Apple finally released iOS 10.3 to the public just as expected, introducing a number of new features into the mix — including the highly anticipated Find My AirPods feature.
The Apple AirPods have stirred great interest ever since they were announced, albeit the long delays until launch caused some serious frustration among fans. The wireless earbuds finally hit the scene late last year aiming to offer a superior audio experience without the inconvenience of tangling wires, and Apple now has a solution in case users misplace their AirPods.
Find My AirPods With iOS 10.3
Apple already offered a Find My iPhone feature, allowing users to locate their smartphones in case they were lost, stolen or just misplaced. With the new iOS 10.3, Apple has now expanded the functionality to its wireless earphones as well, launching a Find My AirPods feature so that users can quickly locate their misplaced gadgets.
It's worth pointing out, however, that Find My AirPods is not as effective as Find My iPhone, as it's a more watered-down version of the feature. For instance, Find My AirPods works if the AirPods are paired via Bluetooth with the iPhone, which means a rather limited range. That said, if the misplaced AirPods are too far away from the iPhone, the feature won't offer the complete set of tricks but it will still try to locate the earphones as best as it can.
iOS 10.3 Find My AirPods: How It Works
To start using the new Find My AirPods feature, you can access it ether via the Find My iPhone feature on the iPhone or iPad or via the iCloud.com website. Open the app, find AirPods in the list of devices, then proceed to locating them. Find My AirPods will show where the earphones are located on a map, as well as in relation to other Apple products you have.
Moreover, tapping the AirPods icon on the map will offer the option to play a sound from the earphones so you can locate them more easily based on where the sound is coming from. Once you start playing the sound, you will also have an option to mute the left or the right AirPod, or mute the sound altogether if you already figured out where the gadgets are.
The option to mute the left or the right AirPod comes in handy if you've misplaced only one of them, as it makes it easier to track. The sound won't be very loud, but it should suffice to locate the lost earphone if the environment is not overly loud.
Find My AirPods Limitations
Keep in mind, however, that these steps are valid only if the AirPods are not in their case, and they're connected to your iPhone. If one or both AirPods are at some other location that's not connected to the smartphone, the Find My AirPods feature will just show the last known location on a map. In this case, the option to play sound will have a "Sound Pending" message instead of the button to actually start playing a sound from the AirPods. The message will inform you that you will get a notification when the AirPods connect to a paired device.
All in all, the new Find My AirPods feature in iOS 10.3 is good to have and might prove useful in many cases, but don't expect wonders if you've left the AirPods on a bus, for instance.
If you already tried it out, drop by our comments section and tell us how it worked out.
