Losing your AirPods can be a nightmare even when they’re online, but things are much worse when they’re offline. AirPods don’t update their location when they’re offline, so it may seem impossible to find them. Understandably, many Apple users struggle with how to find lost AirPods that are offline.
The best way to find lost AirPods that are offline is through the Find My app on any of your Apple devices. Open the find my app on your iPhone or PC and pull up your AirPods on the list of devices. Your AirPods will appear on a map that will display their last location within the past 24 hours.
You can extend the GPS tracking ability if you keep your AirPods in their case and attach an AirTag. AirPods won’t be able to play a sound when they are offline, so you will have to manually search for them when you find their location. Follow along as we explore how to find lost AirPods that are offline.
How To Find Lost AirPods That Are Offline And Dead
It may sound impossible, but you can find lost AirPods that are offline and even dead. AirPods go offline for several reasons, but you can typically still find location information through Apple. Generally, your AirPods will appear as offline if the batteries die or if they are unpaired from your account.
Luckily, Apple makes it easy to find lost AirPods that are offline through their convenient Find My app. Let’s take a look at how you can find lost AirPods that are offline with the Find My app, an iPhone, an Android, or a PC.
Use Find My
The Find My app is the best way to find lost AirPods that are offline. This app comes with every iPad and iPhone, and Apple won’t even let you delete it from your home screen. Open the app and click on the tab that reads “Devices”.
Here, you will find a list of every Apple device that is connected to your iCloud account. Cycle through the list of devices and select your AirPods to find their location. Now, a map will appear that shows the location of your AirPods.
The only downside to this is that your AirPods won’t update their location while offline. Instead, you will see the last known location of your AirPods within 24 hours. This doesn’t help if your AirPods have been moved since they went offline, but it’s still the best option.
AirTags
You can find lost AirPods that are offline with AirTags if they are in the case. This will only work if you already put an Air Tag on your case, and it’s one of the easiest ways to do so. For example, AirTags will display your AirPod’s location for longer than they’d update their location through Find My.
That is because AirTags work longer than AirPods, so you will get continual location updates. Simply open the Find My app and pull up your AirTags on the list of devices. You should be able to see the AirTag that is connected to your AirPod case on the map.
With that said, this won’t work if someone stole your AirPods and removed the AirTag. They only cost under $30 each and are worth it to track anything from luggage and backpacks to AirPods.
iCloud
You can find lost AirPods that are offline with a PC or Mac through iCloud. Search the iCloud website in your web browser and enter your Apple login information. Apple will send you a text message or email to verify your identity before you can access your account.
Once you’re signed in, you can click on the Find My iPhone tab. Scroll through the list of devices that are connected to your Apple ID and iCloud account until you find your AirPods. Click on your AirPods and look for their last known location on the map.
If your AirPods don’t appear, it is a sign that someone found or stole your AirPods and reset them. In this case, there is nothing that you can do, unfortunately. Otherwise, you can visit the last location within 24 hours and try to retrieve your AirPods.
Android
Android users can also find lost AirPods that are offline in several ways. The easiest way is to open the browser on your Android device and pull up the iCloud website. This will open the Find My map which will let you see their last location within 24 hours.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the “play sound” feature if your AirPods are offline. However, you can continue your search manually and hopefully find your AirPods in their last known location. You will need to charge your AirPods and pair them to your Android again once you find them.
Can You Find One Lost AirPod?
You can find one single lost AirPod if you use the Find My app or iCloud website. Each AirPod appears on the map individually, so you can find the lost one whether it’s online or offline. Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC.
Pull up the map and find each of your AirPods on it. You should see that one of your AirPods is in your possession and that one of them is in a different location. Your lost AirPod will be obvious on the map because it will be in a different location than you are.
This can get tricky if your lost AirPod is in the same building as the other one or if it’s offline. If it is offline, you will at least be able to see its last location within the past 24 hours. However, you will need to manually search for it if it’s in the same general vicinity as your other AirPod. The map is impressive, but it doesn’t typically display nuance if each of your AirPods is in the same area.
How To Find Dead AirPods In Case
You can easily find dead AirPods in the case as long as the case is still online. Otherwise, you will only be able to see the last location that they were in when the case and AirPods were online. An AirPod case can be tracked via Find My as long as it’s registered as one of your Apple devices.
Pull up the map, select your AirPod case, and you should be able to find the case’s location. Your AirPods may not even appear on the map, but your case should. However, this unfortunately won’t work if your AirPod case is dead.
Do AirPods Beep When Lost?
AirPods can beep and play a chirping sound when lost if you enable this feature. However, this feature will only work if your AirPods are online. That means that it won’t work if they are out of range, the battery is dead, or someone reset your AirPods.
Sometimes, this feature will even fail if you recently reset your AirPods. AirPods can return to their default settings when you reset or update them, so you may need to enable the “play sound” feature again. Sadly, you are out of luck if this feature is enabled but your AirPods are lost and offline.
Can The Police Track Stolen AirPods?
The police cannot track stolen AirPods unless they use your Find My information. They don’t have extra GPS technology to track your AirPods if they are offline because they won’t update their location. With that said, you can file a police report if someone steals your AirPods.
The police may or may not follow up on it depending on the situation. For example, they are more likely to help track your stolen AirPods if they were with other high-value items when were taken. This applies to a vehicle, expensive bags, and luggage.
You can help the police if you provide information from the Find My app. Take screenshots or show the police the last location that was updated via Find My. There is no guarantee for how much they will help you, but it doesn’t hurt to provide location information from Find My and iCloud.
How To Avoid Losing AirPods
You can avoid losing your AirPods using several features that Apple provides. The “Play Sound” and “Lost Mode” features in particular are quite useful so that you don’t go too far from your AirPods. Otherwise, simple tricks such as keeping them in the same place every day can work wonders to stop you from losing your AirPods. Let’s take a look at the best ways to avoid losing AirPods.
Enable Notify When Left Behind
The “Notify When Left Behind” feature that Apple has implemented is infinitely useful. This feature will send you a notification to one of your Apple devices when you walk away from your AirPods. Many Apple users are unaware of this feature, but it’s easy to enable and is worth the time.
Simply open the Find My app, select your AirPods, and scroll down to the notifications tab under “Play Sound”. Tap on “Notify When Left Behind” to enable this feature and it won’t be so easy to lose your AirPods again. You can enable this for any Apple device, and it’s worthwhile so that you don’t have to replace them in the near future.
Play Sound
The “play sound” feature that Apple devices have can help you find your AirPods before it’s too late. This feature lets you play a sound when you cannot find your AirPods. The sound isn’t too loud, but it is distinct enough that you can hear it even in a busy space.
The only downside to this is that you can only use this feature if your AirPods are within range. Open the Find My app on your iPhone or computer and select your AirPods. Click on the option that says “Play Sound” and listen closely to hear the beeping-chirp sound.
Use AirTags
AirTags act as an alternative way to track your AirPods when they are lost and offline. They are too big to attach to your AirPods, but you can easily attach them to your case. AirTags can transmit your location to Apple so that you can track it through Find My and your iCloud account.
They work for up to a year or more which is much longer than AirPods update their location. This will let you track your AirPods and case for as long as it takes to retrieve them. A set of 4 AirTags costs $100 and you can buy them directly through Apple. You simply attach an AirTag to your AirPod case and leave it alone for as long as it works.
Keep Your Case With You
It’s difficult to lose AirPods if you keep them in their charger case. You can track the charger case via Find My, and you can also charge your AirPods. Keep your AirPods charged so that they don’t go offline so you can always track them.
You will also always know where your AirPods are if you keep them in their case. The case is much larger than the AirPods themselves, so it is much harder to lose them. Simply put your AirPods in their case in your backpack or bag when you’re done using them before you head home for the day.
Lost Mode
Lost Mode is a useful feature that Apple offers to help you find lost AirPods, iPhones, and iPads. This mode will display a message to anyone that finds your AirPods and tries to use them. You can provide contact information so that whoever finds them can reach out to you.
Open the Find My app, click on your AirPods, and tap “Mark As Lost”. Granted, people can still reset your AirPods even when they’re in Lost Mode. This ultimately relies on the honesty of strangers, but it is helpful to use this feature for all of your Apple devices to play it safe.
Can You Find Your Lost AirPods If Someone Reset Them?
Unfortunately, you are not likely to find your lost AirPods if someone reset them. Your AirPods will no longer appear on your list of connected Apple devices through Find My. This is a common practice and most thieves reset stolen AirPods so that you cannot retrieve them.
Apple designed their AirPods this way so that you don’t have someone’s location if you gave or sold them your AirPods. While this is safe in that scenario, it doesn’t help you if you lose them or if someone steals them. You cannot disable your AirPods if someone steals them, unfortunately, so you can’t stop them from pairing your AirPods to their phone.
Luckily, nobody can remove your AirPods from your Find My and iCloud accounts unless they reset them. They would need to possess your AirPods and reset them with a case to pair them to their devices. While you can’t find your lost AirPods if someone reset them, you can at least track them until they go offline.
You May Need To Replace Your AirPods
Unfortunately, you may need to replace your AirPods if none of these fixes work for you. There is only so much that you can do if you lose your AirPods when they are offline. You lose access to frequent location updates when they go online which makes it difficult to find them.
AirPods that are offline also won’t be able to make sounds that would make them easy to find. In that case, you may need to cut your losses and buy a new set of AirPods. Apple won’t reimburse you for lost or stolen AirPods, unfortunately. AirPods start at $160 which isn’t cheap, but it’s worth the cost if you can’t find your old pair.
So, What’s The Best Way To Find Lost AirPods That Are Offline?
The best way to find lost AirPods that are offline is to use the Find My app. You can access the Find My app through your iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC, or Android. Open the Find My app, click on the list of devices, select your AirPods, and pull up the map.
The map will display the last known location of your AirPods within the past 24 hours. Unfortunately, AirPods won’t update their location when they are offline so that’s the best location information you can get. You can get the same location information if you enter your Apple ID information on the iCloud website and select your AirPods.