There is no denying the fact that losing our AirPods happens to the best of us. They are tiny, super portable, and somehow always end up in the most random places.
You won’t even believe it if I tell you what weird places I have found mine at times. Sure, they get lost at times, but finding them is not that hard a task if you do it the right way.
If you have an iPhone, finding them is actually way easier than you might think.
So if you are stressing over where your AirPods disappeared to, don’t worry. I’ll walk you through exactly how to find them step-by-step, and I’ll also throw in a few steps, so you (hopefully) don’t lose them again.
What You Need Before You Can Track AirPods
Before we jump into the how-to, I would like to tell you about a few things you should have set up already:
- Your AirPods must have been paired with your iPhone and linked to your Apple ID.
- Find My iPhone must be enabled on your iPhone before you lose your AirPods.
- Your iPhone should be signed into iCloud with the same Apple ID used with your AirPods.
If all of these checks out, you are ready to locate them.
How to Find Your AirPods From An iPhone
So now let’s get into how to use your iPhone to find your missing AirPods:
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone.
- Tap the Devices tab at the bottom.
- Look for your AirPods in the list and tap on them.
- You will see their current or last known location on a map.
- If they are nearby, tap Play Sound to make them emit a beeping noise that gets louder.
What If Your AirPods are Offline or out of range?
If your AirPods are showing as “offline”, it usually means:
- They are out of the Bluetooth range.
- The battery is dead.
- They are in the charging case and closed (for older models).
Here is what you can still do:
- You can view the last known location where they were connected.
- Tap Notify When Found to receive an alert when they reconnect to any Apple device nearby using the Find My network (available on newer models).
Can Someone Else Track or Use Your AirPods?
Even if someone finds your AirPods and connects them to their phone, they are still linked to your Apple ID.
- If you have the AirPods Pro 2nd gen or anything newer, they have Activation Lock, which means no one else can fully use your AirPods unless they first remove your Apple ID. So they are basically useless to anyone else, unless you let them go.
- Now, older AirPods don’t have that same protection. So, if someone resets and repairs the device, you might lose the ability to track it through Find My.
What To Do If You Still Can’t Find Them
If your AirPods don’t show up in Find My or you believe they were stolen, then:
- Try resetting network settings and checking Find My again.
- If nothing changes and your AirPods still don’t show up, it might be time to reach out to Apple support.
- They can check whether your AirPods are still linked to your Apple ID, verify your last known location, and guide you through any other steps available based on your device and warranty status.
- Apple can also let you know if the AirPods were ever connected to another device, or if there is any indication that they have been marked as lost or found by someone else.
Tips To Prevent Losing Your AirPods Again
Okay, so let me share some tips with you to prevent losing your AirPods again:
- Always make sure that Find My is turned on for your iPhone, as that is the foundation for tracking anything.
- Also, go into your Bluetooth settings, tap the information icon ‘i’ next to AirPods, and make sure Find My Network is enabled. That lets them be tracked even when they are offline.
- Keep your AirPods charged and updated to the latest firmware, so all the tracking features work properly.
- If you want to go the extra mile, you could engrave your case or use an AirTag with them, just to make them easier to spot or return if somebody finds them.
Wrap Up
So in the end, I will just see that losing your AirPods is the modern-day heartbreak. Thanks to the Find My app, tracking them can actually be pretty painless.
Just remember: it all works best if you have set up before they disappear.
Because once they vanish, how prepared you were makes all the difference between “Got ‘em!” and “Guess I am using wired earbuds again.”
