Use the Find My app to locate your AirPods
The Find My app on your iPhone shows you where your AirPods are on a map, whether they are in your home, at work, or somewhere else entirely. The app works because your AirPods stay connected to your Apple account even when they are out of Bluetooth range — as long as they have battery. Open Find My, tap the Devices tab at the bottom, select your AirPods from the list, and you will see their location on a map.
If your AirPods are nearby but you cannot see them, tap Play Sound. Your AirPods will emit a loud beeping noise for two minutes, which makes them much easier to spot under a couch cushion or inside a bag. The sound gets louder over time, so wait a few seconds before searching.
Find My works on any iPhone, iPad, or Mac that is signed into the same Apple account as your AirPods. You do not need to be the person holding the AirPods — if a family member has them, you can still see their location if they are part of your Family Sharing group.
Key Takeaways
- Open Find My, tap Devices, select your AirPods, and their location appears on a map.
- Tap Play Sound to make your AirPods beep loudly for two minutes if they are nearby but hidden.
- Find My requires your AirPods to have battery and to be connected to your Apple account.
- If Find My shows your AirPods offline, they are out of battery or have not connected to any Apple device recently.
- You can see the location of family members' AirPods if they are part of your Family Sharing group.
What to do if Find My shows your AirPods offline
When Find My displays your AirPods as offline, it means they have not connected to any Apple device — yours or anyone else's — in the last few hours. This usually happens because the battery is dead. Put your AirPods in their charging case and plug the case into power. Once they charge for 15 to 30 minutes, they will reconnect to your account and Find My will show their location again.
If your AirPods were offline for days or weeks, the last location Find My shows you may be old. The app displays the last place your AirPods connected to any Apple device, not their current location. This is still useful — it tells you the last place they were seen, which narrows down where to search.
Finding AirPods that are out of Bluetooth range
Find My can locate your AirPods even when they are too far away to connect via Bluetooth. This works through a network called Bluetooth Low Energy, which lets your AirPods send location data to nearby iPhones and iPads. Those devices then relay the location back to Apple's servers, and you see it in Find My. You do not need to own those other devices — they are strangers' phones that happen to pass by.
This network only works if your AirPods are powered on and have at least some battery. If they are completely dead, they cannot send location data, and Find My will show them offline. The location update may be several hours old, depending on how recently another Apple device passed near them.
Checking if Find My is turned on for your AirPods
Find My is usually on by default when you first set up your AirPods, but you can verify it is active. Open Settings on your iPhone, tap your name at the top, then tap Find My. Tap Find My iPhone and make sure the toggle next to it is green. Then go back and tap Find My (AirPods) — if you see your AirPods listed there, the feature is on.
If your AirPods do not appear in the Find My list at all, they may not be connected to your Apple account. Open Settings, go to Bluetooth, and look for your AirPods in the list of connected devices. If they are there, they are paired with your phone but not registered to your account. Unpair them, then set them up again from scratch — during setup, you will be asked to add them to your account.
Using Siri to find your AirPods
If you do not want to open the Find My app, you can ask Siri instead. Say "Hey Siri, find my AirPods" and Siri will either show you their location on a map or tell you they are offline. Siri uses the same Find My network behind the scenes, so the information is identical — this is just a faster way to get it.
Siri works even if your iPhone is locked. You can also ask Siri to play a sound on your AirPods, which is useful if you know they are nearby but cannot see them. Say "Hey Siri, play a sound on my AirPods" and they will beep for two minutes.
What to do if Find My cannot locate your AirPods
If Find My shows your AirPods offline and they have been offline for more than a few hours, they are likely lost or the battery is completely dead. Check your home thoroughly first — look under furniture, in jacket pockets, inside bags, and anywhere you remember using them last. Use the Play Sound feature while searching, since the beeping will help you find them even if they are hidden.
If you cannot find them after a thorough search, you can mark them as lost in Find My. Open Find My, select your AirPods, scroll down, and tap Mark as Lost. This prevents anyone who finds them from pairing them to their own Apple account. You can also leave a message and phone number that will appear on the screen if someone tries to set them up.
Once you mark your AirPods as lost, you can still see their location in Find My if they ever reconnect. If weeks pass and they never come back online, you can remove them from your account entirely. Open Settings, tap your name, tap Find My, tap Find My (AirPods), swipe left on your AirPods, and tap Delete.
Finding a specific AirPod when you have a pair
If you lost one AirPod but still have the other, Find My will show you the location of both — they stay connected to each other and to your account as a pair. The location shown is where the pair last connected, not where each individual AirPod is. This means if one fell out of your ear and the other is in your pocket, Find My shows the location of the one in your pocket.
To find the lost AirPod, use the Play Sound feature to listen for beeping in the area where Find My shows the pair. If the lost AirPod is completely dead, it will not beep, and you will have to search by eye. Once you find it, put it back in the case to charge it alongside the other one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find my AirPods if they are turned off?
No. AirPods do not have an on or off switch — they turn on automatically when you take them out of the case. If the battery is completely dead, they cannot send location data and Find My will show them offline. Charging them for 15 to 30 minutes will turn them back on and reconnect them to Find My.
Will Find My work if my AirPods are in airplane mode?
AirPods do not have an airplane mode setting. They use Bluetooth, which works independently of your iPhone's airplane mode. As long as your AirPods have battery and are powered on, Find My can locate them.
Can someone else find my AirPods if they have my Apple ID?
Yes. Anyone signed into your Apple account on any device can see your AirPods' location in Find My. If you think someone has access to your account without permission, change your Apple ID password when ready and review which devices are signed in under Settings > [Your Name] > Password & Security.
What if my AirPods show a location but they are not actually there?
The location shown in Find My is the last place your AirPods connected to an Apple device. If they were moved after that connection, the map will show an old location. This is most common when AirPods are offline for days — the location could be hours or days out of date. Search the area shown on the map first, then expand your search outward.
Do I need cellular service for Find My to work?
You need internet access, but not cellular. Find My works over Wi-Fi. If your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi, you can see your AirPods' location even if you have no cell signal. Your AirPods themselves do not need internet — they only need Bluetooth and battery.