How to find lost or stolen AirPods

Find lost AirPods

Last update: November 15, 2024

There are several ways to find lost AirPods, first and second generation AirPods Pro as well as AirPods Max use Apple's shoppingmode location technology, AirPods do not have a GPS receiver or internet connection by themselves, instead they are communicate with shoppingmode Apple brand devices such as shoppingmode iPhone, shoppingmode iPad or Mac that are nearby to send their location over the internet.

This means that it is possible that if the AirPods Pro or AirPods Max are in a place where there is no device or no Apple device passes nearby, it is very difficult or impossible to locate.

In the case of first, second or third generation AirPods, if at the time you lost your AirPods, whatever the model, you were carrying your iPhone shoppingmode, iPad shoppingmode or Mac, the place where they were last located will be marked and you will be able to find them by beeping as soon as they come within Bluetooth range.

It should also be borne in mind that to find AirPods with Apple's shoppingmode Find service, they should have been included in the "Find Network" before the loss.

To turn on the Find My network for AirPods Pro or AirPods Max:

- From your iPhone, iPad or Mac shopping mode go to Settings and then tap on Bluetooth.

- Press the "More information" button next to your device in the list.

- Scroll down to the Search network.

- Check that the Search network is activated.

Estimated time: 5 minutes.

Step 1:

You can use the iPhone, iPad or Mac app called “Find My”, you can find it on the home screen or using the device search engine.

You can also access the website https://www.icloud.com/find/ from a computer, tablet or from another Apple or Android mobile device and enter your username and password.

Step 2:

If you're searching from a web browser, you'll need to sign in with your iCloud account. If you have forgotten your password, you can request a password change from the link that appears under the login form.

Step 3:

If you have several Apple devices, you can see the location of all the ones that have the "Search" service activated. Click on "All devices", a list of your Apple devices will be displayed, among which you can find your AirPods, click on the image and the name of the device to see where it is located.

Step 4:

A map will appear indicating the point where your AirPods are if there is an Apple device connected to the internet nearby, otherwise the location of the last time a connected device was nearby or the location of the last connection via Bluetooth to a paired device.

Step 5:

Once here you will be able to carry out various actions, such as ringing the device at maximum volume, searching for it using an iPhone, iPad or Mac and marking it as lost.

Step 6:

To search for AirPods using iPhone, iPad or Mac, tap on "Directions". You should bear in mind that in some old models the AirPods can only be located if they are outside their box, in the case of the second generation AirPods Pro it is possible to locate them if they are inside the box.

Step 7:

Once you have found the signal from the AirPods, some indications of far, near or here will appear indicating the proximity of the AirPods, move to get closer to the headphones until you see the text "here".

Step 8:

You can use the play sound function to find out which way the AirPods are facing or if they are hidden or under other objects, it is important that the AirPods are not put in your ears at this time as a very loud sound will be produced which can harm them.

Step 9:

If you cannot find the headphones and you think they have been stolen or lost in an unknown place, you can mark them as lost, when someone finds these AirPods and tries to pair them with a device, the message will appear indicating that these AirPods have been marked as lost and that they must be returned to their owner, also when linked to a device their location will be saved and you will be able to locate them.

Step 10:

If you still have not been able to find them or want to unlink the AirPods from your iCloud account, click on "Remove this device". You will no longer be able to search for them when they are disconnected from your account.