Use Find My to locate your AirPods on a map
If your AirPods are powered on and within Bluetooth range of your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch, you can see their location in the Find My app. Open Find My on any of your Apple devices, tap or click the Items tab, select your AirPods from the list, and the app will show you their last known location on a map. If they are nearby and powered on, you will also see the distance and direction to them.
The map shows you where your AirPods last connected to one of your devices. If they are still powered on and in range, the location updates in real time. If they are out of range or the battery has died, the map shows only the last spot where they were connected, which can still help you narrow down where to search.
Key Takeaways
- Find My shows your AirPods' location only if they are powered on and within Bluetooth range of one of your devices.
- If your AirPods are out of range or dead, Find My displays their last known location, which is often enough to find them.
- You can play a sound through Find My to help locate AirPods that are nearby but hidden under furniture or in a bag.
- If Find My shows no location at all, your AirPods may never have been set up in Find My or may have been erased from your account.
Play a sound to locate AirPods that are nearby
When you select your AirPods in Find My and tap Play Sound (on iPhone or iPad) or click the speaker icon (on Mac), both AirPods will emit a loud beeping noise for about two minutes. This works even if your AirPods are in low-power mode, as long as they have any battery left. The sound is loud enough to hear through a couch cushion, a bag, or a jacket pocket.
Start the sound and walk around the area where you last remember using your AirPods. The beeping will help you pinpoint which room or piece of furniture they are in. If you do not hear anything after two minutes, the sound stops automatically and you can play it again.
Check if your AirPods are set up in Find My
Find My only works if you set up your AirPods in the Find My app when you first paired them with your iPhone or Mac. If you bought used AirPods or inherited them from someone else, they may not be registered to your account. Open Find My and look at the Items tab — if your AirPods do not appear in the list, they are not set up to be tracked.
To add AirPods to Find My, open the Find My app, tap the plus icon, and follow the prompts to add a new item. You will need to have your AirPods nearby and powered on. If the AirPods belonged to someone else, that person must remove them from their Find My account first before you can add them to yours.
Search the last known location in person
Once Find My shows you a location on the map, that spot is your starting point. The accuracy depends on how many of your devices are nearby — if only your iPhone is in range, the location may be accurate to within a few hundred feet. If multiple devices detected your AirPods, the location is more precise.
Go to that location and retrace your steps. Check coat pockets, car seats, desk drawers, and anywhere you sat or stood while wearing them. If Find My shows a location inside a building, start in that room and use the Play Sound feature to narrow it down further. Many lost AirPods are found within a few feet of where Find My said they were.
What to do if Find My shows no location
If your AirPods do not appear in Find My at all, or if Find My shows no location, there are a few reasons why. The most common is that your AirPods have been powered off for so long that their battery is completely dead. Another possibility is that they were never added to Find My in the first place, or they were erased from your account.
If you think the battery is dead, leave your AirPods charging case plugged in for at least 15 minutes, then check Find My again. If they still do not show up, try signing out of your iCloud account on your iPhone and signing back in — sometimes Find My needs to refresh. If that does not work, your AirPods may be too far away or lost in a location where they cannot connect to any of your devices.
Use iCloud.com to find AirPods from another person's device
If you do not have access to your iPhone or Mac right now, you can use Find My on iCloud.com from any computer with a web browser. Go to iCloud.com, sign in with your Apple ID, click Find My, and select your AirPods from the list. The map and sound controls work the same way as they do on your phone or computer.
This is useful if you are away from home and realize your AirPods are missing. You can check their location from a work computer or a friend's device without needing to go home first. You can also ask someone else to check iCloud.com on your behalf if you give them your Apple ID and password — though it is safer to use an app-specific password instead of your main password.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find my AirPods if they are turned off?
No. Find My only works if your AirPods are powered on. If the battery is completely dead, Find My will show only the last location where they were connected. Charge the case for 15 minutes and check again — sometimes a small amount of power is enough for them to connect.
How far away can Find My detect my AirPods?
Find My can detect AirPods up to about 30 feet away if they are in the same room with a clear line of sight. Through walls and floors, the range is shorter. If your AirPods are farther away than that, Find My shows only their last known location, not their current one.
What if someone else finds my AirPods and powers them on?
If your AirPods are still registered to your Apple ID, they will show up in your Find My app even if someone else has them. However, that person can erase them from your account if they know how. To prevent this, you can remove your AirPods from Find My yourself, which will also disconnect them from your devices.
Can I find my AirPods if they are in another city?
Only if they are powered on and connected to one of your devices or to another Apple device signed into your iCloud account. If they are off or out of range, Find My shows only the last location where they were connected, which may be your home or the last place you used them.
Do I need a cellular plan for Find My to work?
No. Find My uses Bluetooth to locate your AirPods, not cellular or Wi-Fi. As long as your AirPods are powered on and within Bluetooth range of your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch, Find My will show their location.