settings, it is on the same More Info screen as the model number, on an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac.
On the case, Apple says that on AirPods and AirPods Pro, "your AirPods and your charging case share a serial number," printed on the underside of the case lid.
On each earbud, Apple says "With AirPods 2 and later, and with AirPods Pro 1 and 2, each AirPod also has its own serial number printed on the AirPod itself."
On AirPods Max, detach the left magnetic ear cushion to see it.
Off the device, the original box carries it next to the barcode, and so does the receipt or invoice.

For a repair, Apple asks for the primary serial number, the one "printed on the case lid." Write it down somewhere other than the case. If the case goes missing along with a phone, the site's guide to what to do if you lose your phone covers the phone's side of it.

The number settles it

AirPods have changed shape only a few times in ten years, which is why a drawer of old pairs is hard to sort by eye. The model number removes the guesswork. Find it in Settings or on the earbud, match it to Apple's list, and the generation, the year and the case it needs follow from there. The same habit of checking the exact model first applies before selling any old device, which is where the site's guide to what a phone is worth starts too.

FAQs about AirPods models

How do I tell what generation AirPods I have?: Find the model number in Settings, under the More Info button next to your AirPods, or on the underside of an earbud, then match it to Apple's list of models and years.
Where is the model number on AirPods?: On AirPods and AirPods Pro it is printed on the underside of each earbud and starts with A. On AirPods Max it is behind the left ear cushion.
What AirPods is A2031?: A2031 is one of the two model numbers for AirPods 2, the second generation, introduced in 2019. The other is A2032.
How do I tell AirPods Pro 1 from AirPods Pro 2?: By the model number. AirPods Pro 1 are A2084 or A2083. AirPods Pro 2 are A2931, A2699 or A2698 with a Lightning case, and A3047, A3048 or A3049 with a USB-C case.
Can I use an old charging case with newer AirPods?: Not across the newer generations. Apple says the AirPods 4 and AirPods 5 cases each work only with their own earbuds. The 2016 Lightning Charging Case (A1602) and the 2019 Wireless Charging Case (A1938) work with AirPods 1 and AirPods 2.
Do AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 (ANC) have different model numbers?: Yes. AirPods 4 are A3053, A3050 or A3054, and AirPods 4 (ANC) are A3056, A3055 or A3057, each with its own case.
Is the serial number the same as the model number?: No. The model number names the generation. The serial number identifies your pair, sits under the case lid, and is what Apple asks for in service.
When did the first AirPods come out?: Apple announced on December 13, 2016, that the first AirPods were available to order, with deliveries starting the following week.