You Can Now Use Find My To Search for Missing AirPods Pro or AirPods Max
- Kyle Chua
- Oct 6, 2021
- 2 min read
If there’s one problem that Apple has yet to solve about AirPods, it’s that they are easy to lose. Anyone who has ever owned a pair has probably lost them at some point or was at least close to losing them. And due to them being relatively small, they are very difficult to find once lost. In most cases, you might be better off buying a new pair than scouring every corner of your house just to find them.
However, that could all soon change, with Apple releasing a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max that enables Find My support. Find My is an app that allows you to track the location of your iPhone, Macbook, Apple Watch, and now your AirPods as well.
According to 9to5Mac, compatible AirPods models gain new functionality inside the Find My app, including the ability to activate Lost Mode and a new Find Nearby interface.
Once you have updated your AirPods to the latest firmware, they will become part of the Find My network, where they will send out a continuous Bluetooth beacon message. This message can be picked up by other Apple devices in the area and be reported in the Find My network. You will then be notified of the location of your device. It’s almost the same as how Apple’s AirTags work.
Additionally, you’ll be able to get a proximate location of your AirPods if you are in close range to it. The Find My app is able to track your device’s signal and give you a visual indicator in the new Find Nearby interface of whether you are getting nearer or farther. But it’s not able to give you the precise location since existing Airpods don’t use U1 chips. It is still a step-up, though, from the previous option of viewing the location where your AirPods were paired or having them emit a sound.
Meanwhile, when you activate Lost Mode, you can share a message to your device using your phone number or email address. Whoever finds your device will then be able to see this message by tapping and holding the top of their iPhone or NFC-capable smartphone, which can help them return the device to you.
The AirPods firmware which offers these new functionalities is version 4A400. You can check the version of your AirPods by heading to Settings on your iPhone or iPad. Go to General, then About. Select AirPods among the options. There, you will see the firmware version.
If your AirPods aren’t updated yet, make sure to connect them to your iPhone or iPad, and it should update automatically.
The new functionalities are only available on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, not the standard AirPods. Apple’s rumoured third-generation AirPods could also ship with Find My support. They’re expected to launch before the end of the year.
Written by Kyle Chua
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