You can go directly through Apple, or buy first- and third-party replacements at retailers.
Thanks to their simplicity and easy integration with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac, AirPods are among our favorite Apple products. However, they can be easily misplaced when you’re out jogging or your devoted dog thinks they’re a crunchy treat, as is the case with all wireless devices.
Do you bravely go on using a single pod, or is there a way to purchase just one pair of Apple’s earbuds? You’ll be relieved to learn that a solution exists, and in this article we’ll show you how to replace a lost AirPod.
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How to Replace Your Lost AirPods?
Go Directly through Apple
Have an issue with a misplaced case or an errant AirPod? You have a few replacement options, including going through Apple’s support page directly. Unfortunately, you’ll need to pay a pretty decent price for replacement earbuds and cases, which aren’t covered by Apple’s AppleCare+ for Headphones plan.
Replacement AirPods Pro earbuds are available for $89 each, $99 for the wireless charging case, and $4 for a single set of ear tips. For the standard AirPods, the price per earbud is $69, the cost of the standard charging case is $59, and the wireless charging case costs $79 (all prices are in US dollars). The Beats Studio Buds ($79 for each earbud and for the charging case) and the PowerBeats Pro ($99 for each earbud and for the charging case) are also eligible for this replacement service.
Buy First- and Third-party Replacements at Retailers
You’ll pretty much have to go through Apple to replace an individual AirPod, save for a handful of eBay listings. If you choose to take that route, keep in mind that many of these listings are for reconditioned models that may have previously been used by someone else. Thankfully, there are a few more options available, both from Apple and other companies, for your case and eartip replacement.
You can get Apple’s wireless charging case for the standard AirPods for $67 on Amazon right now. The AirPods Pro case isn’t sold on its own at most retailers, but there are a few decently well-reviewed third-party AirPods Pro cases out there (including this $37 model). Just be aware that we can’t guarantee their dependability since we haven’t tested them.
- AirPods Wireless Charging Case
- TBGHz AirPods Pro compatible case
Finding AirPods Pro ear tip replacements around the web is much easier, with lots of popular options out there, like this $12 set that gets you six total pairs, or this $25 black foam option that gives you a different look and feel from Apple’s tips.
- Link Dream 12-piece AirPods Pro ear tips set
- Comply Foam AirPods Pro Black ear tips
Tips for Finding a Lost AirPod
With iOS 10.3, Apple added Find my AirPods to the Find My iPhone app. The good news is that since it uses Bluetooth, you can locate the AirPods even if they are far away from an Apple device that is logged into your iCloud account.
Open the Find My iPhone app on any iOS device running iOS 10.3 or higher (or through iCloud.com) and choose your AirPods from the list to accomplish this. The live location of your AirPods and a helpful button to locate them will be displayed in-app if they are close to one of your Apple devices.
To make your AirPods start chirping and become easier to find, you can tap Actions and then Play Sound in the Find My iPhone app’s AirPods section.
But what if you only lost one bud and still have the other one in your ear? You won’t go deaf because you have the option to mute either earbud through the app, and even if someone else has them in their ears, the volume will gradually increase so as not to annoy them right away.
But what if the case and the earbuds are both broken? The app will identify the last place where it could detect a Bluetooth signal, even though you won’t be able to get a live location.
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How Do You Set Up Replacement AirPods?
To set up your new replacement AirPods, follow these steps:
- Go into Bluetooth settings on your phone and choose “forget this device”
- Put your AirPods in the charging case, and wait for the light to turn amber
- Hold the setup button until the light flashes white
- Go to the home screen of your phone and open the charging case
- you should get a pop-up notification prompting you to set up your AirPods
You can always get a replacement AirPods, even if you accidentally ran over them with a bike or dropped them into a deep ravine. The tiny object might escape your control, but it won’t leave your ear.
How to Find Your Lost Earbuds?
It is worthwhile to make an effort to locate the lost items before spending money on a new case or set of replacement earbuds. Fortunately, most high-end earbuds have some sort of tracking feature that lets you check their approximate location on your phone. Here are a few of your options; keep in mind that you’ll need to turn on location tracking on your phone in some capacity for each one of them.
- Apple: Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to find your AirPods or Beats headphones. Then, choose Devices from the menu at the bottom of the screen to see a list of all the paired devices you have, along with a map showing their most recent tracked location and the time at which it was last ping. This also works for select third-party earbuds that are Find My compatible, such as the Belkin Soundform Freedom.
- Samsung:On your Android phone, launch the Galaxy Wearable app and choose Find My Earbuds to locate your Galaxy Buds. You will then be prompted to download Samsung’s SmartThings app, which will display the last known location of your buds on a map. Although only available for the Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live, the Find My Earbuds feature is present in the Galaxy Buds app for iOS.
- Jabra:Select Find My Jabra in the Jabra Sound+ app on your iOS or Android device. The location of your earbuds’ most recent connection to your phone will be displayed on a map along with the time of their last connection.
- Bose:Using the Bose Connect app for iOS and Android, you can locate your lost Bose earbuds (like the QuietComfort or Bose Sport).
