Found AirPods Pro 3, no pop-up about tracking - what to do?

[cappo3]

Dear all

Quick question after reading a few threads about lost AirPods:

I found a pair of AirPods Pro Gen 3 on the train and wanted to make sure the owner can locate them.

From what I understood, opening the case near an iPhone should show that they belong to someone else and are trackable via Find My.

But in my case:
On my iPhone 13 mini (iOS 18) I only get a limited compatibility message: no info whatsoever about another iCloud account.
On a friend’s iPhone 15 Pro (iOS 26) they were treated as new and even paired to his iCloud and Find My, again with no sign they were already linked nor trackable.

Am I missing something, or does this mean they’re no longer tied to the original owner?
How can I ensure they can still be located?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Kaiserschmarrn]

Maybe belonging to someone with an android phone.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Turn them into the train company for their lost-and-found, or the local police.

 

[cappo3]

Turn them into the train company for their lost-and-found, or the local police.

Yes, it is my last resort.
I hoped I could have leveraged Apple’s technology and made sure the owner got them back, but it seems I’ll have to hope he’ll ask the train company.

 

[kitKAC]

Dear all

Quick question after reading a few threads about lost AirPods:

I found a pair of AirPods Pro Gen 3 on the train and wanted to make sure the owner can locate them.

From what I understood, opening the case near an iPhone should show that they belong to someone else and are trackable via Find My.

But in my case:
On my iPhone 13 mini (iOS 18) I only get a limited compatibility message: no info whatsoever about another iCloud account.
On a friend’s iPhone 15 Pro (iOS 26) they were treated as new and even paired to his iCloud and Find My, again with no sign they were already linked nor trackable.

Am I missing something, or does this mean they’re no longer tied to the original owner?
How can I ensure they can still be located?

Thanks in advance!

I think the owner has to enable Lost Mode before contact info is available.

 

[cappo3]

I think the owner has to enable Lost Mode before contact info is available.

I thought it would have shown the pop-up "not your AirPods" (or something similar) anyway. My AirPods Pro 2 do that.