If you own a pair of AirPods, you’ve probably wondered where they are more than once. Here’s a survival guide to finding your lost AirPods.
As long as technology has enabled us to use devices wirelessly, we’ve been reliably losing our stuff. Never has this been truer than with Apple’s AirPods. In fact, according to the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority, between September and December 2019, more than half of the items dropped through the city’s subway grates were AirPods.
Fortunately, Apple makes finding your AirPods less of a headache with the Find My app. Designed for iOS devices, the Find My app is unfortunately incompatible with Android devices. That said, we have a solution for Android users below.
What is the Find My App?
Early in the first iPhone’s life, Apple created the ‘Find My iPhone’ and ‘Find My Mac’ services in 2010. As the company’s products diversified, Apple realized the need to increase the location-tracking capabilities of its devices, leading to the birth of the all-inclusive Find My app in 2019. With this app, you can locate your missing device on a map or play a sound to help you find it.
Before using the Find My app to track a device, you must first link the device to the app. As long as you’ve activated your iCloud account on the device paired to your AirPods, such as your iPhone, the Find My app will automatically detect them.
How do I use the Find My app to find my lost AirPods?
If you don’t see the Find My app right away, you can search for it in your app list.
- Open the Find My app and tap the Devices tab.
- Tap on your AirPods from the device list, or click their image on the map.
- Tap Directions for help mapping your way directly to your AirPods’ last known location.
- Click on the Play Sound option if you’re close by but can’t find them. Be warned: this is a very loud, piercing sound!
If you’ve lost your AirPods in more than one location, the map will only show one at a time, appearing as though they were lost together. To find the second AirPod, locate the first one, put it back in its case, and then tap the device list again to update the map for the second AirPod.
How do I find my AirPods without an iPhone?
AirPods are mostly compatible with Android phones and other non-Apple Bluetooth devices. However, the Find My app is exclusive to iOS devices. If you use an Android phone or don’t have your iPhone handy, don’t despair. You can still find your lost AirPods using the iCloud website or a third-party app.