No matter which pair of AirPods you have -- the second-generation version, the AirPods Pro or the AirPods Max, earbuds can get lost, misplaced or even carried away by the family pet. Small earbuds, especially, can fall between couch cushions, fly under furniture or wedge deep into a pocket. Show
I'm grateful for Apple's Find My app that's built into every iPhone, iPad and Mac. I most often use it to play a sound to locate my iPhone around my home, but occasionally I use the same tool to find a lost or misplaced AirPod earbud. It's not immediately obvious that you can just use the Find My app to track down more than just your phone or tablet, but it's possible and -- under the right circumstances -- useful. Below I'll show you how to use the Find My app to locate a missing AirPod. It's only a few taps to find your AirPods, with some caveats. Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNETMake sure Find My is set upBefore you can use the Find My app to locate anything you've lost, make sure it's set up. Double-check that Find My is turned on by opening the Settings app, tap on your name at the top of the screen, then select Find My. Next, tap Find My iPhone and move the switch to the On position. As long as Find My is enabled, your Apple Watch and AirPods will automatically be added to the app. You can't activate and use Find My for your AirPods after you've lost them, so do this step right now. I'll wait. Done? OK, good. How to find your lost AirPods, AirPods Pro or AirPods MaxAfter realizing your AirPod is nowhere to be found, take a deep breath, grab your iPhone and open the Find My app. Tap the Devices tab, then find and select your AirPods on the list. Alternatively, you can use your computer to visit iCloud.com/find to help find your lost devices. If your AirPods are within Bluetooth range of your iPhone, you'll see their current location on a map and have the option to play a sound on one or both earbuds. Tap Play Sound and start listening for a chirping sound to come from each earbud. If one AirPod is in the charging case, it won't play any sound. The sound will gradually get louder as it plays for two minutes. If you can hear it, but not find it before the sound stops, then tap Play Sound again. You can switch which AirPod the sound is playing on by tapping the L or R button in the Find My app. When you've found both AirPods, tap Stop. Find My is exactly what you need to use to locate missing devices. Jason Cipriani/CNETThere are some situations when Find My won't workFinding a lost AirPod is easy so long as it's out of the case, still charged and close enough to your iPhone. In a situation where the AirPods aren't within range for your phone to trigger a sound, you should still see the last location your phone had a connection to them. You can get directions to their last known location, where hopefully your phone can find them and then play a sound. If you lost your AirPods while they were in the case, your odds of finding them goes down significantly. You likely won't see their last location on a map, and you won't have the option to play a sound. However, there's still a chance another Apple device user finds them, opens the case and the Find My app is able to let you know they were found. It's a long shot, sure, but it's better than nothing. For those with AirPods Max, the caveats are a little different. If your AirPods Max are in their case, your iPhone can find them for up to 18 hours. If they're outside of the smart case, you'll have 72 hours to connect to them and trigger the sound. After finding your AirPods, take a few minutes to ensure that you can find your iPhone should you ever lose it. Need some AirPods tips? We've got you. Here are some general tips, a few tricks for the AirPods Pro and some for the AirPods Max.
As wireless earbuds, AirPods have great integration with all Apple products, but what if your AirPods get lost, or worse, stolen? Well, if the thief has an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, they can easily reset the product and make it their own. Unfortunately, there’s no way you can block your lost or stolen AirPods from getting used by another person. The AirPods do not connect to Wi-Fi, which means you cannot remotely control them or lock them. Of course, this statement isn’t the answer you wanted, but if you’re lucky enough, you might be able to locate your AirPods before someone does get ahold of them. You may ask why this article exists in the first place if you cannot block someone from using your AirPods. Well, it is an answer that many people want to know. Therefore, they need to realize the truth but may also think they got stolen when they are just lost. Thus, this article helps readers learn how to track their AirPods down and understand the possibility that they can be lost forever. It also explains how to prevent losing your AirPods by performing a simple process before you actually do lose them. Confirm That Your Airpods or Either Lost or StolenPerhaps the cat knocked them over behind the cabinet, but you think that someone grabbed them. Maybe the charging/storage case is missing, but it actually got left behind when you were interrupted by something else. Perhaps your AirPods did get stolen, but the person hasn’t used them yet. The possibilities are endless, and if you act fast, you may actually figure out where they went and successfully recover them. Read on for more details. Hot to Find Lost AirPodsSince all AirPods use Bluetooth technology to connect to your iPhone or other devices, they rely heavily on that device. Individually, they’re hard to locate because they don’t use a Wi-Fi connection. Regardless, don’t despair. You have a couple of options to help find those lost AirPods. Apple knows how bad it is when you lose your AirPods, so they’ve worked out a solution.
If you truly think that your AirPods got stolen, you better act fast! You may get lucky and still have the AirPods connected to your iCloud account. Otherwise, there is nothing you can do unless you misplaced them. In theory, this process sounds complicated, so let’s get to the application of this app. How to Locate Your AirPods using iCloudIf you lost your AirPods, the iCloud website method might help you find them. Follow the steps below.
Look around your house or the spot where you last remember using the AirPods. This loud noise should help you locate them. If you dropped your AirPods in different locations and only find one of them, place the located Airpod back in the case, so it doesn’t alarm, then use the same steps to look for the other one. Reasons Why the Find My iPhone App Can’t Locate Your AirPodsIf your AirPods appeared as a gray dot on the Find my iPhone app, you’ve got a problem. This status only shows their last location, i.e., the location where they last connected to your iPhone or another device. There are many reasons why the gray dot occurs.
Hopefully, this article helped you find your AirPods, or at the least, keep better track of them using the iCloud Find My iPhone web page or Find My Phone app. Unfortunately, AirPods are much harder to find than your iPhone because iPhones are always online (when switched on) and can, therefore, get tracked more easily. Finding your AirPods depends on the proximity of your iOS device. If your AirPods get stolen, you most likely won’t be able to find them. This problem is a harsh reality. If you lose only one Airpod or the case, you can at least get a replacement from Apple. You’ll need the serial number of your AirPods to relay to Apple support. These replacements cost you an additional fee, but it is less than the price of a new set. Can I block my stolen AirPods from being used?Unfortunately, you cannot block your stolen AirPods from being used, even though they’re costly and Apple usually offers excellent device protection features. You can only track and locate them, assuming that the person has not used them yet and they still link to your device. If your attempts to find them are unsuccessful, the only way to get them back is if the thief has a change of heart, or you bust them. Perhaps you can mark them in some way as a form of identification. Does AppleCare cover AirPods if stolen?No. AppleCare is more of an extended warranty than insurance. This statement means that you’ll have support if something goes wrong with your AirPods (they quit charging, there isn’t any sound, etc.), but you won’t get a replacement if they get lost or stolen. If I lose one, do I have to buy a new set?No. Fortunately, if you lose one component (the charging case or one pod), you can visit your nearest Apple Store to have the missing piece replaced at a lower cost than buying a whole new set. If you’re using Gen 1 or 2 AirPods, the charging cases are interchangeable, so if that’s the piece that’s missing, you may find another case through a friend or family member. You can also visit the Apple Website for more information on replacing lost components.
Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way. Send To SomeoneMissing DeviceCan you track AirPods if you lose them?If you've lost or misplaced your AirPods, you may be able to find them if you use the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac that you've signed in to with the same Apple ID. With AirPods Pro (2nd generation), you can also locate the charging case on the map if it has been separated from your AirPods.
How can I Find My lost AirPod?This will work whether or not you have the case, and even if you lost only one.. Open the Find My app on your iPhone.. Select the Devices tab on the bottom.. Select your AirPods.. Now tap “Play Sound.”. Your AirPods will begin chirping — follow the sounds of the chirps until you find them.. |