There’s an easy trick for locating your lost AirPods — here’s how to use it

So, you lost your AirPods. Now what?

At $159, it’s not exactly cheap to buy a new pair. Even an individual AirPod – or case – can run you $69 to replace.

But before pulling out your credit card, it’s worth trying to track them down first. Even if you think they’re gone forever, Apple’s technology may still be able to help you.

Here’s how to track down your lost AirPods using Apple’s Find My iPhone service.

There's one important thing to know before you get started: This feature will not work if your AirPods are dead, out of range, or if they're in their case with the lid closed.

This feature also won't work if you didn't turn on the Find My iPhone app before you lost your AirPods.

However, it may be possible to use the app to track down your AirPods inside their charging case, so long as it's left open.

If you lose your AirPods outside of their case, it's possible you can track them down using Find My iPhone. The service works for all your Apple devices, not just your iPhone.

There are two ways to get started: you can either do it on your iPhone or iPad (or iPod touch), or on desktop.

If you're using a computer:

1. Open iCloud.com
2. Sign in (you'll need your Apple ID and password for this)
3. Click on the icon that says "Find iPhone"
4. Click on "All Devices" and look for AirPods in the drop-down device list

If you're using your iPhone or iPad:

1. Locate the Find My iPhone app
2. Sign in using your Apple ID
3. You should see a list with all your connected Apple devices, including AirPods.

Once you're logged in and looking at your device list, you should see a bunch of colored dots. These dots tell you the status of each device.

• A blue dot signifies the device that you're currently using
• A green dot means that the device is online
• A gray dot means that the device is offline. This could mean a variety of things, including that the device has run out of battery, is turned off, or is out of range. Still, the map should be able to show you where it was last connected. In the case of AirPods, if they eventually comes back online, you'll get a notification on whatever device you use them with.

If you lost your AirPods in two separate places, don't worry: the app will let you find one at a time.

You'll only be able to see one AirPod at a time on the map. Once you find the AirPod the map is showing you, put it in its case - once you refresh the map, it should show you where the other one is.

Once you get close to your missing AirPods, you can have them play a sound — so long as they're connected to Bluetooth and you have another Apple device with you.

• If you're using iCloud.com, look for the button that says "Play Sound" in the upper right corner.
• If you're using Find My iPhone, tap Actions > Play Sound.

The sound will play for two minutes, getting gradually louder during that time. Once you find them, you can stop the sound.

If you still can't find your AirPods, you can pay to have them replaced.

You can either head into an Apple Store or start a service request online to replace them.

It will cost you $69 to replace an individual AirPod, and $69 to replace the case.