As an Apple AirPods owner, I have been frustrated recently when trying to locate my lost AirPods and the ‘Find My’ app reporting “Sound Pending”. After doing some research and testing, I am here to share my experience and the solutions I discovered to this common issue.
If your Find My app says “Sound Pending” when you try to play a sound through AirPods, it means that the AirPods are not in range of your iPhone.
| Tip | Explanation |
|---|---|
| AirPods won’t play sound through Find My app | This is because they are not in range of your iPhone, are out of power or broken. |
| AirPods Pro 2 case and newer can play a sound through Find my | If you have AirPods Pro 2 or newer and they are connected to an Apple device, you can use the Find My app to play a sound on them. |
| AirPods in the case won’t play a sound | When AirPods are in the charging case, they are turned off and disconnected from your Apple device, so they won’t play a sound through Find My. |
| Check for obstructions | Make sure there isn’t anything covering your AirPods, and look in the right place for the sound. |
| Last known location still shown | Even if your AirPods are no longer connected, the Find My app should show you the last known location of your AirPods. |
Why does find my AirPods say “Sound Pending”?
If you are trying to get Find My to get AirPods to play a sound but it says “Sound pending” it means that the AirPods are not in range of your iPhone. They need to be in range of your iPhone in order to play a sound.
Also, it won’t work if someone else’s iPhone is near your AirPods. It has got to be your iPhone near your AirPods.
This does mean that, if you have lost your AirPods, Find my iPhone is useful for seeing their last connected location and getting them to ring if they are nearby but not much more than that.
However, it could still be the case that your AirPods are nearby even if they won’t play a sound. They might be out of power, in the case, or they might be ringing but you can’t hear them.
Why won’t the sound play on Find My AirPods?
If your AirPods will not play a sound through the Find MY app, it is because they are not connected to your iPhone.
Below are a number of reasons why your AirPods might not play sound when using Find My:
Here are some reasons why your AirPods might not be ringing when using find my iPhone:
Out of power
The most obvious reason why your AirPods won’t play a sound is that your AirPods are out of power.
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. In this case, find my iPhone should still show their last known location.
They are in the case
If your AirPods are in the case, they will not be able to play a sound because they get turned off and disconnected when they are in the case.
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 might 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.
They are actually ringing
It could be the case that your AirPods are actually playing a sound but there is something covering them making them hard to hear or because you are actually looking in the wrong place.
The AirPods were not connected to find my iPhone
If your AirPods were not connected to find my iPhone to begin with. For AirPods to be connected to find my iPhone you must connect them to a device with an iCloud account.
Also, it could be the case that your AirPods were actually connected to a different iCloud account and it would help to consider what other accounts you use.
The AirPods are not where find my iPhone says they are
Find my iPhone shows the last known location of your AirPods. It could be the case that your AirPods are no longer in that location.
If your AirPods are in the case, they have lost power, or they have lost connection with nearby devices. They will not be able to update their location on find my iPhone.
Read more: Are AirPods Pro more comfortable?
How can I find my AirPods if they are not connected?
Read more: how to disconnect my iPhone from Apple TV?
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.
