Strap loop on new AirPods Pro charging case doubles as an antenna

The AirPods Pro 2 charging case includes a strap loop that can serve as an antenna for the Apple U1 chip and support improved tracking in the Find My app.

• The new AirPods Pro 2 Charging Case has a metal lug on the side that can act as an antenna to support improved tracking in the Find My app.
• Inside the case, a strap loop connects to the Lightning port, which in turn communicates with the logic board.
• One suggestion as to why it might be an intelligent antenna system providing improved reception for the U1 chip.

New AirPods Pro Charging Case and Strap Loop

Apple has made several improvements to the second generation AirPods Pro to make their charging case work better with Find My.

For example, the Apple U1 chip allows you to use Precision Finding to find a lost box nearby. And with a new built-in speaker, the case also beeps to help you find it. But the new charging case also features a handy lanyard loop (lanyard sold separately) that appears to double as an antenna.

This is the conclusion Lumafield came to after placing a redesigned case under an industrial CT scanner. What the company discovered came as a surprise. Inside the case, a strap loop connects to a Lightning connector that connects to the motherboard.

MacRumors notes that the unexpected find led Lumfield to speculate that the metal insert could also act as an antenna for the U1 chip.

There is a new metal loop on the side of the case. Apple says it’s for a strap, but it seems to serve an additional purpose: it’s 4mm deep and 18mm long with a hidden tail that connects to a metal pad around the Lightning port. Perhaps it’s an antenna to support Find My’s improved tracking.

Or perhaps it’s something much more mundane, like a simple wire or thin sheet of metal to ground an exposed metal lug, which you might need to prevent ESD damage to internal components.

I take my hat off to Apple for this very smart and cool development!

Find my AirPods Pro Charging Case

While the charging case used to be found in the Find My app, at least one AirPod had to be in the case and within Bluetooth range of your iPhone.

But now the case has an Apple U1 chip that supports Precision Finding in the Find My app, so finding your lost charging case just got a whole lot easier.

The charging case also offers extended battery life and MagSafe support, which means you can charge your AirPods Pro 2 case with an Apple Watch puck. Last but not least, the charging case is waterproof.