Hi Brad,

If you have an AirPods case so you can charge them, that would help someone if they tried using Find My app to locate the missing AirPods.

Also, the person may have provided some contact information in the Bluetooth settings panel of the AirPods or even named them with an email or phone number. So once they charge, try connecting them to one of your devices and see what info is available.

Those are the only methods we know of to assist.

Hi Ahmed,

Since your AirPods case has an AirPod in it, then you can use Find My to try and locate it or see it’s last known location.

If you didn’t turn on Find My for your AirPods, you can’t use it to locate your missing case or AirPods. And there is no other alternative other than searching for it on your own.

We hope you locate it!

Why can’t I track it?

shouldn’t airpods have a lock on it because they are literally the easiest thing to steal and Apple’s response is let’s make them buy a whole new pair instead of helping them find it!

My case was stolen along with my AirPods that were in it, they no longer show up on the find my app what do I do.

Hi Alex,

Do they show up in the list of devices in the Find My (or Find My iPhone) app?

If they do not show up there, it’s likely that someone else has re-paired them to a different device and Apple ID and unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to prevent that!

I hope they do show up and you can locate them!

Liz

Hi Elizabeth

Thank you for your reply and suggestions, I suppose I just have to wait another month or so if someone gets back to me via the airlines.

Kindest regards

Hi Lisa,

That’s really grand of you!

Unfortunately, Apple’s privacy standards only allow the current owner (the Apple ID registered with the device) to locate a missing device. As the person who found them, you don’t have any way to contact that owner (Apple ID.) You did report it to the Airline which is a great step. You may want to also report it to the airports (departure and arrival) since it’s likely the person who lost them has no idea where they went missing.

Other than that, there isn’t much else you can do–unlike iPhone or devices with screens, finding the previous owner for AirPods is very difficult!

One thing you can do is see if your device recognizes them and connect them via Not My AirPods. Then, once connected check the Bluetooth settings (tap the i next to the AirPods) and see if the previous owner named them with any identifying information (like an email address or person’s name.)

If you exhaust all your options, you can choose to keep them and pair them to your own device, give them away, or donate them. AirPods do not have an activation lock, so they can be reset and re-paired to a different Apple ID without consequences.

You’ve done a great effort in trying to locate that person–and paying it forward.

Liz

As I’m not due back to my home country till April and so far no claimant from the airline (They are in regular contact with me). How can I locate the owner of the device? This all happened 10 days ago.

Thank you in advance. I’m sure there’s one anxious owner somewhere.

Hi Karsyn,

Try removing the left airpod from the case and then pinging just the right or if that’s not working, cover the left AirPod with something like a towel that muffles its noise, so you can ping both and hopefully hear the right one.

If the battery level was very low (or empty) on the right airpod, it might be unable to chirp.

If you are unable to locate it, you can replace just the one AirPod. Take note of your AirPod’s serial number to ensure the new AirPod matches the Series of your current case and left AirPod.

The AirPod serial number of your case is on the underside of the lid. If your AirPods are connected to your iOS device, you can also go to Settings > General > About > AirPods for the serial number.

Hi Ellen,

You can purchase a new case for your AirPods–you don’t need to get the whole thing replaced.