How to find your lost AirPods

Find My AirPods

AirPods are small, expensive and easy to misplace. They're not only easy to lose, but they are easy to drop thanks to their wireless design. It is best to keep a pair of EarPods around for running or other activities where you might lose your AirPods. If you do lose an AirPod, Apple charges $69 for a replacement. This is pretty pricey when you consider AirPods already cost $159 to $199 for a new pair. The best protection against lost AirPods is not a warranty, but the Find My iPhone app. You can download the app for free on the Apple App Store.

First you'll need to enable Find My iPhone on your iOS device. Here's how:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
  2. Tap your name (iOS 10.2 or earlier, go to Settings > iCloud).
  3. Tap iCloud.
  4. Tap Find My iPhone.
  5. Tap the Find My iPhone slider so it is ON/GREEN.
Find My iPhone Settings

How to locate your lost AirPods with Find My iPhone:

With an iOS device:

  1. Open the Find My iPhone app on your device.
  2. Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
  3. Tap the AirPods you want to locate.

With your computer:

  1. Go to iCloud.com.
  2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
  3. Click Find My iPhone.
  4. Click All Devices, then click your AirPods.
Find My iPhone Computer
The status of your AirPods will be marked by a colored dot. A blue dot represents the device you're using to locate your missing AirPods. A green dot means you're AirPods are charged and online. You can now use Find My iPhone to locate your missing AirPods. A gray dot means your AirPods are not charged. You can see the last known location of your AirPods if they're out of battery.

Your AirPods will also be marked by a gray dot if you didn't turn on Find My iPhone before they went missing.

If your AirPods are charged, nearby and connected to Bluetooth, you can play a sound to help you find them. Here's how:

  1. Navigate to Actions > Play Sound.
  2. If you're looking for 1 AirPod, choose Mute Left or Mute Right.

Tap or click "Stop Playing" when you locate your AirPods. The sound will gradually get louder for two minutes until you tell them to stop.