These little headphones are very easy to miss.
Sarah Tew / CNET
No matter which pair of AirPods you have – a second generation device, the AirPods Pro or the AirPods Max, the headphones can be lost, lost or even carried by the family pet. Small headphones, in particular, can fall between sofa cushions, fly under furniture, or slip into a pocket.
I am grateful for the Apple Find My application that is integrated with each Iphone, iPad and Mac. I usually use it to play a sound to locate my iPhone at my home, but occasionally use the same tool to find a lost or lost AirPod headset.
It is not immediately obvious that you can just use the Find My app to track more than just your phone or tablet, but it is possible and – in the right circumstances – useful.
Below, I’ll show you how to use the Find My app to find a missing AirPod.
It takes just a few taps to locate your AirPods, with a few caveats.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani / CNET
Make sure Find Mine is set up
Before using the Find My app to find anything you’ve missed, make sure it’s set up. Check again that Find My is enabled by opening the Definitions application, tap your name at the top of the screen and select Find mine. Then tap Find my iphone and move the switch to the On position. As long as Find My is enabled, your Apple Watch and AirPods will be automatically added to the app. You cannot activate and use Find My for your AirPods after losing them, so do this step now. I will wait.
Done? OK good.
How to find your lost AirPods, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max
After realizing that your AirPod is nowhere to be found, take a deep breath, pick up your iPhone and open Find My application. Touch Devices tab, locate and select your AirPods from the list. Alternatively, you can use your computer to visit iCloud.com/find to help find your lost devices.
If your AirPods are within Bluetooth range of your iPhone, you will see your current location on a map and have the option to play a sound through one or both headphones. Touch Play music and start to hear if there is a high-pitched sound in each headset. If an AirPod is in the charging case, it will not play any sound.
The sound will gradually become louder as it plays for two minutes. If you can hear but cannot find it before the sound stops, tap Play music again.
You can switch which AirPod the sound is playing on by touching the me or R button in the Find My app. When you find the two AirPods, tap Stop.
Find My is exactly what you need to use to find missing devices.
Jason Cipriani / CNET
There are some situations in which Find My does not work
Finding a lost AirPod is easy, as long as it’s out of the case, still loaded and close enough to your iPhone. In a situation where AirPods are not within range of your phone to trigger a sound, you should still see the last location where your phone had a connection to them. You can get directions to the last known location, where we hope your phone can find them and then play a sound.
If you lost your AirPods while they were in the case, your chances of finding them are significantly reduced. You probably won’t see their last location on the map and you won’t have the option to play a sound. However, there is still a chance that another user of the Apple device will find them, open the case and the Find My app will be able to inform you that they have been found.
It’s a long shot, of course, but it’s better than nothing.
For those with AirPods Max, the warnings are slightly different. If your AirPods Max is in the case, your iPhone can find them for up to 18 hours. If they are outside the smart case, you will have 72 hours to connect to them and turn on the sound.
Once you’ve found your AirPods, take a few minutes to make sure you can find your iPhone if you lose it. Need some tips on AirPods? We have you. Here they are some general tips, some tricks for the AirPods Pro and some for the AirPods Max.