Apple has a "Find my iPhone" feature for lost iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more, but there's also a "Find my AirPods" feature that can be useful if you happen to misplace your AirPods.

Find My AirPods has its limitations because it's not able to work when the AirPods aren't connected to an iOS device via Bluetooth, but the feature can help you locate AirPods lost nearby and it gives clues as to where your AirPods might be found if they're lost out of the range of the iPhone.

It's worth noting that Find My AirPods only works for the AirPods themselves -- it can't locate a lost AirPods Case, nor does it work when the AirPods are disconnected from the iPhone and stored in the case.

How to Use Find My AirPods

Find My AirPods is located within the "Find My" app on iOS devices and iCloud.com. If the AirPods are out of the case and connected to the iPhone, they'll show up on the Find My map just like an iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, or Mac.

find my screenshots
If your AirPods are in the case or not currently connected, the last known location will be displayed. If your AirPods haven't been in use at all recently, they'll be listed as "offline."

How to Find AirPods Lost Nearby

Your AirPods are most likely to be misplaced or lost when you set them down momentarily because there are no cords to keep them together or to make them easier to find. Find My AirPods is mostly designed to locate an AirPod that's nearby by playing a sound.

find my AirPods

  1. Open "Find My" on an iOS device or iCloud.com.
  2. Tap the AirPods in the list.
  3. Tap "Actions."
  4. Tap "Play Sound."

A soft chirping sound will start playing after you initiate the "Play Sound" command, which will gradually get louder and louder with each chirp to make the AirPods easier to locate.

If just the left or just the right AirPod is missing, you can also mute the sound coming from the left or the right. To stop the sound once the AirPods are located, you'll need to tap "Stop Playing." Putting the AirPods back in the case will also turn the sound off after a few seconds.

How to Find AirPods Lost Far Away

If your AirPods aren't connected to your iPhone, their exact location is not relayed to Find My. In this situation, the last known location of the AirPods when they were connected to an iPhone is displayed.

So, for example, if you use them while at the airport and then leave them behind, their location when they were last connected to your iPhone over Bluetooth will be displayed, even if the AirPods are moved somewhere else.

airpodslastknownlocation

When the AirPods aren't connected to the iPhone, the last online location is displayed. It is not up to date.

For this reason, using Find My AirPods to locate an AirPod that's been left behind isn't going to be particularly accurate, but it will give you a general idea of where they were lost so you can go back to the location.

When attempting to locate an AirPod this way, tap the little car icon and it will give you Apple Maps directions to the last known location.

Limitations with Find My AirPods

Your AirPods will not play a sound while they're in the case, so if you lose the AirPods and the AirPods Case somewhere in the house, you're out of luck.

There's also no way to track the AirPods case because a Bluetooth connection is needed for Find My AirPods, so there is no option for locating a lost case.

Replacing a lost AirPod or AirPods Case

Apple offers AirPods replacements if one is lost and can't be located. It costs $69 to replace a single AirPod or to replace the AirPods Charging Case.

Want new AirPods or AirPods Pro?

Check our constantly updated guide for best deals on AirPods.

Related Forum: iOS 10

Top Rated Comments

ErikGrim Avatar
87 months ago
The limitations makes this feature nearly useless. The buds are always in the case when not in my ears.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
75 months ago
Find My AirPods is completely useless for the most common scenario: you can’t find where you put your AirPods.

Most people can learn to be careful and always put their AirPods in the case when not in their ears. But setting down the case somewhere in the house, good luck if you can’t remember where you last put them.

This is such an easily fixable problem. Have the AirPods case ping the iPhone once an hour or half hour. If it detects that it’s been asked to play a sound, it’ll take you an hour at worst to find where you put your AirPods. Without this, you’re on your own and have to find them manually, and they’ll play the damn sound after you already found them.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
profets Avatar
87 months ago
Note to self: never tap the play sound if the AirPod is in the ear.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
err404 Avatar
87 months ago
Okay, just tested this by placing my fingers over the prox sensors on one pod, and FmiPhone gave a warning before playing the sound (see attached screenshot).
They also start the alarm quiet and ramp up the volume. You have a bit of time to remove them before they reach peek volumes.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djlythium Avatar
87 months ago
Lol. I didn't have them in My ears, but was curious about the sound. So while they were playing the alert I put one close to my ear and it was blistering.

I imagine that if they're in the ear that the app won't let you trigger the alert. I hope so anyway.
Okay, just tested this by placing my fingers over the prox sensors on one pod, and FmiPhone gave a warning before playing the sound (see attached screenshot).

Attachment Image
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
88 months ago
It didn't find any online on Apple's website. Program is broken.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....