At WWDC Apple announced AirPods compatibility with their ‘Find My’ network. This will enable users to locate and track lost AirPods even when they’re out of the Bluetooth range of the users own devices. Much how AirTags work. Now several new details have emerged.
The new feature works by tethering the AirPods in question to your Apple ID. It’s still possible to pair your AirPods with another person’s Apple devices but they’ll remain tethered to your own Apple ID. This was discovered by some code in iOS 15 though Apple has yet to officially disclose this.
Interestingly to unpair the AirPods from your Apple ID, a novel unpairing process must be followed. On AirPods Max, you need to press and hold the Digital Crown and noise cancellation button for 12 seconds. On AirPods Pro, you need to cover the speaker grills and press the force sensor on the stems three times.
A firmware update will be required to enable this functionality in addition to iOS/iPadOS 15 due later this year. Now in their fifth beta, it’s likely that the new updates will arrive in September.
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Featured image: Matt Birchler via Unsplash