4 Effective Ways to Recover Them

4 Effective Ways to Recover Them

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  • Use the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to see your AirPods on a map.
  • You can also go online on iCloud to track your AirPods if you don’t have your device.
  • If the AirPods are nearby, play a sound to help you find them faster.

This article explains four different ways to find lost AirPods. Instructions apply to both AirPods and AirPods Pro and iOS devices with iOS 10.3 and higher.

How to Find Lost AirPods on iOS and iPadOS Devices

Here’s how to find lost AirPods using your iPhone or another iOS or iPadOS device with Find My enabled.

The Find My feature must be enabled on your iOS or iPadOS device before losing your AirPods. You can’t activate it after losing a device.

  1. Open the Find My app on your iOS device and tap Devices.

  2. Scroll through your list of devices and tap your AirPods.

  3. You’ll see your AirPods plotted on a map in their current location or last known location. Tap Directions to get Apple Maps driving directions to their location.

    If the lost AirPods can’t be found, you’ll see No Location Found (more on this below).

    If your AirPods aren’t together, the map will display one at a time. Locate the AirPod shown on the map, place it back in the case, then refresh the map. It will then display the other AirPod to help you find it.

How to Find Lost AirPods Using iCloud

Don’t have an iOS device handy? You can locate your lost AirPods from a computer using iCloud. Follow these steps:

  1. Go to iCloud and sign in with your Apple ID/Apple Account.

    In some versions of iOS, this option is called “Apple ID.”

  2. Tap Find iPhone.

  3. Choose All Devices. (You may be required to sign in again.)

  4. Choose your AirPods.

  5. You’ll see the current, or last known, location of your AirPods plotted on a map.

How to Find Your AirPods on a Mac

You can also use the Find My application installed on your Mac to find your AirPods.

  1. Launch Find My on your Mac via a Spotlight search.

    You can also bring up Find My by searching your Applications folder or by clicking the Launchpad icon in your Dock.

  2. Select Devices.

  3. Click your AirPods. You’ll see their location on a map.

How to Make Lost AirPods Play a Sound

If your lost AirPods are near any of your Apple devices and connected to Bluetooth, you can play a sound to help find them. Here’s how:

  1. In either the Find My app (on iOS and iPadOS devices or on a Mac) or in the Find iPhone section of iCloud, choose your AirPods.

  2. On iOS, tap Devices > your AirPods > Play Sound.

  3. On iCloud, select All Devices > your AirPods > Play Sound.

  4. In the Find My app on a Mac, tap your AirPods on the map and then choose Play Sound.

  5. A sound will play from them to help you locate them if they’re nearby. You can choose to play the sound on either the Left or Right AirPod. Tap Stop to end the sound.

What to Do if You Can’t Locate Lost AirPods

There are a few reasons why you’ll get a “No Location Found” message when you’re trying to find your lost AirPods.

  • You didn’t turn on Find My: You won’t be able to locate them if you didn’t turn this feature on before your AirPods went missing.
  • Your AirPods aren’t charged: The location tools won’t be able to locate your AirPods until they’re recharged. And if they’re out of range of your iOS device, they won’t appear.

If you see the “No Location Found” message, you can’t play a sound to find your AirPods, but you might be able to get directions to the location where they were last connected.

Unfortunately, if these steps don’t work, you might need to consider purchasing new AirPods. If you’ve only lost one, you can buy a replacement from Apple and then connect the replacement AirPod.

FAQ

  • How do I find my AirPods case?

    If your AirPods aren’t in your case, there’s no precise way to find the case. However, you can do some sleuthing, however. Go to Find My > Devices and find your AirPods. Look for a green or grey light by the AirPods. Green means the case is near, while grey means it isn’t.

  • Can I find my AirPods if they’re in their case?

    If you have AirPods Max, you’ll be able to see them in Find My for up to 24 hours after they last connected to your phone.

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