The Surface Earbuds launched in 2019 as Microsoft’s attempt at an alternative to Apple AirPods and a way to compete with the best wireless earbuds. Some owners of Surface Earbuds who haven’t used the headphones for months are now reporting issues where they won’t recharge.

As spotted by Windows Central, some Surface Earbuds appear to stop working after long periods without charge. If you’ve got a pair of these earbuds in a drawer, be sure to give them a charge as soon as possible to try and avoid similar issues.

In Windows Central’s testing, the publication tried three pairs of Surface Earbuds; two hadn’t been used for over a year, while a third pair was a purchase from eBay of a device that appeared to not have been turned on for a while. All three pairs were unable to recharge.

The last couple of years has seen similar reports on forums and Reddit with users saying that after around six months of not using the headphones they ceased to recharge. Many of the reports say the charging case will flash with a red light when you plug them in, while others found there’s no light at all.

It’s unclear exactly what the issue is here, but it appears to be connected to the battery. PCMag has asked Microsoft if it’s aware of the issue.

Microsoft hasn’t updated its Surface Earbuds since it stopped selling them in 2022. The company only gave its headphones two firmware updates before retiring them from its lineup.

The headphones didn’t prove particularly popular, so it’s unlikely we’ll see a follow up to the Surface Earbuds anytime soon.

PCMag’s original review of the Surface Earbuds gave them a score of three out of five. The review read, “The true wireless Microsoft Surface Earbuds are cool to look at, but they offer inconsistent audio performance for the price.” The Surface Earbuds launched at $200, which was expensive compared to rival products.

Get Our Best Stories!

Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News

Sign up for our What’s New Now newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.

Sign up for our What’s New Now newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.

By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Thanks for signing up!

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

About James Peckham

Reporter

I’ve written tech news for over a decade, and as a Reporter at PCMag, I cover the latest developments across the gadgets and services you use every day. Previously, I worked for Android Police, TechRadar, and more.

Read James’s full bio

Read the latest from James Peckham