Sonos rates the Ace at 30 hours of listening or 24 hours of call time with Aware Mode or Noise Canceling active, and gives the levers that change it. Noise Control modes: Noise Canceling blocks external sound and Adaptive Cancellation can be enabled when the fit is imperfect; Aware Mode blends ambient sound; Off disables both. Turning Noise Control off is the clearest way to see whether ANC is the drain. Bluetooth multipoint, which keeps two devices connected, is off by default and is enabled in the app;
wear detection also changes behavior when you take the headphones off. Spatial audio and head tracking add processing. Check the battery level in the Sonos app or your device, charge with the included PD cable at 15 W, and remember that fast charging gives about 3 hours from a 3-minute charge below 10 percent. Update the headphones in the app under About, Software Updates, since updates keep the app connected to the headphones. If the level falls quickly, force reboot by holding the Power/Bluetooth button for 10 seconds with USB-C disconnected.
Differential
Likely causes of “Sonos Ace headphones battery runs out too quickly”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Noise Canceling is on all day
What separates it The battery life is shorter than the rating because Noise Canceling is on all day
How to confirm Test with Noise Control off or Aware Mode
- 2
Spatial audio and head tracking
What separates it There is extra drain because spatial audio and head tracking are switched on
How to confirm Turn spatial audio and head tracking off in the app, and check the battery again
- 3
Multipoint is on
What separates it Two connections stay active because multipoint is switched on
How to confirm Turn it off if you do not need it
- 4
An update is pending
What separates it The battery life looks odd after an update because an update is still pending
How to confirm Update the headphones in the app, and then check the battery life again
- 5
A worn battery
What separates it The battery life falls despite your settings because the battery is worn
How to confirm Contact Sonos, since a worn battery may need a service or a replacement
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The model of the headphones and how old they are
- Which Noise Control mode and features you use
- The battery level over a day
- Whether the last update finished properly in the app
Try in this order
0 of 5 completedCompare against the rating
ReversibleCompare the battery life against the rating, which is thirty hours of listening or twenty four of calls.
Test with Noise Control off
ReversibleTest with Noise Control off, by choosing Off in the headphones' Noise Control settings, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Turn off extras
ReversibleTurn off extras such as head tracking and multipoint, if you do not use them.
Charge properly
ReversibleCharge properly, using the PD cable and a charger of about 15 W, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Contact Sonos
ReversibleContact Sonos Support if the battery life is still short after these steps, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Rated life
- Sonos: 30 hours of listening or 24 hours of calls with Aware Mode or Noise Canceling on.
- Noise Control modes
- Noise Canceling, Aware Mode and Off, cycled by the Noise Control button on the right ear cup, which by default toggles Noise Canceling and Aware Mode.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If life is under half of the rating with Noise Control off, contact Sonos Support
- !If the earcup is hot or swollen, stop using them and contact Sonos
- !If the battery level jumps oddly, force reboot then contact Sonos
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
30 hours of listening, 24 hours of call time and fast charging.
Noise Canceling, Aware Mode and Off.
Multipoint and wear detection settings.
Checking for updates.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
How long should the Ace last?+
30 hours of listening or 24 hours of call time with Aware Mode or Noise Canceling on.
Does ANC drain the battery?+
The rating is with ANC or Aware on; switching Noise Control off helps you test.
What is Adaptive Cancellation?+
A setting to improve ANC when the headphones do not fit perfectly.
Does multipoint use battery?+
It keeps two devices connected; it is off by default.
What is wear detection?+
A setting that changes how the headphones behave when you take them on or off.
How fast can I charge?+
3 minutes below 10 percent gives about 3 hours.
Do updates matter?+
Keep the headphones updated in the app.
What are the Noise Control modes?+
The modes are Noise Canceling, Aware Mode and Off, and you cycle through them with the Noise Control button.
What is multipoint on the Ace?+
Bluetooth multipoint keeps two devices connected at once, and it is off by default, so you turn it on in the Sonos app.