Is there GPS in the Airpods?

Airpods are a wonder of modern technology. They look like futuristic earphones and do an incredible job of letting you listen to music and talk hands-free with your phone. However, one thing about Airpods that users have wished for is the ability to track their location using GPS from a built-in GPS sensor. So, is there a GPS in the Airpods?

In this article, we will answer this question and take a detailed look into how you can track the Airpods.

Do Airpods have GPS?

Apple Airpods don’t have GPS or any internal GPS sensor. Still, you can track them using a connected iPhone’s GPS tech that is nearby. The map inside the “FIND MY” app for iPhone will show you the last place the Airpods were in the range of a connected IOS device.

Can I track my Airpods?

Yes, you can track your Airpods. Although your Airpods don’t have a GPS, you can find them by tracking them using the “Find my” app if it gets misplaced.

How can I track my Airpods?

Here are different ways you can track your Airpods:

1. Using your phone or iPad to find your Airpods

• Go to your app store and install the FIND MY app on your iPhone, then open the app and click on DEVICES.
• Search on the list of connected devices and select your Airpods.
• Tap on the FIND/DIRECTIONS tab.
• If the Airpods is outside Bluetooth range, its last known location will be displayed on a map you can use to track it.
• If it’s within Bluetooth range, move within your space a bit after tapping the FIND tab.
• The “Find my” app will connect to it and start alerting you were to move to find the Airpods.
• You can activate PLAY SOUNDS from the speaker icon to help you listen to the alert sounds played while tracking the Airpods. However, this may be uncomfortable if someone is wearing them.

Note: If your Airpods are separated, you can select “L” or “R” from the top left corner of your screen when tracking them to find them one at a time. Find the first Airpods using the above-listed steps and put them in the case. Then cancel and tap “R” to begin for the right Airpod if you have found the left one.

2. Using your iCloud to find the Airpods

If you are not with your iPhone but searching for your Airpods, you can use your iCloud to locate them.

• Use a computer to sign in to your iCloud at www.iCloud.com/find.
• Select Devices.
• Select your Airpods from the devices shown.
• Click PLAY SOUND and use the sound to track your Airpods.

Your Airpods must be connected to an internet-enabled Apple device for this method to work.

3. Track your Airpods through your Mac

You can also make use of your Mac to find your lost Airpods. All you need to do is:

• Go to your Mac and launch the FIND MY application through the spotlight search, your application folder, or Launchpad.
• Select DEVICES.
• Click on your Airpods.
• Tap on the information icon next to the Airpods.
• Tap on PLAY SOUNDS.
• Follow the sound to locate where your Airpods are.

4. Finding your Airpods from your Apple Watch (for watchOS 8.0 and later)

You can track and find your Airpods from your Apple Watch by doing the following:

• Ensure your phone has cellular data or wifi connection.
• Search for and open the FIND DEVICES app on your watch.
• Select your Airpods.
• Tap PLAY SOUNDS.
• Follow the sound being played to locate where your Airpods are.

Airpods are small in size, so you may misplace them or probably forget where you dropped them, or they might even get stolen. You must know how to track them in any situation.

What to do if you can’t track your Airpods?

There are different reasons you may not be able to find or see a NO LOCATION FOUND message when trying to track your Airpods.

One of the reasons is if you didn’t turn on FIND MY on your phone before your Airpods went missing, you wouldn’t be able to locate them.

Another reason is if your Airpods are out of the 30 feet range from your iOS device, you won’t be able to see it on your phone. Also, If your Airpods do not have enough charges, you won’t find them until they are recharged.

It is worthy of note that you can’t also play a sound to find your Airpods if they are outside the Bluetooth range of their connected device. Although, you might get the direction of the last known location of the Airpods before they were disconnected.

Sadly, if you try out all the methods mentioned above to track your Airpods and still cannot find them, you may need to purchase new Airpods. It’s probably gone for good.

How to stop Airpods from being tracked?

Your Airpods are added to a user’s iCloud’s FIND MY account once you use their device to connect to it. This action may not be good in terms of privacy as the other person can tell precisely where you are if you always carry your Airpods.

To prevent someone from tracking your Airpods after you must have used them on their Apple device, you can start by resetting the Airpods to FACTORY SETTINGS.

This action will automatically disconnect your Airpods from every Apple device they’ve been paired with, including yours. This will also prevent any other person from tracking your Airpods with their iCloud account.

To reset your Airpods to stop them from being tracked, carry out the following steps:

• Forget the Airpods from the connected device.
• Place them in their case and open the lid.
• Press and hold the button at the back of the case for about 15 secs.
• Wait for the Airpods LED light to flash amber before returning to flashing white.
• Connect back to the Airpods like it is a new connection.

The flashing lights indicate that your Airpods have been reset to factory settings. While doing that, it disconnected from all previously connected devices.

Another method to stop your Airpods from being tracked is to go to Settings on the device you don’t want it tracked on and forget the Airpods. Here’s how to do it:

• Open your Airpods case with your Airpods in it.
• Open the SETTINGS on your iPhone, then select BLUETOOTH.
• You will notice a list of linked devices. Locate your Airpods from the list.
• Tap on the “i” icon next to your Airpods.
• Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap on “FORGET THIS DEVICE.”

The person who could track your Airpods before will no longer be able to do it. Your Airpods will automatically be removed from their iCloud and list of connected devices.

Frequently Asked Questions on Airpods having GPS

Q. Can external GPS be attached to Airpods?

A. Yes, you can attach external 3rd party GPS devices to your Airpods. Some of these 3rd party GPS devices are miniature. They can be attached to the charging case of your Airpods for easy tracking through their relevant apps or software.

Q. Why is there no GPS in Airpods?

A. There are no GPS devices in Airpods because Apple probably required the Airpods to have minimal components on board and to enhance the Airpod’s power efficiency. Also, Apple had already developed a way to track the Airpods without GPS, so they didn’t see the need for it.

Q. Can I track my Airpods if they are connected to an Android device?

A. No, you can’t track your Airpods if they are connected to an android device. Apple uses the FIND MY app and other Apple services to find your Airpods. This app and relevant Apple services cannot be found on an android device. So, without them, tracking Airpods is almost impossible.

Q. How does Apple show an Airpods last known location without GPS?

A. Apple uses a connected iPhone’s GPS technology to pull its last known location. The location on the map of the “FIND MY” app is the last place where the Airpods were in the range of a connected Apple device with an iCloud account. You can try to connect to the Airpods when you get to the location to find it via sounding.

Wrap up

Tracking your Airpods is relatively easy, as discussed in this article. The article also outlined the steps necessary to achieve it.

If you have questions regarding GPS on Airpods, kindly leave them in the comment section. Thanks for reading.

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