Crap! You’ve lost your AirPods! Where could you have left them? Or even worse, what if they’ve ::GASP!:: been stolen? Fear not music lover, you may be able to locate them by using the “Find My iPhone” app.
How to Find Your AirPods Using ‘Find My iPhone’
As of iOS 10.3 and later, Find My iPhone can help you locate your AirPods. If you already have Find My iPhone setup on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch you’re using your wireless earbuds with, it was automatically enabled for your AirPods too!
So if your AirPods are lost, out of their case, and somewhere close by, you can use Find My iPhone to find them again. If your AirPods are out of range of all of your devices, need to charge, or are in the AirPod Case, Find My iPhone can still help by showing the time and location where they were last connected.
How to View Your AirPods Last Location
Open the “Find My iPhone” app on your iOS device, or sign in at iCloud.com and click the “Find iPhone” icon. You’ll see the current location of all of the devices you’ve signed into using your Apple ID, and your AirPods if they’re connected. If they are not currently connected, you’ll see the last time and place they were connected.
On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:
- Open the Find My iPhone app.
- Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
- Tap your AirPods.
On your computer:
- Go to iCloud.com.
- Sign in with your Apple ID.
- Open Find iPhone.
- Click All Devices, then click your AirPods.
Next to your devices, you’ll see one of three colored dots that will tell you your device’s status at a glance.
- A blue dot shows the device that you’re using to look for your missing earbuds.
- A green dot lets you know that your AirPods are online. That means you can play a sound or get directions to their location.
- A gray dot means your AirPods are off, out of battery, in their case, or out of range. You might see the last known location.
If your earbuds have separated from each other like socks in a dryer, you’ll only see the location of one of them at a time. Find the AirPod that you see on the map and put it in its case. Then refresh the map to find the other one.
Play a Sound
If your AirPods are near you, and are connected to a device via Bluetooth, you can play a sound to help you find them. The AirPods will play a chirping tone for two minutes, getting gradually louder for two minutes, or until you tell them to stop. (If you’re over 40 like me, you probably won’t hear it clearly until sometime into minute two.)
Here’s how to play the sound:
- Go to “Actions” -> “Play Sound.”
- If your AirPods are separated, choose “Mute Left” or “Mute Right” to find one at a time.
- When you find your AirPods, tap or click “Stop Playing.”
Note: If you decide to try this out to see how it works, be sure to remove the AirPods form your ears before playing the sound.
What to Do if Your AirPods are Offline
Unfortunately, if you didn’t have “Find My iPhone” turned on before your AirPods went missing, you can’t use it to locate your favorite wireless earbuds.
If you see a gray dot next to your AirPods on the Find My iPhone map, you won’t be able to play a sound to help find them, but you can get directions to the last location where they were connected. If the AirPods come back online, you’ll receive a notification on the iOS device you use them with.
For more tips and tricks that can help you make better use of your Mac, iOS device, Apple Watch, or Apple TV, be sure to visit the “How To” section of our website.
