While browsing the internet, I often see posts about lost AirPods. Due to their small size and frequent daily use, losing AirPods is quite common. This can happen during our commute, while exercising, or after taking them out of a coffee shop and forgetting to take them with us, among other scenarios. Often, our first reaction upon discovering our AirPods are panic and helplessness. Today, let aulumu teach you in one article how to find your AirPods, or how to determine if they can still be found in time.
First, confirm which part of your AirPods is missing.
There are many reasons why AirPods might be lost, and we first need to determine which part we have lost.
- The first scenario is that only one earphone is lost. Losing only one earphone is the easiest situation to find. We can display one earphone separately in the "Find" app, or play sound through a single earphone. Some earphone models can even support precise location. As long as your earphone is in good condition, it can update its location to help you find it faster.
- The second scenario is that both earphones are lost. If both earphones are lost, the map may show different locations for each earphone. We can play a sound to locate them. However, using precise location may be unstable, depending on whether your two earphones are in the same location. If the two earphones are in different locations, the location will become more scattered.
- The third scenario is that the earbuds and charging case are lost together. This can be divided into two types: If the earbuds are lost in the charging case, it greatly increases the difficulty of finding them. We can often only see the last location where the earbuds were lost. In most cases, the Bluetooth connection will be lost when the earbuds are in the charging case, making it difficult to play sound. The earbud signal will be blocked by the charging case, and precise searching will only be effective for models that support the newest charging case. If the earbuds and charging case are lost separately, then the search can only be based on whether the earbuds have power and whether the earbud case model supports location tracking, which greatly increases the difficulty of finding them.
- Fourthly, the earphone case is lost, but the earphones are still there. In this case, you can only check if the earphones support precise location tracking. If they don't, it's basically impossible to get them back.
Before you begin your search, make sure your AirPods meet the following conditions.
- Are your AirPods linked to the same Apple ID as your Find My Device? If not, you will not be able to complete any of the following operations.
- Are your AirPods enabled and added to Find Me network? They will automatically join Find Me when you first pair your AirPods; you don't need to manually enable it. Of course, this assumes that Find Me is enabled on your iPhone and iCloud is not disabled.
- Check if your AirPods had power before they were lost. If so, you can locate them in real time and play sounds for a more precise search. If they were out of power, you can only see the last location where your AirPods were online, and you won't be able to play sounds or update their location.
- Please check if your AirPods support the Find My Network feature. The capabilities vary between models; newer models can find networks, and some can even pinpoint the exact location. Older models can only see the last connected network, and their find capabilities are quite limited.
- Whether the AirPods charging case can be located depends on the model and type, so there is a big difference between locating the earbuds if they are inside the case and not.
- Whether there are Apple devices nearby depends on the situation. AirPods themselves are not connected to the internet. Their network relies on nearby Apple devices to anonymously upload their location. If the location where they are lost is remote, the probability of finding them is very small.
- Your AirPods have not been re-paired with someone else or reset. If they have been reset or paired, then they are very likely unrecoverable.
Use the Find My app to locate your AirPods.
Once you've confirmed that all the above conditions are met, you can start using the Find My app to locate your AirPods.
- First, open the [Find] app;
- The second step is to click on the [Device] button at the bottom;
- Third, find your AirPods in the list;
- Fourth, go to the details page, where you can see the map location of your AirPods, connection status, and available operations.
There are three possible map locations. If your AirPods are charged and an Apple device is nearby, it will display their current location, allowing you to proceed to the next step: use the precise location feature or play a sound to confirm the exact location (if these features are available). If your AirPods are offline, out of power, or there are no Apple devices nearby, it will display their last location. If your AirPods are not linked to an Apple ID, have been reset, or are not on a Find My Network, it will display "No location found." The map information will guide your next steps. You can choose to locate your AirPods using the location feature or use the next option: play a sound. This feature is more effective if you are indoors and the location where you lost them is not far away. Each AirPod will play a sound, with the volume gradually increasing. This feature will not work if your AirPods are in the charging case, out of power, or too far away.
If your AirPods support Precise Find, have power, are relatively close to you, and your iPhone supports the U1 chip, then you can use the Precise Find feature. The steps are the same, but with an extra step: tap "Find Nearby." Follow the arrow to gradually shorten the distance; a vibration will alert you when you're close enough. However, note that Precise Find is not GPS and cannot track over long distances; it only works at close range, and your AirPods must be charged. The following two models support Precise Find: AirPods Pro 2 and 3.
Why can't I find your headphones?
Of course, you won't always be able to find your lost AirPods. If you can't find your AirPods, it could be due to the following reasons:
- Your AirPods are out of power or have been offline for too long. As mentioned earlier, finding them requires that the AirPods still have power and can display their location on the Find My app; otherwise, it might only show their last known location and not be updated to reflect the latest location.
- Your AirPods have been reset or re-paired. Once your AirPods have been reset or re-paired, you will no longer be able to locate them using the Find My app.
- AirPods may be located in enclosed spaces or areas with poor signal. One major reason why AirPods can be located using the Find My app is because other Apple devices can provide a signal. However, if your AirPods are in an area with poor signal, it is very likely that the Find My app will not be able to locate your AirPods.
What can I do if I really can't find my earphones?
If you are unable to find your AirPods, you can mark them as lost. Please note that marking them as lost increases the chances of finding them and reduces the possibility of them being used or re-paired by someone else; it does not completely lock your AirPods. You can mark your AirPods as lost in the Find My AirPods app. After marking them as lost, the location updates for your AirPods will still be effective, and it will not affect your continued use of the Find My app. When someone tries to pair your AirPods, it will show that your AirPods have been marked as lost, alerting the finder that the device belongs to someone else and reducing the likelihood of your AirPods being resold. 
These are the methods for finding your AirPods. I hope they can help you, and I also hope that you won't lose your AirPods. To prevent loss, you can try buying a protective case for your AirPods to reduce the possibility of loss.
