How to Find Your Lost or Stolen Galaxy Buds in Any Situation

We walk you through some practical advice on how to find your lost Galaxy Buds, whether they are connected or not.

As true wireless earbuds, Galaxy Buds are also susceptible to suddenly popping out of user’s ears while on the move or simply getting lost because of their small build. And if you’re here, that means you’ve figured this out the hard way.

Unfortunately, locating your lost Galaxy Buds isn’t straightforward, especially because of the different variables — such as the different companion apps available, model compatibility, and even the Buds’ current status (whether they’re connected or not).

That’s why, we’ve compiled a list of solutions to help you locate your Samsung Galaxy Buds, Buds+, Buds Pro, Buds Live, or Buds 2 in any situation. Plus, some additional tips on how to prevent your Buds from getting lost again. Let’s get right to it!

How to Find Galaxy Buds When Connected

If your Galaxy Buds are paired to your smartphone, accidentally misplacing them should not be a headache, especially with the Galaxy Wearable and SmartThings app.

While the Galaxy Wearable app is designed to connect smartphones with wearable devices like earbuds and smartwatches, it can also help find lost Galaxy Buds, similar to Apple’s Find My app.

On the other hand, the SmartThings app’s main purpose is to sync and control all your smart home devices. This includes the SmartThings Find feature, a refined version of the Galaxy Wearable’s ‘Find My Earbuds’, which can help you locate a range of SmartThings-compatible devices.

Using the ‘Find My Earbuds’ feature

This is a handy feature that helps you to easily find your Galaxy Buds – the same way you would use Find My app on your iPhone to find lost or stolen AirPods.

If your Galaxy Buds get lost or stolen, you can locate them using the following steps:

1. Open the Galaxy Wearable app on your mobile device.

   

2. Go to Find My Earbuds.

   

3. Tap Start to commence the search. This will prompt your earbuds to start beeping.

   

4. Tap Stop once you find them.

   

Using the ‘SmartThings Find’ feature

Unlike the Find My Earbuds feature, the SmartThings Find feature uses both the IR sensor and GPS to locate the Buds. This allows the app to find the earbuds more accurately and offer more features than the ‘Find My Earbuds’ feature on the Galaxy Wearable App.

However, this is only compatible with Buds+, Buds Live, and Buds Pro.

Here’s how to use SmartThings Find to locate your missing Galaxy Buds:

1. On your mobile device, open the Galaxy Wearable app.

   

2. Select Find My Earbuds. The SmartThings Find will automatically open and show the most recent detected location of the Buds.

   

3. Here, you can either choose Ring or Navigate. “Ring” will make the earbuds play a gradually increasing beeping sound. And “Navigate” will open Google Maps and direct you to the GPS location of the buds.
   Ring is best for when the earbuds are within proximity, while Navigate is best for when the earbuds are in a place farther away.

   

If only one of the Buds is missing, you can tap the speaker icon below the other Bud to mute it so you can hear the sound of the lost one.

How to Find Galaxy Buds When Not Connected

Your Galaxy Buds will be undiscoverable or disconnected if:

• The battery is dead
• They are out of the stipulated 32 feet Bluetooth range
• They are inside the case
• The IR sensor is blocked

When the Buds are unreachable to your mobile device, the beeping sound will not play when you try to locate them.

So, does this mean that you won’t be able to find them? No. Even when disconnected, the last known location of the Buds will still be active, and you will also see when it was last updated.

Here are a few simple steps to locate your Galaxy Buds when they’re not connected:

1. Open the Galaxy Wearable app on your tablet or phone.

   

2. Select Find My Earbuds; the SmartThings Find will open and display the last recorded location of the Buds.

   

3. Tap on Navigate to trace the last detected location of the Buds using Google Maps, together with the time when they were last visible.

   

4. Once you get to the pinned location, tap Search Nearby. The app will start scanning for the Buds and notify you if it detects them. Try moving around the area for better chances of finding them.

   

Can You Find Lost Galaxy Buds Case?

No, you cannot find your lost Galaxy Buds case using the SmartThings Find or Find My Earbuds.

Unlike the Galaxy Buds, it has no Bluetooth connectivity to your phone or tablet. Consequently, the SmartThings or Galaxy Wearable apps will not be able to locate it.

The only way to find the Galaxy Buds case if you’ve misplaced it is by retracing your steps. If you last used the Buds case in the office, in the car, or at a friend’s place, your best bet is to go back and try and look around for the case more diligently.

If, however, you’re unable to find your case, you’ll have to purchase a replacement from Samsung for a fee.

Here’s a breakdown of what you should expect:

Alternatively, you may get a refurbished one at a lower price from third-party sources, such as eBay. But, while you may save some cash by going for third-party alternatives, there’s no guarantee on the quality of the replacement case you may get.

How NOT to Lose Your Galaxy Buds

The best way to ensure you find your Galaxy Buds where you last used them is to avoid misplacing them altogether! You can do this by either purchasing a SmartTag or activating the Notify When Left Behind feature.

With these features, you won’t have to worry about losing your Buds. In case you do misplace your Buds, you’lll instantly get notifications alerting you of the same and can track them easily.

Let’s look at how both these features work:

Enable the ‘Notify When Left Behind’ feature

The Notify When Left Behind feature allows the Galaxy Buds to send notifications to your mobile phone every time you leave them behind. Therefore, if you accidentally forget or drop them, you will immediately get alerted so you can look for them.

Use the steps below to set up and use this feature:

1. Connect the Galaxy Buds to your device.
   If you’re having trouble, check out our guide on what to do when Galaxy Buds won’t connect.
2. Open the SmartThings app on your smartphone, then go to Devices>Galaxy Buds>Find Device.

   

3. Select Notify When Left Behind to configure.

   

4. Tap Add Safe Place, enter the name of your preferred location, and mark it as safe on the map.
   A safe place is where you don’t want to receive notifications should you leave the Buds there – like your home or office.

Purchase a SmartTag

The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag is a Bluetooth-enabled tracking device. You can locate anything attached to this device using the SmartThings Find feature on your smartphone.

As with Apple’s AirTags, you can attach SmartTags to your Galaxy Buds case, car keys, handbag, or laptop bag and then locate the items using your smartphone if you misplace them. This device can be of great help in preventing you from losing your Buds case.

The SmartTag uses Bluetooth 5.0 and is discoverable within a 120m radius. If you lose the case with the tracker, you can find it by tapping on Ring from the SmartThings app on your smartphone, and it will play a beeping sound.

If the case is out of the 120m radius, you can get to its location using the Navigation feature of Google Maps. Here is how to set up and use the SmartTag:

Setting up the SmartTag

Before you start tracking your Buds case, you need to synchronize your SmartTag with the SmartThings app on your mobile device. Setting up is easy and takes only a few minutes.

After updating the app, follow these simple steps to connect your SmartTag:

1. Open the SmartThings app on your smartphone, then turn on your new SmartTag by pressing its button.

   

2. You will see a pop-up on your smartphone; tap on Add Now. If you don’t see a pop-up, tap the + sign, then Devices, select the Samsung brand and tap SmartTag.

   

3. Accept the terms and conditions to proceed.
4. Tap Start, then choose device Location and Room. Select On The Go for your Buds case under the Room dropdown.

   

5. Click the button on the SmartTag to confirm and complete the setup. The process will finish in a short while.

   

6. Name the SmartTag, preferably after the attached device(Galaxy Buds case).

   

7. Tap on Done; your SmartTag is ready.

   

Tracking the SmartTag

Next time you misplace your Buds case with a SmartTag on, don’t panic. You will be able to locate it using your smartphone in a few steps as follows:

1. Launch the SmartThings app on your mobile device.

   

2. Select your missing SmartTag.

   

3. Tap View Map.

   

Now, you can use these options:

• Search Nearby: if you are not far from the SmartTag, tap on Search Nearby, and the app will scan and locate the tag.
• Navigate: if the location of your SmartTag on the map is far from you, tap Navigate. Google Maps will automatically open and guide you to where your Buds case is through GPS Navigation.
• Ring: once you get to the location, you can tap Ring. The SmartTag will start playing a beeping sound. Listen to the sound to locate your Galaxy Buds case and tap on Stop to end the search.

Conclusion

Without cords, the Galaxy Buds can easily get lost while you’re going about your day-to-day activities. So, being able to locate them using smart tools and features is something that can be of great relief to any Galaxy Buds owner.

Whether the Find My Earbuds feature, the SmartThings Find feature, or even the Notify when left behind feature, Samsung has truly effective options for both iOS and Android users seeking to better secure and locate their lost or stolen Buds.

So, the next time you reach for your Galaxy Buds and can’t find them, don’t stress yourself. Make sure you have the Galaxy Wearables or the SmartThings app on (depending on your device) and simply follow the instructions in the guide.

Which of our suggested solutions did you find most helpful? What are your experiences with lost Galaxy Buds and replacements? Tell us more!