When you lose your AirPods, the Find My app plays a series of escalating beeps or a chime from the missing AirPod (or the case for newer models like AirPods Pro 2) to help you locate it, increasing in volume as you get closer, with the sound stopping once the AirPod is picked up or put back in its case. You initiate this by selecting your AirPods in the Find My app and tapping "Play Sound," choosing left or right to mute one while finding the other, and it works best when they are out of the case and charged.
In order for the Play Sound function to work, the AirPods use the connection from your device or the cellular/Wi-Fi connection from another Apple device that has the Find My Network enabled on it to receive the signal to play a sound.
With the Bluetooth device powered on and paired, open the Find My Device app on your Android device. If the Bluetooth headphones or earbuds are paired with the Android device and have Find My technology, then they will appear in the app. Tap your device on the list. The app will find your location.
iCloud.com: Go to iCloud.com/find, sign in to your Apple Account, select All Devices, select your AirPods, then click Play Sound. Note: You can't play a sound on the charging case for your AirPods 4 (ANC), AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3 from iCloud.com.
Your AirPods play a sound for a few minutes to help you locate them, or until you stop the sound.
AirPods might make a sound to indicate that the battery is low, prompting you to charge them. This is more common if the AirPods are not properly seated in the case or if the case itself is low on power.
You can't prevent someone from using them, and Apple won't intervene or help you lock them down once they're reset. Even if you report the theft to Apple Support, they won't track or disable the AirPods for you. So, in short, you can't make stolen AirPods useless to a thief.
If your AirPods are out of range or need to charge, you might see their last known location. You might also see "Offline" or "No location found." You might be able to get directions to their last known location — but you won't be able to play a sound or use Find Nearby.
If your AirPods are nearby, you can play a sound on your AirPods to help you locate them, set separation alerts to let you know if you've left them behind, and more.
"Track" the AirPods? If they're lost, then the distance from you doesn't matter. If you mean how far they can be from the device used to supply their signal, then that is the standard Bluetooth distance which is about 40 feet (10 meters).
Wear one or both AirPods, and make sure they're connected to your device. Go to an audio app, then play something—for example, a song in the Music app or an audiobook in the Books app .
Keeping your earbuds turned on, paired with and connected to your phone will also make finding them easier if you have to rely on a scanner app. If your earbuds don't include their own tracking feature, you may want to consider purchasing a Bluetooth tracker and attaching it to your earbuds' case.
AirPods 3 controls
Play the next track: Double-press the stem. Play the previous track: Triple-press the stem. Answer a call: When you receive a call, press the stem. Activate Siri: Press and hold the stem, then ask questions, control apps, and more.
To alert people nearby, an AirTag, AirPods Pro 2 charging case, AirPods Pro 3 charging case, Find My network accessory, or compatible Bluetooth location-tracking device separated for a period of time from its owner emits a sound when it's moved.
Find your lost AirPods with Find My
They are Bluetooth devices. Bluetooth range is at best about 60 feet. Also the battery is continuously draining once removed from case and is only going to last about 4-5 hours. once the battery goes, it's not going to broadcast its location.
If your AirPods are “Offline” or show “No location found”
You may be able to get directions to their last-known location, but you won't be able to play a sound or use Find Nearby.
You can contact the police, they should go there and let them know this is where they've been tracked too and there's proof.
If your device is lost or stolen, you can turn on Lost Mode for your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch, or lock your Mac. In iOS 15.0. 1 or later, you can mark supported AirPods as lost if you turned on the Find My network.