During the existence of Apple branded headphones, 10 people, if not more, have already contacted me with a question about lost headphones. This does not surprise me at all, because AirPods are one of the smallest accessories from Apple, which means that it is very easy to lose them. It is important to understand that, according to the law, the headphones must be returned to their owner as soon as possible. And if he is not found, is it possible to keep the headphones for yourself? Can you connect your lost AirPods to your smartphone? What to do if you find only one earpiece? What if you find the complete set? All this and I propose to talk in our article.
What to do if you find AirPods
The most common situation. You are walking down the street and suddenly find one AirPods on asphalt. Of course, you pick it up. You never know whether a car will pass over them or one of the passers-by will take them.
The first thing you need to do is wait for the person who lost the earpiece in the same place. If one earphone is lost, it is likely that the person will find it missing very soon. Personally, I have faced this situation more than once. You find a thing, you stay in the same place and after 15 minutes a person with an upset face comes and asks if anyone found AirPods.
Let’s assume the owner never showed up. What then? According to Article 227 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the finder of the lost thing is obliged:
- Attempt to notify the person immediatelywho has lost the thing, or any other person known to him who is able to return the thing to its owner. In case of finding a thing in a transport or a room, it is necessary to transfer the thing either to the driver or to the person who represents the owner of this room.
- If it was not possible to notify the owner or other persons, it is necessary write a statement to the police or local authorities.
- You can keep the item with you or deposit it with the police or the relevant authorities as you wish.
- In the event that the owner is found, you will only be liable for damage or loss in the event of intent or gross negligence.
It is also important to pay attention to Article 228 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. According to her, you can keep the thing to yourself if from the time you filed a police report more than 6 months have passed, and the owner has not reported this to either the police or the local authorities. You can connect them in the most classic way.
Please note that the owner will have to prove that this earphone is his. It will be extremely difficult to do this with one earpiece. It is necessary to indicate the distinguishing features: scratches, abrasions, etc. Plus, remember that AirPods don’t have a serial number on them.. It is only on the case. It will be extremely difficult to prove belonging, but still it is real.
If the earphone is found, do not forget about the right to compensation. You have the right to demand a reward from the owner of the earphone in the amount of up to 20% of the cost. In the case of AirPods Pro – up to about 5 thousand rubles.
What to do if you find an AirPods case
On the top cover of the right earbud, the AirPods case has a serial number. If the owner has a check or a box, then he can easily identify the lost headset. Do not forget that he also has the right to file a complaint about the theft, in which you, if you fail to appear at the police station, will be guilty. The punishment can be very severe.
Plus, the real owner can easily claim that the headphones were inside at the time of loss and accuse you of stealing the AirPods themselves. It is difficult to get rid of this, so it would be best to contact the police right now or leave the case where it was.
Theoretically, you can take it for yourself and use it as a second case in case the first one runs out. Well, or sell. But I think that few people will agree to this. When I bathed my AirPods in the water, I tried to find one earphone on Avito. Monitored various offers for more than 3 months. You know, there aren’t many of them around here. And they are very reluctant to buy.
Found a case with AirPods headphones
If you find a case with headphones, then try connecting them to your iPhone. The fact is that in most cases the name of the headphones is the same as the name of the owner. So you can get some data that will help the owner find the loss.
Find out the AirPods name can be done in the following way:
- Put both earbuds into the charging case.
- Bring your Bluetooth-enabled iPhone close to it.
- Press and hold the button behind the headphones.
- Next, a splash screen with AirPods will appear on the iPhone, where the device name will be indicated.
This will help you find out at least some information about the owner. If you go to the police, be sure to tell the staff about the name of the device. This can seriously help in his search. Plus, after 6 months, you will be able to connect your AirPods with this guide.
One of our readers in the comments to this article said that he uses his phone number as a name. I think it’s a good way to protect your headphones. In any case, the one who found them will know where to turn.
AirPods stolen. What to do
Find Lost AirPods is not an easy task. Sometimes it happens that you yourself don’t know if you lost your headphones or they were stolen. To get started, try looking for them in the classic old-fashioned way. Remember where you could leave them: with neighbors, in a cafe, at the airport, and so on. Maybe the headphones are even close to you.
If you have lost one earpiece, then things are bad. I recommend immediately contacting the police for help, but this cannot guarantee you a 100% find. If you have lost your headphone case or the complete set, things are a little easier here. To start from the opposite, read the instructions above: write a statement to the police, return to the place where you saw the headphones for the last time. In addition, be sure turn on AirPods Lost Mode.
How to turn on Lost Mode AirPods
If this does not fall under your situation, try activating Lost Mode .. We have already talked about it more than once, but practice shows that many users still ignore it.
To Turn on Lost Mode on AirPodsYou need:
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, or follow the link.
- Go to the Devices tab in the bottom panel.
- Find AirPods in the list of devices and see them on the map.
- Select Activate under Mark as lost.
- Follow the instructions on the screen.
Now the owner of Apple equipment will pass by your headphones, his device will be able to fix the location of your AirPods and it will change in the Latitude application. So you will know where to look for the loss.
Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask them in the comments below or in our Telegram chat, it will be interesting to read.
