‘I had this box for years lmao’: Woman discovers little-known device in her AirPods box. She was about to throw it away

A woman said she was seconds away from throwing out her AirPods box when she noticed it contained an additional item: a charging cable.

Diondra (@diondra88) suggested in a recent clip that she didn’t know that her AirPods contained a charging cable.

“Why didn’t nobody tell me I almost threw the box away,” she wrote in the on-screen caption of her clip. There’s a reason she might’ve been unaware of the charging cable—not all AirPods come with one. As of this writing, her video has amassed more than 862,800 views.

What do AirPods come with? 

More recent versions of Apple’s AirPods don’t come equipped with a charging cable. For example, the AirPods 4 do not come with a charging cable, though older models might have them.

According to Apple’s website, AirPods 4 doesn’t include a USB-C Charge Cable or a power adapter. “We encourage you to use any compatible USB-C Charge Cable or power adapter,” the website said. “If you need a new Apple charge cable or power adapter, they are available for purchase.”

That’s not always true of older models, though. Those might come with a Lightning to USB-A cable, as Diondra seemed to have. The Lightning connector she briefly showed viewers plugs into the AirPods case, and the USB end plugs into a power source. 

Another AirPods model that includes a charger is the AirPods Max. According to Apple Support, to charge your AirPods Max, you must “plug the USB-C or the Lightning cable that came with your AirPods Max into the bottom-right earphone, then plug the other end of the cable into a USB charger or port.”

It noted that how you charge your headphones may vary based on which model of Airpods Max you own. For example, for those equipped with a USB-C charging port, you can use a USB-C cable or a USB-C to USB cable. 

If you bought the version of the Airpods Max that is equipped with a Lighting port, though, you can use a USB-C to Lighting Cable or a USB to Lightning Cable, the website instructed.

Why don’t all AirPods come with a charging cable? 

While Apple hasn’t commented on the change in packaging, it’s possible it stopped giving away changing cables because it assumed users already have a compatible one at home. As a result, including one in the box would be an unnecessary waste and cost, as one writer from Engadget noted.

As the site noted, this isn’t necessarily unprecedented for Apple to do. Apple stopped shipping the Apple TV with a USB cable for its Siri charger in 2022. 

Some reporters argue it’s a good thing that Apple doesn’t include these extra gadgets and accessories in its boxes anymore. 

“Eschewing the charging cable means less material, less shipping weight, and ultimately less cost for Apple,” one writer for Digital Trends said. “Less post-consumer waste, too.”

@diondra88 I knew it was a reason we keep all of the old boxes ???? #iphone #airpod #jay #news #o #babyfa ♬ Oh my god what is that - Shoftyz

Viewers are less impressed with the Apple customer’s find 

In the comments section of Diondra’s video, many users said they weren’t phased by her discovery because they already knew some AirPods contained chargers. 

“Was this not common knowledge,” one viewer wrote. 

“Did no one know AirPods came with a charger,” another asked. 

“Every pair of AirPods comes with a charger,” a third user said. 

Others, however, were just as surprised as Diondra to learn that their AirPods came with a charging cable. 

“I’m glad I didn’t throw mine away omg I just found it,” one woman shared. 

“I literally just found my box and saw a charger in it lmao I had this box for years lmao,” a second person wrote. 

“Omg, I didn’t know this,” a third viewer said. “I just ran and found my old box.”

Sadly, some were too late. 

“Noooo, I threw it away too,” one viewer said. 

“I threw it away because I thought it was gonna be like those tricks in 2020,” another added. 

“NO STOP I THREW MY BOX AWAY DA OTHER DAY,” a third viewer lamented. 

The Daily Dot has reached out to Diondra via TikTok comment and to Apple through email.

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