As an AirPods owner, I know the frustration of wondering if someone else has been using my headphones. Recently, I found myself in this situation and had to do some research to figure out if my AirPods had been switched. In this blog post, I’ll share what I’ve learned and how to tell if someone else has been using your AirPods. I’ll also cover some other solutions to this problem that I discovered during my research.
Ways to tell if someone has switched your AirPods are if you have to reconnect them to all of your devices and they no longer have the same name on your Bluetooth list, they look different or if the battery life is a lot shorter.
However, it could be the case that they are your AirPods but they were reset in the case.
In this case, you will also need to pair your AirPods again and they won’t have the name on your Bluetooth list if you changed their name before.
| Tips for Checking if Someone Has Used Your AirPods |
|---|
| – Look for signs of disconnection such as having to reconnect your AirPods to all of your devices. |
| – Check the physical appearance of your AirPods to see if they look different. |
| – Monitor the battery life of your AirPods to see if it is significantly shorter. |
| – Check the name on your Bluetooth list to see if it has changed. |
| – If you suspect that someone switched your AirPods, you will need to pair them again. |
| – AirPods that have been paired with a different device will not appear on your Bluetooth list. |
| – To switch AirPods, someone must put your AirPods in a case, hold the button for 15 seconds, pair them with their own device, and give you a different case with different AirPods inside. |
| – Stolen AirPods can be paired with any device and a new iCloud account. |
| – It is not possible for someone else’s device to connect to your AirPods unless your AirPods are in pairing mode or they have been previously paired with that device. |
Table of Contents
How to tell if someone switched your AirPods?
For someone to successfully switch your AirPods, they must do the following:
- Put your AirPods in a case. It can be your own case or a different case.
- Open the lid of the case and hold the button for 15 seconds until the light flashes orange then white. This resets the AirPods and unpairs them from all devices
- Pair the AirPods with their own device.
- Give you a different case with different AirPods inside
Ways you can tell if someone switched your AirPods are as follows:
You have to reconnect to them
If the person has switched your AirPods, when you get the AirPods back, it will be necessary for you to pair your AirPods with your own devices again.
If you do not need to pair your AirPods with devices that you have previously paired them with, it would mean that the AirPods cannot have been switched unless the person also had access to that device.
They look or sound different
Another clue would be if your AirPods look or sound different. Also, if you notice that the battery is draining much more quickly, it would also be a sign that the AirPods are different AirPods.
They have a different name on your Bluetooth list
If you gave your AirPods a name on your Bluetooth list, a new set of AirPods will no longer have that name when you pair them with your device.
Also, it will be necessary for you to pair your AirPods to the device and your own AirPods should be able to automatically connect to your device unless they were reset.
Not much else
Other than needing to pair the AirPods to all your devices, there is not much else you can do to tell if someone switched your AirPods.
In future, it would be best to avoid allowing other people to use your AirPods and to keep them in the case with you when you are not using them.
Read more: How to turn off touch on AirPods
What happens if someone steals your AirPods?
If someone steals AirPods and the case or they have access to another case, the AirPods can be reset.
When AirPods are reset, they lose their connection with all paired devices and can no longer be tracked through the “Find My” app.
Then, the AirPods will be like an unused set of AirPods and can be paired with any device and paired with a new iCloud account.
Read more: Why did my AirPods suddenly stop working?
Can someone connect to your AirPods?
It is not possible for someone else’s device to connect to your AirPods unless your AirPods are in pairing mode or they have been previously paired with that device.
