As an owner of AirPods, I was recently frustrated when I attempted to locate them using the “Find My iPhone” feature only to find that they had disappeared. After some research and testing, I decided to write this blog post to share my experience and the solutions I discovered to help anyone going through a similar issue.
AirPods will only appear on Find My iPhone for 24 hours after being last connected. If AirPods are not connected to Find My iPhone for more than 24 hours, they will disappear from it.
| Quick Tips for Finding Lost AirPods |
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| AirPods will only appear on Find My iPhone for 24 hours after being last connected. |
| If AirPods are disconnected from Find My iPhone for more than 24 hours, they will disappear from it. |
| Possible reasons why AirPods might not be connected to Find My iPhone include being out of power, not connected for 24 hours, reset, or broken. |
| Someone can remove AirPods from Find My iPhone by resetting them. |
| If AirPods are not connected to Find My iPhone and you cannot find them using Bluetooth, the Find My app should still display the last known location of the AirPods. |
| If AirPods have disappeared, your only option would be to retrace your steps and look in places where you frequently use them. |
Table of Contents
Why did my AirPods disappear from find my iPhone?
If your AirPods are disconnected from Find my iPhone for more than 24 hours they will disappear from it. The reason why your AirPods disappeared is likely to be a result of not being connected for the last 24 hours.
Here are some reasons why your AirPods might not be connected when using find my iPhone:
Out of power
If your AirPods are out of power, they will not be able to connect to Find my iPhone. If you lost your AirPods when they were already low on power or they have been lost for hours or more, this would be the most likely cause.
The AirPods have not been connected for 24 hours
AirPods only appear for the first 24 hours in find my iPhone. If your AirPods are not within Bluetooth range of your iPhone for 24 hours, they will no longer appear.
They have been reset
If someone stole your AirPods, it is possible for the person to reset them by putting them in the case and holding the power button for 15 seconds.
If they have done this, your AirPods will no longer be connected to your iCloud or find my iPhone.
They are broken
It could also be the case that your AirPods are broken. This would be more likely if you lost them somewhere such as near a road or outside while it is raining.
Read more: Why aren’t my AirPods showing battery?
Can someone remove my AirPods from Find My iPhone?
It is possible for someone to remove your AirPods from Find My iPhone.
All they need to do is to put your AirPods in the case and then to reset them by opening the lid and holding on the button until the light flashes orange then white.
After they do this, the AirPods will forget all of their previous connections including the connection to Find My iPhone.
Read more: Why do my AirPods show someone else’s name?
How to find AirPods if they disappeared from find my iPhone?
If your AirPods are not connected to Find My iPhone and you cannot find your AirPods using your Bluetooth, the Find My app should still display the last known location of the AirPods.
Otherwise, your only option would be to retrace your steps, to try to remember where you last used your AirPods and to look in places that you frequently use them.
