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How to track your AirTags in Apple's Find My app

Ryan Ariano   

How to track your AirTags in Apple's Find My app
Tech3 min read
  • You can track AirTags attached to your personal items through the Find My app.
  • The Find My app comes preinstalled on all iPhones and iPads, and will lead you to any linked AirTag.
  • If your Find My app is having difficulty locating an AirTag, consider resetting the AirTag battery or replacing it.

Apple's AirTag is a simple tool to help you find things you often misplace - from your keys to your wallet to your purse. Attach them to your

AirTags are small locators that use Bluetooth to signal nearby devices in Apple's Find My network. Attach an AirTag to a personal belonging and it instantly becomes easier to find when misplaced.

You can use AirTags in conjunction with the Find My app for iPhone and iPad. Your AirTag items are viewable on the Find My map, along with your other connected devices.

Quick tip: You can't track your AirTags in Find My over the iCloud website, so you'll need an iPhone or iPad.

How to track AirTags in Find My on your iPhone or iPad

Before anything, make sure that you've actually set up the AirTag and linked it to your Apple ID account via the Find My app. If it's not linked, it won't broadcast any signal.

1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad. It looks like a radar display, with green circles and a blue beam.

2. In Find My, you might see your AirTag nearby. If not, tap on Devices at the bottom.

3. Tap on the AirTag you want to find, then tap the Find button, a white arrow in a green circle.

4. Instructions will come on screen as to how to find your AirTagged item. Follow the directions.

5. Once you get close enough that your AirTag and device can connect via Bluetooth, if you're using an iPhone 11 or newer, Precision Finding will turn on and tell you exactly how far you are from the item.

Important: If you're using an iPad or an older iPhone without Ultra Wideband, you can't use Precision Finding. But you can still use the Directions to get a map to it. Check out the "Get Directions to your AirTag" section below for more information.

6. Once you find your item, your screen will turn green. Tap the "X" button to close the tracker.

7. If you still can't find the AirTag, but are within Bluetooth range, tap the sound button. That will play a sound from your AirTag to help you physically locate it.

Get Directions to your AirTag

If your iPhone doesn't have Ultra Wideband or the AirTag is outside the Bluetooth range of your iPhone, you can still use the Get Directions option.

  1. Tap on Find My.
  2. Tap on the Items tab.
  3. Tap on the AirTag you're looking for.
  4. Once you've tapped on it, you will see the option for Directions. Tap on that.
  5. The AirTag will show up in Maps, giving you directions. Tap Go To in Maps to get driving or walking directions to your AirTag.

What to do if you can't find your AirTag

If Find My can't locate your AirTag, here are three troubleshooting tips.

Make sure you're signed into the correct iCloud account

If your item doesn't show up in your Find My, double check that you're in the iCloud that's connected to the AirTag.

Tap on the Settings app and then your name, so you can see your Apple ID and iCloud options.

The email under your name is the iCloud account your device is operating under. If it's not the account your AirTags are connected to, change the iCloud account on your device to the correct one.

Make sure Find My can use your iPhone or iPad's location

If you don't see the Find button - the green circle with the upward-facing white arrow - make sure your Find My app has Location access.

To check this, go to your Settings and open the Privacy menu, then select Location Services. Next, just tap on Find My and on the next screen, select the While Using the App option.

Change the battery

If your AirTag doesn't show up in Find My, there might be an issue with the battery. Try removing and reinserting the battery. If that doesn't work, replace the battery with a new CR2032 battery.

You can do this yourself with the proper tools, or contact Apple for repairs.

Find My Friends is just called 'Find My' in iOS 13 - here's how to access and use it on your iPhoneHow to use the Find My iPhone feature for a Mac, to locate your computer if it's lost or stolenHow to add a device to Find My iPhone to track the location of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac computerHow to turn off the 'Find My' feature on your iPhone, and what will happen when you do

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