Apple provides AirPods owners with more than one way to track and find their missing wireless earbuds, but only under certain conditions. Although pinpointing the particular location of the earbuds themselves is possible, doing the same for its charging case is another story. In 2019, Apple introduced consumers to two new AirPods models and although there are differences between them, there's not when it comes to tracking.
The second-generation AirPods and the AirPods Pro came with a proprietary system-in-a-package equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 and Apple's new H1 chip. This gave Apple's ubiquitous headphones improved latency and even better performance. However, these notable upgrades don't necessarily make them any less prone to ending up in places where they shouldn't. As all AirPods share a completely wireless design, that makes misplacing them a common occurrence.
Apple provides AirPods users with the option to track their lost earbuds through either an iPhone app or any web browser. Using Apple's Find My app or visiting the iCloud website, users can see the last known location on a map. If separated, it's impossible to track both AirPods earbuds at the same time, though. If users want to locate the second earpiece after finding the first, they will need to put the found one in the case and then refresh the map so that it updates with the location of the one that's still missing. The question now is, how can this be done if both buds were lost while they're still charging inside their case?
Tracking A Lost AirPods Case Is Not Possible
While there are fixes for many AirPod problems, there isn't much of a solution for a missing charging case. Simply put, Apple states that, as long as the earbuds are inside their respective charging case, users won't be able to see the location of their missing AirPods or AirPods Pro devices. The only AirPods model that can be located when still inside its case is the larger, headphones variant, the AirPods Max.
The reason earbuds can be tracked and not the case comes down to the design. AirPods are equipped with sensors that help Apple triangulate their location on the map. In contrast, the charging case only holds extra battery and additional components needed for wireless charging, and neither help in determining location. Furthermore, AirPod features are basically disabled the moment they're placed inside their case, which makes identifying their location even more unlikely than when the earbuds and the case are separated from each other. Of course, one possible solution is to buy an AirTag tracker and somehow attach that to the case, as this will then allow the AirTag to be tracked even when Apple's AirPods case can't.
Source: Apple