How to Find Your Lost AirPods: 2 Easy Ways

How to Find Your Lost AirPods in 2024: 2 Easy Ways

Losing your AirPods can be annoying, especially because they are relatively expensive and useful for day-to-day activities. Whether you lost them at home, work, or somewhere else, it’s important to know how to find your AirPods quickly.

Thankfully, Apple offers several ways to help you track them using your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or MacBook. This guide will also show you how to find lost AirPods that are offline, ensuring you always know how to locate them when needed.

Key Takeaways

Use the Find My app to locate AirPods, even if they are offline.
Use iCloud.com/find if you don’t own any iOS devices.
Enable Find My features on all paired devices for easy tracking.

How to Find Lost AirPods Using Your iOS Device

The easiest way to find your AirPods is by using your iOS devices: an iPhone, an iPad, an Apple Watch, or a Macbook. These devices are all integrated with Apple’s Find My app. This app is used to track any iOS device through a connected iCloud account.

However, it’s important to note that to locate your AirPods, you must set up the Find My app on a paired device (such as an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Macbook) before they’re lost.

How to Set Up Find My on Your iPhone or iPad

To Find My AirPods, make sure that you’ve paired your AirPods with your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth.
Open the Settings application.
Press on your name to access Apple ID settings.
In the Apple ID menu, tap Find My.
Press on Find My iPhone or Find My iPad, then turn it on.

Source: Apple

To Find My AirPods, make sure that you’ve paired your AirPods with your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth.

How to Set Up Find My on Your MacBook

Go to the Apple Menu and select System Settings.
Click on your name, then select iCloud.
Under Apps Using iCloud, select Show More Apps.
To activate, scroll down, select Find My, and then Turn On.
Check that Find My Mac and Find My Network are both turned on.

Source: Apple

How to Set Up Find My on Your Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch is paired with your iPhone, once you switch on Find My iPhone, it immediately sets up your Apple Watch. However, you should turn on the Find My Network feature to locate your watch, even if it is switched off or unplugged. It also helps you locate your AirPods.

Launch the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
Tap your name, and then scroll down to view your Apple Watch.
Tap your watch’s name, then Find My Watch.
If Find My Network is not already enabled, turn it on.

How to Add Your AirPods to Find My

Having activated Find My in the first place, here’s how to then add your AirPods to Find My:

Go to Settings > Bluetooth on your chosen device.
Connect your AirPods.
Tap the More Information button. The More Info button appears next to your device in the list (a small “i”).
Scroll down to Find My Network.
Make sure Find My Network is turned on.

Keep in mind that for most AirPods models, when the AirPods are separated, you can only see the location of one at a time. To find both, first locate the one you see on the map, return it to its case, and then reload the map to discover the other one.

If you have AirPods Pro (2nd generation), you can view the location of each AirPod and charging case on the map.

How to Find Your AirPods Using the Find My App

Open the Find My app.
Select your lost device (in this case, your AirPods) to locate it on a map.
- If you’re a member of a Family Sharing group, you can also access your family members’ devices and shared items.
Select Directions to open the location in Maps.
If you’re close, tap Play Sound.
If your iOS device supports Ultra Wideband, you may be able to use Find Nearby to see the distance and direction to your AirPods Pro (2nd generation).

Source: Apple

How to Find Lost AirPods When They Are Offline

If your AirPods are out of range or need to be charged, Find My may display their last known location, “No location found,” or “Offline”. In that case:

Use the last known location from the Find My app.
Retrace your steps from where they were last connected.
Switch on notifications on the devices you have paired with them for when they come back online.

How to Find Lost AirPods Using iCloud

If you do not have an iPhone or another Apple device to use Find My, you can use iCloud.com/find.

Access iCloud.com/find.
In iCloud.com’s Find Devices, select your AirPods from the All Devices list on the left.
If the AirPods can be found, they’ll appear on the map, allowing you to see where they are.
If the AirPods cannot be found, you will see Offline below their name. The last known location is displayed for a maximum of 24 hours.
Select “Notify me when found” to receive an email when it is available again.

How to Find Lost AirPods Nearby

If your AirPods are nearby, use the Find My app and tap Play Sound. This will make them emit a beeping noise to help you locate them.

The idea is to walk around the area where you think they’re lost while playing the sound and try to use the noise cue to find them.

However, for some AirPod models, there are additional features to help you locate them. These include AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro (all generations), or AirPods Max. If you have AirPods Pro (2nd generation), you can precisely locate each AirPod and charging case.

Launch the Find My app on an iPhone, iPad, or Macbook that you’ve previously paired with your AirPods.
Tap Devices, then AirPods, and finally Find.
Start following the on-screen instructions and moving around to find your AirPods.
If you have AirPods Pro (2nd generation), you may notice an arrow pointing toward your AirPods, an estimated distance indicating how far away they are, and a message saying if they’re located on a different floor.

How to Find Lost AirPods Without an iPhone

If you don’t own an iPhone:

You can use the Find My app on other iOS devices, such as a Macbook, Apple Watch, or iPad.
If you don’t own an iOS device, you can use the iCloud find feature, which can be accessed from a web browser on any device.

The Bottom Line

Finding lost AirPods is easy with Apple’s tools. You can learn how to find lost AirPods that are offline by using the Find My app or iCloud. Ensure to enable Find My features and follow the steps for each situation. Keep your device settings updated to prevent future losses, and quickly find your AirPods if they go missing.