Are your AirPods dead?
Are you trying to find them?
Then keep reading to learn how to find your AirPods … even when they’re dead!
Most Apple products can link to each other, making them easy to track if they are online. However, even when your AirPods are off or have run out of battery life, the “Find My” app on Apple devices can still help you find them by showing you the last known location before the battery ran out.
Though the method described above can help you find your AirPods if they are still where you put them when they died, the process might still be quite tricky. Another fact to consider is what to do if you have moved them from their last tracked location or if the app can’t help you. Luckily, you are not the first to have this happen to them, and Apple can still help you even in that case.
How To Find Dead Airpods
Losing your AirPods when they are out of juice can be very stressful. Luckily there are some ways to find your AirPods even when they are out of power. However, not all of these approaches will work all the time, so it is always best to keep your AirPods close to you and ensure that they are not lost.
“Find My” App
The “Find My” app that gets installed on most of the newer Apple phones and devices allows you to track the position of your other connected devices. The devices you can track include your AirPods. However, this app is mainly for use when the device you follow is online or has battery power.
With that in mind, this app can still be a great way to track your AirPods even when they are dead since it will show you the last known location of your AirPods. Though this might not lead you straight to where your AirPods are now, it will at least help you find the general area they were in when they were last online. Below are the steps to follow to use this method to search for your AirPods.
1. If you are running the latest version of the IOS, you can open the “Find My” app on your phone.
2. On the app, navigate to the Devices tab to see all the devices you have connected to your iPhone.
3. Once you are on the Devices tab, you should be able to find your AirPods on the list of devices. Click on the AirPods.
4. Once the AirPods are selected, the screen will show you the last known location of the AirPods if there is a location available.
Turn On “Lost Mode”
Another great mechanism Apple has employed to help you find your lost AirPods is the “Lost Mode” protocol. Though this method is not full-proof either, and there are varying accounts of this strategy working, this is worth a try if your AirPods are lost.
“Lost Mode” is a new feature that Apple has employed to help you find any lost devices you might have, though it is also said to work mainly with more recent devices. To enable this feature on your AirPods, they should already have been connected to your “Find My Network” to allow you to track them.
The way lost mode works is quite similar to that of the “AirTags,” which can also help you find devices that you have lost. Although I am uncertain of how this works, it is said that activating “Lost Mode” on your device also allows it to connect to other people’s devices in the area. This will enable you to find your AirPods with the help of others or display a message on other users’ screens if found.
To activate this feature on your AirPods, follow the instructions below:
1. If your device is running the newest version of IOS, open the “Find My”app on the device you usually use to connect with the AirPods.
2. Navigate to the Devices tab to view all the connected or relevant devices you can access.
3. Locate the device you are looking to find in the devices list. In this case, that would be your AirPods.
4. You should see an option called “Mark as Lost” with an Activate button below it. Click on the activate button.
5. Follow any other instructions given to you, including those that may appear before the activation of “Lost Mode.”
Check The Most Likely Places
If neither of the options mentioned above proves successful, there seem to be few other choices than following the regular route. This method of finding your AirPods is one that we have been all familiar with for the longest time.
This method of finding your AirPods involves walking around the most likely areas you would have had your AirPods last. Additionally, you can also retrace your steps to find your AirPods. And this is a method that most humans have applied throughout their lives, and it is one of the highly effective methods of finding any lost goods.
Though there are ways of finding your AirPods using technology such as the methods mentioned above, you will also likely need to employ manual searching methods like this to pinpoint the location exactly. Generally speaking, tracking of devices can help you narrow down the area, but you might still have to lift some couch cushions to find it.
Other Ways To Find Your Dead AirPods
Though the methods mentioned above are the most likely to help you find your AirPods again, there are two additional ways that you might consider. These methods are not as possible to help as the ones I’ve mentioned previously, but considering your AirPods are already lost, what else can you lose?
Use One To Track Both
On the off chance that your AirPods don’t charge to the same extent, in other words, one still has some juice when you lose them, you might be able to use just that one to find them both. This method is unlikely, but on the off chance it’s valid, this is the next best place to start. To track your AirPods using only one AirPod, you can follow the steps below.
- Open the “Find My” app on the Apple device you connect with the AirPods most often.
- Select the Devices tab at the bottom of the app’s interface.
- Find the AirPods you are looking for and select them.
- The rest should be easy enough to understand and works similar to the usual process.
You can also use this method to find a single AirPod if they are not together or you lost only one.
Ask Your Co-workers Or Family Members
Though we try to trust our fellow man more often than not, we can’t always afford to. If your AirPods have gone missing, it might be time to ask your mischievous brother or co-worker if they have seen or hidden them somewhere. You can probably detect that this is something that has happened to me quite a couple of times.
If one of your family members or co-workers did take your AirPods, you might also be able to find them the next time they are charged and activated. You simply need to follow the steps above to start the “Lost Mode” procedures. Enabling this means receiving a notification the next time your AirPods go online.
Still Can’t Find Your AirPods
If you can still not locate the AirPods after following all the advice given above, you might have to make the most straightforward yet most challenging choice of all, buying a new pair of AirPods. Sometimes when losing things, costly things like AirPods, we have to accept that we might not ever find what we’ve lost and start looking at a replacement.
AirPods, being an Apple product, are not cheap, which makes it so much harder if you can’t find them. However, since they are valuable, you need to consider that they could have been stolen or might be lost forever.
If you have no other options and have to buy new AirPods, it is best to set them up to be easier to find next time. You can accomplish this by setting up the “Find My Network” if you haven’t before, keeping your AirPods Charged at all times, and always keeping them where you know you’ll be able to find them. Some of these are, of course, not as easy as it seems.
Conclusion
Buying and using AirPods or any other kind of wirelessly connected headphones or earbuds always comes with the risk of losing them. Luckily there are many ways that you might be able to find them even if they have no more battery power. However, the best way to find your AirPods when they are dead is not to lose them, so be sure to take care of them properly.