Given their small size, misplacing AirPods is almost inevitable. If you tend to put your AirPods in your pocket or find one bud looser in your ears than the other, you have a higher chance of losing one AirPod. Here are the options you have in such a situation.
1Locate Your Lost AirPod via Find My
The first (and probably the best) shot you have at finding your lost AirPod is to attempt to locate it using Apple’s Find My app. To locate your lost AirPod using the Find My app, here’s what you need to do:
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- Head to the Devices tab. Here, you can see all your Apple devices that use the same Apple account and have Find My enabled.
- Select your AirPods from the list. Then, simply select the bud you’ve misplaced.
You’ll see a list of options to help you locate your lost AirPods, such as playing a sound or getting directions. You can also activate Apple’s Lost Mode from the same menu. This way, you’ll be notified when someone finds your AirPods and the finder will be able to see your contact details.
You can only use Find My to locate your lost AirPod if you had Find My enabled on a paired iPhone, iPad, or Mac prior to misplacing it. If not, you’ll need to consider one of the options below.
2Opt for a Replacement
If Find My wasn’t enabled on a paired Apple device and you couldn’t locate your lost AirPod by retracing your steps, your next best option is to replace your lost AirPod. According to Apple’s Get an Estimate tool, if you have the first, second, or third-gen AirPods, a replacement AirPod will cost you around $69.
For the first or second-generation AirPods Pro, you can expect to pay around $89 for a replacement.
The above pricing is applicable even if you paid for an AppleCare+ extended warranty plan when you purchased your AirPods.
3Get New AirPods Instead
Purchasing new AirPods is usually a much better option than spending $69 or $89 on a replacement bud. If you’ve been using your AirPods for a few years and own an older model (like the first-gen AirPods or AirPods Pro), it may be time to start fresh and upgrade to a newer model anyway. Newer models often feature improvements like better active noise cancellation (ANC), battery life, and more.
While getting new AirPods will cost you much more than the price of one replacement AirPod, the new features ultimately make the investment worthwhile. If you look around a bit, you’ll find AirPods on sale on Amazon or stores like Best Buy, especially during the holiday season or sales events like Prime Day.