To turn off the AirPods “left behind” notification on an iPhone, open the Find My app, tap Devices, tap your AirPods, tap Notify When Left Behind, and turn it off. If you still want alerts in most places, add your home or office as a Trusted Location instead.
This guide follows Apple’s iPhone User Guide pages on setting separation alerts in Find My and removing a device from Find My, plus Apple’s article on Announce Notifications with AirPods. It covers turning the alert off, keeping it with Trusted Locations, why you might still get alerts, and other AirPods notifications you can quiet.
What the Left Behind Alert Is
Apple calls these separation alerts. When one is set up, Find My notifies you if you walk away from a device and leave it behind. Apple says you can set them up for AirPods that have the Find My network turned on, as well as for an iPhone, iPad, or Mac with Apple silicon.
How to Turn Off the AirPods Left Behind Alert
- Open the Find My app.
- Tap Devices at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap your AirPods in the list.
- Under Notify Me, tap Notify When Left Behind.
- Turn off Notify When Left Behind.
- Tap Done.
Result: You stop getting alerts when you leave those AirPods behind. Your AirPods still show up in Find My, so you can locate them if they go missing.
Keep the Alert but Stop It at Home
Apple describes a Trusted Location as a place where you can leave a device without getting an alert.
- Follow steps 1 through 4 above.
- Leave Notify When Left Behind turned on.
- Choose a suggested location, or tap New Location, pick a spot on the map, and tap Done.
Result: You won’t get alerts when the AirPods are at that location, but you’ll still get one if you leave them somewhere else.
Why You Might Still Get Alerts
- Apple says you can only set up a separation alert from the device that’s sharing your location, and you get an alert every time that device separates from the one you set an alert for. If you have more than one Apple device, check the setting from the one that shares your location.
- If you have more than one set of AirPods, each set has its own Notify When Left Behind setting in the Devices list.
- AirTags and other items have their own separation alerts, set in the Items list rather than Devices.
Other Ways to Quiet AirPods Notifications
- Announce Notifications: If Siri reads your messages aloud through your AirPods, go to Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications and turn it off. Apple notes you can also choose which notifications Siri announces, or add the control to Control Center for quick access.
- All Find My alerts: Apple notes that separation alerts require notifications to be allowed for the Find My app. Turning off notifications for Find My in Settings > Notifications stops these alerts, but also stops other Find My notifications, so use it carefully.
- Remove the AirPods from Find My: If you no longer use a pair, Apple says to put them in their case and close the lid, then in Find My tap Devices, tap the AirPods, and tap Remove. Apple notes they reappear the next time they’re paired with your iPhone or iPad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off the alert stop Find My from locating my AirPods?
No. The alert setting only controls the separation notification. Your AirPods stay in your Devices list unless you remove them.
Can I set a Trusted Location for my office and home?
Yes. In the Notify When Left Behind screen, you can choose suggested locations or add new ones with New Location.
Related: how to turn off notification badges on iPhone.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.