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Replaced battery in AirTag but does not work

Replaced battery in AirTag but does not work

Posted on May 14, 2023 7:27 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 25, 2024 6:31 PM

I NEVER WOULD HAVE BELIEVED THIS. Duracell coats these batteries with a very bitter coating that makes kids spit them out instantly if they are put in the mouth!! That's a great idea, but I don't know why that would interfere with an electronic connection, but it DOES. After reading other comments here I took the battery out, scrubbed it off with one of those mesh metal pads to clean pots and pans. The coating is only on the side that does not have any writing.


I tested it after the scrubbing with dish soap and that scouring pad. The bitter taste was still there! But I went ahead and reinstalled it into the AirTag. As soon as I pressed the top back on to tighten, a little bleep noise came from the AirTag. I completed twisting on the back, and then checked the AirTag with my iPhone and it no longer showed the low battery. It also now plays the sound when requested.


It doesn't make any sense, but it works. Before I scrubbed the back of the battery it would not work at all - would not even make contact with the iPhone. After I scrubbed, the terrible taste was still there but the battery worked great.

13 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 25, 2024 6:31 PM in response to Wwymtml

I NEVER WOULD HAVE BELIEVED THIS. Duracell coats these batteries with a very bitter coating that makes kids spit them out instantly if they are put in the mouth!! That's a great idea, but I don't know why that would interfere with an electronic connection, but it DOES. After reading other comments here I took the battery out, scrubbed it off with one of those mesh metal pads to clean pots and pans. The coating is only on the side that does not have any writing.


I tested it after the scrubbing with dish soap and that scouring pad. The bitter taste was still there! But I went ahead and reinstalled it into the AirTag. As soon as I pressed the top back on to tighten, a little bleep noise came from the AirTag. I completed twisting on the back, and then checked the AirTag with my iPhone and it no longer showed the low battery. It also now plays the sound when requested.


It doesn't make any sense, but it works. Before I scrubbed the back of the battery it would not work at all - would not even make contact with the iPhone. After I scrubbed, the terrible taste was still there but the battery worked great.

Aug 29, 2023 11:14 PM in response to Tesserax

I was using Maxell CR2032s, but inserting a brand-new battery (at 3.27V) into my AirTag would not resolve the low battery warning.


I did find a solution, though: restarting my iPhone. That shouldn't help... but it did, immediately. Once the phone was restarted, the AirTag that had been reporting a low battery wasn't any longer.


Buggy software again.

Aug 19, 2023 4:46 PM in response to Tesserax

I installed CR 2023 batteries when iPhone said battery was low. After replacing battery, iPhone still said I tag battery needs to be replaced and was low. However, after reading your post, I took a paper towel, wiped the inside of the eye tag and wipe the battery with a paper towel for about 10 seconds and it worked. The paper towel may have been abrasive enough to remove any film or coatings. Thanks for the insight of the possibility that there may be a coating issue.

Aug 30, 2023 6:58 AM in response to sinnabor

I’m not sure if it’s “buggy” software or simply a characteristic of the low-power, low-data rate, infrequent-updates of the AirTag.


The AirTag communicates infrequently - and slowly - in an effort to conserve energy so that it’s battery might last a year or so.


Your phone reset might have “forced” a retransmission, or else just “caught” the next regular update.


Regardless, glad that your’s is working again. 👍





Replaced battery in AirTag but does not work

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