Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Find My AirPods: Complete Guide for Lost AirPods

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,483
37,748


Apple has a "Find my iPhone" feature for lost iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more, but there's also a "Find my AirPods" feature that can be useful if you happen to misplace your AirPods.

Find My AirPods has its limitations because it's not able to work when the AirPods aren't connected to an iOS device via Bluetooth, but the feature can help you locate AirPods lost nearby and it gives clues as to where your AirPods might be found if they're lost out of the range of the iPhone.

It's worth noting that Find My AirPods only works for the AirPods themselves -- it can't locate a lost AirPods Case, nor does it work when the AirPods are disconnected from the iPhone and stored in the case.


How to Use Find My AirPods

Find My AirPods is located within the "Find My" app on iOS devices and iCloud.com. If the AirPods are out of the case and connected to the iPhone, they'll show up on the Find My map just like an iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, or Mac.

findmyairpods.jpg

If your AirPods are in the case or not currently connected, the last known location will be displayed. If your AirPods haven't been in use at all recently, they'll be listed as "offline."

How to Find AirPods Lost Nearby

Your AirPods are most likely to be misplaced or lost when you set them down momentarily because there are no cords to keep them together or to make them easier to find. Find My AirPods is mostly designed to locate an AirPod that's nearby by playing a sound.

airpodssoundplaying.jpg

  1. Open "Find My" on an iOS device or iCloud.com.
  2. Tap the AirPods in the list.
  3. Tap "Actions."
  4. Tap "Play Sound."
A soft chirping sound will start playing after you initiate the "Play Sound" command, which will gradually get louder and louder with each chirp to make the AirPods easier to locate.

If just the left or just the right AirPod is missing, you can also mute the sound coming from the left or the right. To stop the sound once the AirPods are located, you'll need to tap "Stop Playing." Putting the AirPods back in the case will also turn the sound off after a few seconds.

How to Find AirPods Lost Far Away

If your AirPods aren't connected to your iPhone, their exact location is not relayed to Find My. In this situation, the last known location of the AirPods when they were connected to an iPhone is displayed.

So, for example, if you use them while at the airport and then leave them behind, their location when they were last connected to your iPhone over Bluetooth will be displayed, even if the AirPods are moved somewhere else.

airpodslastknownlocation.jpg
When the AirPods aren't connected to the iPhone, the last online location is displayed. It is not up to date.​

For this reason, using Find My AirPods to locate an AirPod that's been left behind isn't going to be particularly accurate, but it will give you a general idea of where they were lost so you can go back to the location.

When attempting to locate an AirPod this way, tap the little car icon and it will give you Apple Maps directions to the last known location.

Limitations with Find My AirPods

Your AirPods will not play a sound while they're in the case, so if you lose the AirPods and the AirPods Case somewhere in the house, you're out of luck.

There's also no way to track the AirPods case because a Bluetooth connection is needed for Find My AirPods, so there is no option for locating a lost case.

Replacing a lost AirPod or AirPods Case

Apple offers AirPods replacements if one is lost and can't be located. It costs $69 to replace a single AirPod or to replace the AirPods Charging Case.

Want new AirPods or AirPods Pro?

Check our constantly updated guide for best deals on AirPods.

Article Link: Find My AirPods: Complete Guide for Lost AirPods
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/find-my-airpods/
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Michaelgtrusa
If it saves somebody from paying $69.00 for a replacement Airpod, then this feature pays for itself overtime.
 
ramallite said:
Just checked with my BeatsX. No, it does not. Pity, I see no reason why it shouldn't.
Click to expand...
It's a good question, however, Apple wants to sell W1 chip to third parties and if they allowed it for every W1-chip enabled headphones they could "overtake" Apple's app for finding iThings.

Of course, Beats are Apple Beats so they could add Beats at least.
 
ErikGrim said:
The limitations makes this feature nearly useless. The buds are always in the case when not in my ears.
Click to expand...

I don't believe this feature is rendered useless. I can tell you many times where I have taken the Airpods out of my ears and set them down to do something else briefly or I haven't always immediately put them back inside the case. I think every situation will vary. But being that they are so small, I think this is a great feature to save somebody the replacement cost or the inconvenience of losing one.
 
djlythium said:
Omg, ouch!
Click to expand...

Lol. I didn't have them in My ears, but was curious about the sound. So while they were playing the alert I put one close to my ear and it was blistering.

I imagine that if they're in the ear that the app won't let you trigger the alert. I hope so anyway.
 
profets said:
Lol. I didn't have them in My ears, but was curious about the sound. So while they were playing the alert I put one close to my ear and it was blistering.

I imagine that if they're in the ear that the app won't let you trigger the alert. I hope so anyway.
Click to expand...
Okay, just tested this by placing my fingers over the prox sensors on one pod, and FmiPhone gave a warning before playing the sound (see attached screenshot).
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0264.jpg
    IMG_0264.jpg
    52.3 KB · Views: 128,228
  • Like
Reactions: err404 and profets
djlythium said:
Okay, just tested this by placing my fingers over the prox sensors on one pod, and FmiPhone gave a warning before playing the sound (see attached screenshot).
Click to expand...
They also start the alarm quiet and ramp up the volume. You have a bit of time to remove them before they reach peek volumes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: djlythium and profets
Find My AirPods is completely useless for the most common scenario: you can’t find where you put your AirPods.

Most people can learn to be careful and always put their AirPods in the case when not in their ears. But setting down the case somewhere in the house, good luck if you can’t remember where you last put them.

This is such an easily fixable problem. Have the AirPods case ping the iPhone once an hour or half hour. If it detects that it’s been asked to play a sound, it’ll take you an hour at worst to find where you put your AirPods. Without this, you’re on your own and have to find them manually, and they’ll play the damn sound after you already found them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rizzm, Turtlegirl76, msingewald and 1 other person
ipedro, Good point, but they implemented the feature after many reviewers complained about the buds falling out of your ear and getting lost. It is a good solution to that problem.
The problem that you describe is common among all earbuds, wireless or not. Unfortunately many users would struggle with a location feature with that much lag. It may also require a hardware change. But I agree. I’d like to see Tile like functionality in a 2.0 version.
I’ve considered sticking a tile to the back of the case, but that extra thickness would make it less pocketable.
 
I lost an AirPod today doing yard work. We searched for at least an hour and couldn't find it. Looked up this article, went out, in the dark, and found the missing AirPod!! Woohoo!!
 
I’d love the ‘play sound’ find my function for my AppleTV remote. That would get used several times a week!
 
ipedro said:
Find My AirPods is completely useless for the most common scenario: you can’t find where you put your AirPods.

Most people can learn to be careful and always put their AirPods in the case when not in their ears. But setting down the case somewhere in the house, good luck if you can’t remember where you last put them.

This is such an easily fixable problem. Have the AirPods case ping the iPhone once an hour or half hour. If it detects that it’s been asked to play a sound, it’ll take you an hour at worst to find where you put your AirPods. Without this, you’re on your own and have to find them manually, and they’ll play the damn sound after you already found them.
Click to expand...
I completely agree. I'll have to buy an Apple tag to connect to my case... since... you know... the airpods themselves cannot be turned off so we're stuck throwing them in their case all the time with... again... no way to track once they're captive in there. Good job Apple! Feel free to fathom any profanity to follow my last sentence... all of them will work...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back