Written by
Anna Yuan
Apple AirPods make it more convenient for people to enjoy podcasts, music, and videos. But like your other small wireless devices, they're prone to be misplaced or missing. Luckily, you can use Apple's Find My app to locate and find your lost AirPods at ease.
In this post, we conclude a few effective methods to get your lost AirPods back according to the various missing scenarios, including how to find lost but online AirPods, how to find a lost AirPod Pro, and how to find lost AirPods that are offline. Besides, it tells how to prevent losing your AirPods.
How to find lost AirPods using the Find My apps
If you lost your AirPods while they're out of the charging case and they still have power and are in Bluetooth range, you can use the Play Sound function or Directions option in Find My app to easily get them back.
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone.
- Switch to the Devices tab, and tap on your AirPods Pro or Max from the list of the devices using your Apple ID.
- Click on the Play Sound option so you could hear where your AirPods are or select the Directions option so you could navigate your way to your AirPods.
Of course, this is the most useful method if you've lost the Airpods somewhere in your own house, but could also come in handy in a public place like a grocery store or your office.
How to find one lost AirPod Pro
No matter you're using AirPods 1, AirPods 2, or AirPods 3, losing one earbud is quite common and it can be very annoying. Fortunately, Apple makes it simple to find one lost Airpod with the help of the Find My app. Here's how to do it:
- Navigate to the Find My app on your iPhone, go to the Devices tab, and select your Airpods.
- Use either the Play Sound or the Directions function to find one of the earbuds.
- Once you find the first lost AirPod, put it back in the case. Refresh the map, and it should show a new location for the second AirPod. If the map fails to refresh right away, simply restart the app.
- When the other Apple earbud's location shows up, use the Play Sound or Directions feature again to find it.
The process to find a lost AirPod is almost the same as looking for any Apple device with the app, The only difference is that you have to treat each AirPod as one device.
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How to find lost AirPods that are offline
The above-mentioned methods to find lost AirPods only work when the Apple Airpods are online. If your AirPods go offline because they are left inside a closed charging case or they have no remaining battery life, real-time tracking in Find My will be lost.
You can't play a sound to find them, but you will be informed of their location where they were last connected. The location may not be accurate, especially if someone picked your AirPods Pro or Max up or if they're left in a moving vehicle. Under this situation, try to use Lost Mode on iOS 15 to find them.
Note: The Lost Mode feature is exclusive to AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.
How to enable Lost Mode for your AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max?
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Find My app.
- Go to the Devices tab, and choose your AirPods.
- Scroll down and select Activate under Mark as Lost to enable Lost Mode.
- Click Continue and follow the onscreen steps to leave your contact information to anyone who finds the lost AirPods. It will appear automatically on their iOS device once they connect to your AirPods.
- Finally, select Activate again to finalize.
Source from: Apple.com
How to find lost AirPods case
Up to now, the Find My app has no way to find the lost AirPods case, just the AirPods themselves. This is because, while the AirPods have Apple's custom H1 chips, the charging case only has standard chips from its respective suppliers.
It means your AirPods case doesn't have the advanced technology AirPods have that lets the Find My app track them. In this case, your best option is to find your AirPods serial number and contact Apple support to get a replacement.
How to avoid losing AirPods
To avoid losing your AirPods again, you can set an alert if you leave your AirPods behind. This function can only work on AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max and you need to use an iPhone 12 or later to set it. Here's how to do it:
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone.
- Go to the Devices tab, and choose your AirPods.
- Under Notifications, tap Notify When Left Behind.
- Switch on Notify When Left Behind.
Source from: Apple.com
