AirPod question (bit of a mystery one)

[Theteenagerera]

DD 13 lost her AirPods last July, she isn’t particularly careful with her things and we (grumpily) put it down to her leaving them on a bus or falling out a back pocket although she has always maintained that the last time she seen them was in the house.

Had a few glasses of wine last night while talking to an old friend on the phone and she came down shrieking that her phone had randomly connected to her AirPods and she had tracked the sound to what she sounded like in the loft…

We did move house and DD had her new bedroom decorated at the start of the summer so it isn’t completely out of the realms of possibility that they could have ended up there…

Was very pleased and happy for her but said definitely a today problem and DH would go up and have a look, which he has and with no joy, even more frustratingly. despite the AirPods showing at 100% charged last night, they have stopped connecting and so no way to follow the sound.

DD is autistic and has completely fixated on the AirPods since last night and is now on round number 4 of ransacking her room to try and find them and is saying DH has not looked properly in the loft and needs to go back up.

I just wish I had gone upstairs when she told me that she could hear the find me alert and at least try and pinpoint where the alert was coming from, DD said definitely coming from her room (as couldn’t hear it outside of her room) and at one point thought that they might even be outside as seemed to be louder near the window but she still is sure that most likely the loft…

To add a little bit extra drama to the saga, DD said that just before they stopped connecting a warning came up on her phone saying that the AirPods were being used with an unfamiliar device and to be careful of volume when putting into her ears. (though for the record think this is much more likely a technical glitch rather than DD’s explanation that we might have someone living in our loft that has found them and used them!! 😂)

Before DD drives me crazy or I have to send DH up to the loft to pull down countless boxes that they likely aren’t even in can anyone give me suggestions of how I could try to connect the devices or a reasonable suggestion to when they might be and also (just for curiosity why after 7 months of being lost they have suddenly managed to connect and show within range to her phone!)

Does she have a sibling?
Otherwise I suppose they could have been knocked by a squirrel or similar in the loft and that caused them to 'switch' on, and now the battery is flat.
Or she accidentally knocked an object which knock the pods and again caused them to 'switch' on. Can she remember exactly where she was sat/stood when the pods connected?

She does, two sister but their both have their own (DD’s are the pro’s so completely different shape case)

We have had squirrels in the loft recently so it’s interesting that you said that but not for month or so and weird that they only connected for a few hours last night in the 8 months since she last had them.

She was lying on her bed on her side and has tried to recreate the same position today with no luck. DH has suggested that she try connecting tonight at the same time and see if anything happens.

Just all quite weird.

We are still looking!!

What was the outcome of this OP?

Still no outcome, iPods are still lost and haven’t connected to DD’s phone again..

A really spooky one!!

Ah well sorry they’re lost but thank you for updating!

I lost my AirPods after a trip to Thorpe Park. The ‘Find My’ app showed them still there, so I badgered their switchboard for weeks, asking if they’d been handed in.
I found them three months later, at home, in the rucksack I’d taken with me (which I rarely use and just chucked in the cupboard).

It seems unfeasible that the AirPods Case would have sufficient charge to communicate after 7 months, furthermore indicating 100 % charge.

I find it hard to offer an explanation, but can suggest these (not very helpful) scenarios.

1. She imagined it
2. Sibling has it and charged it.
3. Phone connected to a different AP, (was the name distinctive?)
4. It's plugged into a charger under her bed etc.

Bit of a log shot, but you might be able to confirm its presents with a Bluetooth Sniffer, such as Bluetooth Inspector, BLE Device on iOS. (similar exists for Mac OS, Windows and Android)

e.g. I am able to "see" my AirPods, and I haven't used them for a couple of weeks.

Good hunting!