Can You Find A Lost AirPod With A Dead Battery?

If an AirPod has no battery charge at all, then Apple’s tracking features and the Find My network are unlikely to be much help in finding the earbud again. While Apple is continually improving its ability to find lost items, it is still reliant on connecting with those devices. Due to this, in situations where a connection to a device can’t be made, users are likely to encounter problems with retrieving their belongings again.

Over the years, Apple’s Find My network and features have grown considerably, resulting in a robust location and tracking solution for all those who have invested in the company’s hardware products. In April 2021, Apple released its AirTag location tracker beacon. With an AirTag capable of being attached to almost anything (including the family dog), Apple’s tracking network can now be used to find many other items — even those that can’t connect to the internet.

Lost, stolen, or missing AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max headphones can usually easily be tracked through the Find My network. However, when the headphones have run out of battery, the network is unable to make the necessary connection to allow the user to find them once again. Besides situations when the battery is fully depleted, users are also likely to struggle locating lost AirPods when they are in their case and charging. The only time an AirPod can be tracked and located is when it is outside of the case and has not already run out of battery charge. Apple improved its AirPods tracking capabilities with AirPods 3, but even so, a dead battery renders these improvements useless.

Options When Lost AirPod’s Battery Is Dead

As a connection cannot be made when AirPods have no battery, the Find My Network won’t be able to see their current location. AirPods can actually be tracked separately, so in situations where both are lost and one still has some charge, then it might be possible to find both earbuds even when only one has any battery life. Likewise, if one or both had some charge a short time ago, then it is possible the user will be presented with their last known location. In some cases, this may be enough to find where the lost AirPods currently are. Along with the map, users can also enable a ‘Lost Mode’ that provides someone with the owner’s contact information if they come across the lost earbuds.

If enough time passes, however, these options may also become unavailable. If an AirPod is offline for too long, an ‘offline’ message appears instead. If that is the case, then Apple is unlikely to be able to help in retrieving the earbuds, forcing the user to rely on more traditional methods — such as physically looking for the earbuds. Unfortunately, in instances where no location data for the AirPods is available, and the user is unable to manually find them after looking, then the only option is likely to be buying a replacement AirPod or a whole new pair.

Source: Apple

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John Finn
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John Finn is a technology editor and writer for Screen Rant. John has been covering technology since 2014 and focuses on where tech meets the movie and TV industry. A Psychology graduate from England who now lives in the US, John previously worked in the aviation industry as an airline reviewer. You can find John on Twitter (@J_Finns) or contact directly at john [at] screenrant [dot] com.

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