Lost one AirPod.

ripplyuk

Today on my walk, I must have dropped one of my AirPods. Using the ‘Find My’ app wasn’t any help. It just shows the location of the right one, not the missing left one. It shows both together. I retraced my steps which was tiring as it’s a 7 mile walk but with all the snow, and the AirPod being white, I couldn’t find it. I didn’t have the case with me so once I got home, I put the right one in the case and refreshed the app but still it shows both together. 

Does anyone know what I could do? The main reason I chose these was for the ‘Find My’ feature but clearly it doesn’t work! 

JJ_Egan

Turn off the one that's not missing ??

TadleyBaggie

The AirPods only have short range Bluetooth connectivity, to be able to provide a full "find my" function they would need to have GPS and some sort of independent data access, clearly not possible in such a small form factor.

TadleyBaggie

Checking: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207581 suggests that you have to have "Find My" turned on the device the AirPods were connected to before they lost. Then all it can tell you is the general location where the connection to the missing AirPod was lost.

ripplyuk

JJ_Egan said:

Turn off the one that's not missing ??

Tried that. It still thinks both are together. It gives the last known location as being my house (where only the right one is).

ripplyuk

TadleyBaggie said:

Checking: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207581 suggests that you have to have "Find My" turned on the device the AirPods were connected to before they lost. Then all it can tell you is the general location where the connection to the missing AirPod was lost.

It was turned on before it was lost. 

It still won’t show the location of the missing one, only the one I have. 

ripplyuk

TadleyBaggie said:

The AirPods only have short range Bluetooth connectivity, to be able to provide a full "find my" function they would need to have GPS and some sort of independent data access, clearly not possible in such a small form factor.

I understand that but I thought it was meant to show the last known location if out of Bluetooth range. The main problem is that it thinks I have both, instead of just one. 

Penguin_

ripplyuk said:

JJ_Egan said:

Turn off the one that's not missing ??

Tried that. It still thinks both are together. It gives the last known location as being my house (where only the right one is).

It hasn't fallen into your hood or something silly like that has it?

ripplyuk

Penguin_ said:

ripplyuk said:

JJ_Egan said:

Turn off the one that's not missing ??

Tried that. It still thinks both are together. It gives the last known location as being my house (where only the right one is).

It hasn't fallen into your hood or something silly like that has it?

No hood. I’ve stripped off all my clothes and it’s not there. I even checked my boots lol. 

Sandtree

ripplyuk said:

TadleyBaggie said:

Checking: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207581 suggests that you have to have "Find My" turned on the device the AirPods were connected to before they lost. Then all it can tell you is the general location where the connection to the missing AirPod was lost.

It was turned on before it was lost. 

It still won’t show the location of the missing one, only the one I have. 

As per the instructions in the middle, of the link you can check the last known location of either airpod but it only shows one at a time. Obviously its possible the last known location is where you currently are though would imagine the timestamp should be different just to ensure it isnt that you lost it at home before you went out.

Ultimately if its gone Apple will sell you a single airpod as a repair which does cost less than half that of buying a pair (or it did when pricing was first announced anyway).

ripplyuk

@Sandtree It isn’t showing the location of both AirPods, only the right one. It doesn’t even have options for ‘left’ and ‘right’ (which it should!). I rang Apple support last night. The first guy didn’t know so they got someone more senior to ring me but they hadn’t a clue either. I sent screenshots and they just said it was ‘very strange’ and that ‘it should show options for both’. I know it should but it doesn’t. His advice was ‘Once you find it, it should pick up the signal again’. 🙄

I’ll just have to buy a replacement. It’s a good warning for anyone else that ‘Find Me’ does not always work as it should. Don’t buy them on the basis of this feature, like I did. Mine doesn’t even seem to know that AirPods come in pairs!