Apple will soon let you track down those pesky runaway AirPods

Alan Martin January 25, 2017

Back when the AirPods were announced, there was plenty of scepticism about how easy they would be keep track of. Historically, headphones stay neatly in place thanks to the bloody great cable tying them to your phone – or at least to each other, in the case of Bluetooth buds. Apple’s AirPods had no such thing, and with Apple charging £65 per replacement bud, losing them could get expensive fast.

Apple will soon let you track down those pesky runaway AirPods

Despite removing an app that did similar things from the App Store, it seems Apple will soon be introducing the functionality to track down pesky missing AirPods itself. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Apple will be debuting the feature in iOS 10.3, which will “soon be available to the public”.

Unsurprisingly, it’ll work in a similar fashion to how the existing “Find my iPhone” app works. The feature will show you a map showing the last location where the AirPods were connected to the phone. Additionally, if you’re in a 30-foot Bluetooth range, you’ll also be able to make the AirPods scream for help. Or play sounds to help you track them down, anyway. find_lost_airpods_apple_app

Of course, this feature only works if the AirPods have enough charge to maintain a Bluetooth connection, and since AirPods only have a five-hour battery life, you’ll have to spot that they’re missing quickly to benefit. If they’re flat, though, you’ll still be able to see their last location. Just hope it’s somewhere where the small white earbuds will stand out, rather than, say, a white sand beach. Or this hotel, where a friend of mine once stayed, and described it as “like staying in an Apple store”.

Of course, if you don’t want the hassle, you could always ditch the wirelessness with a fake cord. It’ll look strange, but at least your expensive earphones won’t go walkies.