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Apple’s AirPods are some of the best earbuds out there, so many people understandably use them. However, plenty of audiophiles opt for different earbuds, even if they use other Apple devices. Let’s say you’re one of these people and you suddenly see the notification “AirPods Detected Near You.” Since you don’t own any, they can’t be yours, so why did you get the notification? Is someone using their tracking software to spy on you? You can probably breathe easy — most likely, it’s just a quirk of your Apple product.
According to Apple Support, all modern AirPods use the Find My network program, which is how you can find them if you lose them in the first place. This system also works with non-Apple devices, such as Ridge Wallet Tracker Cards and the Satechi FindAll Glasses Case. Once you pair any item with your app, you can use the Find My app to locate your lost property. However, the system isn’t perfect, and it can accidentally think lost items are traveling with you. When this happens, you will receive the notification mentioned above. More often than not, you were probably meeting a friend who had AirPods, or you came into contact with other AirPods users while you walked around, and the Find My network accidentally assumed the AirPods were yours.
To be fair, Apple Support does address the possibility that someone could potentially use the Find My network to track your location. In fact, the tracking alert was designed to tell you if someone is using the system to shadow your movements. So while it is always possible that an “AirPods Detected Near You” notification indicates someone is misusing the earbuds and the Find My app, the probability of that being the case is probably low.
How to ensure you’re not being tracked
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You’re probably used to turning off unwanted notifications on most of your devices and services. After all, spam calls and calls from unknown numbers are super annoying, and most people don’t want to receive these calls. However, while the odds that somebody uses AirPods to track you are small, they’re never exactly zero, so you might want to turn these notifications on if you’re concerned about that possibility.
To turn on the Find My tracking alerts, go to the Settings menu in your iPhone or iPad. Select Privacy & Security, followed by Location Services. Toggle that option so it is on. Next, scroll down, tap on System Services, then toggle Significant Locations so it notifies you when you arrive at important destinations, such as your home or work. Go back to the Settings menu, tap on Notifications, then Tracking Notifications, and turn on Allow Notifications. You will only receive these alerts if your Bluetooth is on and Airplane Mode is off. Also, the Find My network through Bluetooth is only compatible with iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 or later.
If you receive an “AirPods Detected Near You” notification, you can tap on it and turn the alerts off, either for a day or forever. You can also disable the Find My network functionality of an item you don’t own by opening the Find My app, tapping on Items, and then selecting Instructions to Disable. The steps vary depending on the specific device. However, you can only do this if you have the device with you — which might mean someone was trying to track your location. If that happens, you should check to make sure the device is actually yours and not someone else’s you grabbed by mistake.
