How to Find Your Lost AirPods in Every Possible Scenario

There’s nothing worse than losing your AirPods. Not only are they expensive (you could have gotten a nice dinner with that money), but if you lose them, it can be hard to find them again, especially if you don’t know where you left them the first time. As AirPods become more and more common in the world, we decided to take a closer look at how to find your lost AirPods in every possible scenario, from your bedroom to under your car seat and beyond.

Use the Apple Find My App

So, you’ve lost your AirPods. Here’s how to find them. Find My iPhone can help, but it’s better if you have your AirPod case and Bluetooth LE enabled on both devices. The quickest way is by logging into the iCloud website from any device and enabling Find My iPhone for either the Mac or iPad that you had with you when they were lost.

Purchase a Bluetooth Finder

A Bluetooth Finder is a small device you can attach to your keychain or wear around your neck that uses sound and light to find any lost item.

Place the Finder 2-3 feet away from the item you want to find and hit the power button on top of the Finder. The Finder will start beeping, flashing, and emitting an audible tone. Walk slowly towards the Finder until it stops beeping, flashing, and making noise; then you know that object is in between you and the finder. If you don’t find what you’re looking for within 30 seconds of hitting the power button, press it again so it resets itself back to its original state before beginning a new search for your lost Airpods!

Give it Time

If you are feeling like your earbuds aren’t where they should be, chances are that you will find them before the battery runs out. Simply give it time! After one day, your chances of finding the missing items increases by 50%. If you have misplaced your earbuds for a week or more, don’t hesitate to ask other people if they’ve seen them. You might not find them immediately, but odds are someone else has found and picked up your Airpods and doesn’t know what they’re worth.

Reconsider the Lost and Found Box

It’s difficult not knowing where your AirPods are. But, the good news is that Apple has integrated a track-my-lost-AirPod mode that is available on the Find My iPhone app. Simply update the app and log into iCloud. Once logged in, open Find My iPhone app and select Find my AirPods. This will locate any lost and found Airpods by sending them an audible sound when close enough.

Contact Apple Care

It’s a nightmare scenario, but it happens. You accidentally left your AirPods on the airplane or at work. When you realize your mistake, don’t panic and stay calm: there are a few steps you can take to try and recover them that have a chance of working! You can contact Apple Care (1-800-MY-APPLE) for assistance 24 hours a day. They’ll walk you through a list of options they might be able to help with. If they can’t find your lost AirPods, they may be able to send replacements right away so you can continue using them while yours are being looked for.

Check with Family, Friends, and Coworkers

Reach out to family, friends, and coworkers first. If you can’t find your AirPods at home or work, ask around! Let the world know that you lost them with a Facebook status update or post asking if anyone has seen them. You can also use Find My iPhone on your iCloud account or Apple Find My iPhone app (available for free) to remotely set off an alarm on your phone so it should be easier for someone nearby who might have found them to contact you.

Contact Local Retailers

If you’re thinking about paying the $40 fee for Apple’s Find My iPhone app, you may be able to find your lost AirPods by going through a retailer. When I got my new headphones, I mentioned that my old ones had disappeared and the sales rep at Radio Shack hooked me up with a free warranty that included an alert if they ever left the state. This way, if I ever lose them again, they will know not only where they are located but also who they belong to.

Ask In-Home Guests if They Are Borrowing Your AirPods

Airpods are great because they have a handy find my AirPods button, which will cause them to play a sound so you can locate them. If someone is borrowing you’re Airpods, and you know where they were last, be sure to ask that person for their location. If your question goes unanswered or the answer you receive doesn’t seem like the answer should make sense, then it might not be the case that the person is borrowing your airpods.

Search for Them Online

Google Maps is a good place to start. If your AirPods are paired with your phone, you can use this app to find the last place you had it, and then use Apple Maps for better accuracy. A recent update on iOS also made it possible for people using this app on the iPhone or iPad, running iOS 12 or later, to see a map of their surrounding area and get directions for reaching their lost phone from any location where they might be.

Conclusion

Don’t let these lost AirPod woes get you down. They can be found with the right tools, skills, and determination. If you still can’t find them, don’t panic! We have a solution for that too. Try changing your settings on iCloud or the Find My iPhone app. For instructions on how to do this, check out our other blog post on how to find your lost devices.