Just as it promised earlier this year, via its June WWDC event, Apple has now brought true Find My support to AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, and it changes the game completely. We might not get quite the same level of location tracking as we would by slapping an AirTag into those things, but it's fairly close. And it could reunite some people with lost earbuds and headphones, which is pretty great.
With new software updates installed, AirPods Pro — still the best wireless earbuds in my opinion — and AirPods Max will appear in the Find My app, with accurate location data, even when outside of Bluetooth range. When I say accurate, note that it's more accurate than normal, but still not quite AirTag levels of hotness. You won't be able to follow an on-screen arrow that takes you to your Apple Music-makers, but you'll at least be told when you're closer to them than you were.
One big improvement will be the new Lost mode, giving users the chance to set a phone number or other contact details that will be displayed should someone come within touching distance of them. But, of course, at that point, we're left hoping that those same people are the salt of the Earth and that they will do the right thing. Fingers crossed that they will!
Another benefit of this change is a feature that will notify people when they leave their AirPods behind, just like any AirTag. That's a biggie, especially if you're one of those people always leaving their AirPods behind when heading out the door!
While all of this is cool, the big thing here is that this is yet another example of what makes Apple's hardware and software integration so important. Anyone living inside the Apple ecosystem – or using something blessed by Apple – has access to these kinds of features that aren't available to other manufacturers. It might drive some in the business crazy, but it's what allows Apple to add features that not only make for a good bullet point on a spec sheet but change the way people use these things.
And hey, let's be real here – anyone who gets their AirPods Max back after leaving them at a park because of these kinds of features is going to be very happy they exist.
