Question: can you connect to someone's airpods without them knowing?
Answer: Yes, it is absolutely possible to use someone else's AirPods. The issue you'll need to deal with is pairing. ... If you take “X's” AirPods and use them with your device, they'll be renamed as “Y Person's AirPods”. They'll work fine for you, but “X's” device won't “see” them and automatically pair with them anymore.