Hands-On With iOS 10.3's New 'Find My AirPods' Feature

[MacRumors]

iOS 10.3 introduces a new "Find My AirPods" feature, giving AirPods owners a way to keep track of the tiny wire-free earphones Apple started selling back in December.

Because iOS 10.3 is limited to developers, we thought we'd take a hands-on look at the new Find My AirPods feature to give iOS users an idea of what to expect when iOS 10.3 officially launches. In the video below, you can see just how the feature helps you find a lost AirPod, and its limitations.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Find My AirPods relies on the AirPods connection to an iPhone or another iOS device because the AirPods themselves don't have any cellular connectivity built in. The feature keeps track of the last known location where the AirPods were connected to an iOS device over Bluetooth, so if one is misplaced, there's a general location of where it might have last been seen.

That location is displayed on a map in the "Find My iPhone" app, much like any other Mac or iOS device. There's also an option to cause the AirPods to play a sound, which is super handy for finding an AirPod that's fallen between the couch cushions or has been buried in a backpack.

Find My AirPods requires the AirPods to be connected to an iPhone, so the feature does not work while the AirPods are in the AirPods case, making it somewhat less useful. If you lose the AirPods while they're in the case, it appears you're out of luck.

Apple charges $69 to replace a lost or broken AirPod or to replace an AirPods charging case, so though limited, the Find My AirPods option is a welcome feature that does make it a bit easier to keep track of where your AirPods are at all times.

We expect to see several iOS 10.3 betas before the software is released to the public, so general users may need to wait awhile to get their hands on the Find My AirPods feature, but a public beta test is likely to be made available in the next few weeks.

Article Link: Hands-On With iOS 10.3's New 'Find My AirPods' Feature

 

[thespacekid]

I guess if you don't have airpods, this feature is useless.

 

[kognos]

Does this extend to the iCloud "find iPhone" web app, or does it only work from your iPhone?

Does this work from any iDevice on your account, or only from the one that last connected to the Airpods?

Can family members use this from their "find iPhone" apps?

Edit: Definitely a welcome feature, just trying to determine whether this is really an account-wide reach and where the security/privacy lines are drawn, or is it just a smart bluetooth monitor. Either way, knowledge is good.

 

[coolbreeze]

I guess if you don't have airpods, this feature is useless.

Very astute observation. How did you arrive at such logic? It's almost as if the Watch app is useless if you don't own an Apple Watch. Unbelievable!

 

[mtneer]

Will the Airpod buzz if any iDevice user is nearby, not just the owner? That will dramatically increase the likelihood of finding your lost device just like The Tracker.

 

[44267547]

I guess if you don't have airpods, this feature is useless.

Does your post apply without stating? It's a feature available if someone were to lose their Airpods, the find my Airpods feature is a safety net to locate them if possible.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Thanks for the video. I was curious how this would work and not brave enough to put a beta on my iPhone. Looking forward to this addition.

 

[calzon65]

Like loosing an earring.

 

[SeattleMoose]

How about "we're out of toilet paper" feature? Useful for everyone.

 

[nutmac]

I would like the feature arrive for Apple Pencil, which I misplaced more than few times and Bluetooth tracking apps are ineffective against.

One major limitation is that Apple Pencil lacks speaker of any kind. So "Play Sound" won't be possible without either (1) hardware upgrade or (2) accessory (Apple Pencil charging cap with speaker?). But just knowing roughly where it is would be hugely useful.

 

[mudflap]

Like loosing an earring.

Except you can't use your iPhone to find your earring.

 

[avanpelt]

Wait, isn't this feature assuming that both AirPods are together? What if they're not? I don't see any indication that it can tell you the last place each AirPod was when it was connected to your device. Ideally, if someone were to lose the left AirPod, let's say, it would show you where that AirPod was last connected to your device.

 

[sudo1996]

I guess if you don't have airpods, this feature is useless.

I guess if you don't lose your AirPods, this feature is useless.
[doublepost=1485383650][/doublepost]I got on the BART subway coming out of San Francisco during rush hour a couple of days ago. Was so crowded that I couldn't move my fingers, and people were shoving to enter at each stop. Of all places to lose AirPods, a lady lost one on that train and asked if anyone could hear it ringing. gg

 

[sudo1996]

How about "we're out of toilet paper" feature? Useful for everyone.

Life Lessons 61A: Just check if there's TP before you poop.

 

[Born Again]

so much other things to work on and they add a niche product capability to the os.

when are we going to get user preference on mail, maps, calendar, etc.?

 

[RickInHouston]

Such a micro-focused burn of manpower. Apple needs to, so badly, take a step back and see a bigger picture. They're losing themselves with the blinders they seem to be wearing.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Such a micro-focused burn of manpower. Apple needs to, so badly, take a step back and see a bigger picture. They're losing themselves with the blinders they seem to be wearing.

Yes, I'm sure it took a lot of manpower to develop this feature. In actuality, it probably took the lowest man on the totem poll about 45 minutes.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Such a micro-focused burn of manpower. Apple needs to, so badly, take a step back and see a bigger picture. They're losing themselves with the blinders they seem to be wearing.

You must not own a pair. It's a good feature -- needed, not a waste. The real question is what took Apple so long. This should have been a feature at launch and demoed at the product announcement last fall. "Find my...." should be a standard feature of all major Apple hardware. Apple Pencil 2.0 should be next on the list to get it.

 

[djlythium]

This is more of a 'review', and less of a 'hands-on'. Can we get a real-world, in-the-wild test?

 

[I7guy]

Such a micro-focused burn of manpower. Apple needs to, so badly, take a step back and see a bigger picture. They're losing themselves with the blinders they seem to be wearing.

What blinders? Seems like the features on 10.3, new computers, iPhone 7, air pods, aw are fairly tight. Cool features that integrate well with great hardware.

 

[PsykX]

I guess if you don't have airpods, this feature is useless.

I guess if you don't have airpods anymore, this feature is useful.
See what I did there ?

 

[TMRJIJ]

I guess if you don't have airpods, this feature is useless.

wow...

 

[4jasontv]

So... why isn't this a monopolistic behavior again? The way Apple bills their devices over time means we pay for our devices over a multi-year period. This update means that I have to pay for Apples solution and I can't use a third party solution that I might consider better.

 

[kognos]

So... why isn't this a monopolistic behavior again? The way Apple bills their devices over time means we pay for our devices over a multi-year period. This update means that I have to pay for Apples solution and I can't use a third party solution that I might consider better.

This update is free, you don't have to pay for anything.

 

[b11051973]

Will this work with the Beats headphones with the W1 chip?