Can’t remember where your AirPods are? You can easily find them with Find My AirPods. The feature is primarily intended to help you quickly locate your earbuds or headphones if you misplace them nearby, but can also be used if they’re lost or stolen.
Currently, AirPods 3rd generation, AirPods Max, AirPods Pro or later support Find My Network. This allows you to locate your AirPods when they are no longer connected to your Apple device. The feature always uses the last reported location of the headset. This way, you know in which area you should look for them. This is useful if you really lose them.
Support for the Find My Network
The Find My feature is available on AirPods Max, AirPods 3rd generation, AirPods Pro or later. The wireless headphones are linked to your Apple Account and can be found via the Find My app.
This uses the public Find My network, after which you can find them on the map in the ‘Find My’ app. In the proximity view, you have the option to find the AirPods by playing a sound. It no longer matters whether they are in the charging case or not.
Owners of AirPods Pro 2nd generation or later can use the ultra-wideband chip in the charging case to search precisely. In this case, you can request and search for the exact location using an iPhone with the U1 chip or later. Other AirPods models do not support this feature.
Turn on Find My AirPods
If your AirPods are paired with your iPhone, they will be automatically set up when Find My iPhone is enabled. The same is true for iPad and Mac, so it’s important to enable Find My for these devices. You can read how to do this in the tip below.
Show your AirPods’ last location on the map
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or via iCloud.com
- Open the ‘Devices’ tab
- All devices associated with your Apple Account will be loaded
- Find your AirPods in the list
The last recorded location is immediately shown on the map. This is the location where the AirPods were last seen, even if they are now turned off. Are the AirPods present near your iPhone, iPad or Mac? Then you will most likely see their current location and online status.
Via ‘Search’ or ‘Directions’ it is possible to navigate to the earphones or headphones. When you are nearby you can use ‘Search’ to find the AirPods using Bluetooth or ultrawideband. Follow the instructions on the screen.
Search with ultrawideband
When your AirPods Pro 2 earbuds are in the case, you can use the Find My app to use pinpoint search (via U1) to locate the storage case and/or play a sound through the case’s built-in speaker.
When your AirPods Pro 2 earbuds are out of their case, you can choose to search for the case, left earbud, or right earbud. You can also choose to play a sound on the case or the earbuds themselves. Note that precision search (via U1) is only available for the case, not for each AirPod earbud when they are out of their case. We explain how to precision search for your AirPods in the featured article below.
Play sound on AirPods
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or iCloud.com
- Navigate to the ‘Devices’ tab
- Select your AirPods from the list
- Tap/click ‘Play Sound’ (if AirPods are nearby)
The AirPods will now play a loud sound that you can hear, allowing you to search for the pods in your vicinity. AirPods Pro 2nd generation or later also have a speaker in the charging case.
Tap ‘Stop Sound’ to stop playing when you find the earphones. Note, enable this option not when you still have the AirPods in your ears!
Lost Mode for AirPods
Can’t find your AirPods? You can enable Lost Mode. To do this, go to Find My app ▸ Devices ▸ Your AirPods. Scroll down to ‘Lost Mode’ and tap ‘Turn On’.
Follow the on-screen prompts to enter a phone number where you can be reached, and optionally add a message. You can also receive a notification when an updated location for your AirPods is available in Find My. Tap Activate to turn on Lost Mode.
Once the AirPods connect to one of the millions of Apple devices, it will anonymously and securely trigger the Pods in the background and transfer the data. When someone tries to pair the AirPods to their Apple device, they will receive a notification on the screen that the Pods are lost.
Found your AirPods? You can turn off Lost Mode via Find My app ▸ Devices ▸ AirPods ▸ Activated ▸ Tap ‘Turn Off Lost Mode’.
Get a warning if you forget to bring your AirPods
It is also possible to receive an instant alert when you forget your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac or AirTag. If they are left in an unknown location, you will be immediately alerted via the Find My app with Separation Alerts.
The function is especially useful for the Apple AirTag and AirPods, as soon as it is no longer connected to your iPhone or other compatible device you will receive a notification. But this is also a welcome function for other Apple devices. In the article below we explain this option in detail.