How to Reset AirTag?

To reset an AirTag, remove the battery and reinsert it five times in a row. Press down on the polished steel cover and rotate counterclockwise to open it, take the battery out, then put it back in and press until you hear a chime — repeating this five times. The fifth chime sounds different, which confirms the reset. Then close the cover.

Full reset steps:

1. Remove it from your Apple ID first if you can. Open the Find My app → Items tab → select the AirTag → scroll down → Remove Item. An AirTag still linked to another Apple ID cannot be paired by anyone else.
2. Press down firmly on the stainless-steel back cover and rotate counterclockwise until it stops.
3. Lift off the cover and take out the CR2032 battery.
4. Reinsert the battery, pressing until you hear a chime.
5. Repeat four more times (five insertions in total). Listen carefully — the fifth chime is noticeably different from the first four.
6. Replace the cover, aligning the three tabs with the slots, press down, and rotate clockwise until it stops.

The AirTag is now unpaired and ready to be set up as new.

How to replace the AirTag battery: This is the same access procedure, and it's the thing people ask about most.

• AirTags use a CR2032 lithium coin battery, available in any supermarket or pharmacy.
• Press and twist the cover counterclockwise, swap the battery in positive (+) side up, and close it.
• Avoid batteries with a bitterant coating. Some CR2032s are coated with a bitter substance to deter children from swallowing them, and that coating can stop the battery making proper contact. If your new battery doesn't work, this is usually why.
• Your iPhone shows a "Battery low" notification for that AirTag when it's time.

Can you charge an AirTag? No. This is a common misconception. AirTags are not rechargeable — there's no port and no charging pad. When the battery runs out, you replace it. The upside is that a battery lasts about one year of normal use.

How to set up (pair) an AirTag:

1. Pull the plastic tab out of a new AirTag to activate the battery — you'll hear a chime.
2. Hold it near your unlocked iPhone or iPad. A setup card slides up automatically.
3. Tap Connect.
4. Choose a name from the list (Keys, Wallet, Backpack) or select Custom Name and add an emoji.
5. Tap Continue, then Done. It's registered to your Apple ID and appears under Items in Find My.

If the setup card doesn't appear: make sure Bluetooth is on, Find My iPhone is enabled, you're signed in to iCloud, and you're within a few inches. Restarting the iPhone resolves most cases. If it says the AirTag is linked to another Apple ID, its previous owner must remove it from their account.

How AirTags actually work: an AirTag has no GPS. It broadcasts a secure Bluetooth signal that any nearby Apple device picks up anonymously and relays its location to iCloud — this is the Find My network, made up of roughly a billion devices worldwide. That's why an AirTag works well in populated areas and poorly somewhere remote with no Apple devices around. iPhone 11 and later also support Precision Finding, which uses the U1 ultra-wideband chip to give you an arrow and distance when you're close.

To refresh a location, open Find My and pull down on the Items list. The location only updates when some Apple device passes near the AirTag, so a stale location means nothing has been nearby.

Unwanted tracking: iPhones automatically alert you if an unknown AirTag is travelling with you, and an AirTag separated from its owner will start beeping after a period. Android users can install Apple's Tracker Detect app to scan manually.