All three AirTags not doing what they’re supposed to do

I have three AirTags attached to different items. I first noticed that I was unable to locate with using my phone by the sound or the distance between you and that item and now they’re saying they are left behind when they’re sitting right next to me I have tried to remove my phone. Delete the app. What else can I do?

AirTag

Posted on Apr 17, 2025 7:29 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 17, 2025 9:21 AM

Sounds like you’ve done a solid round of basic troubleshooting already, so let’s dive a little deeper to get your AirTags behaving properly again. When all three are acting up like this, it’s often less about the tags themselves and more about the connection between your iPhone and the Find My network or the phone's Bluetooth stack.


Give the following a try::


1. Check Bluetooth, Location, and Find My Settings on your phone.

  • Make sure Bluetooth is enabled (Settings > Bluetooth).
  • Location Services should be on (Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services), and "Find My" should be set to "While Using" + Precise Location ON.
  • Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My and confirm Find My iPhone is enabled.
  • Under the Find My app, make sure all three AirTags are showing properly under Items and tap each one to see if their status updates.


2. Reset All Network Settings on your phone.

  • Since you mentioned they're not accurately updating proximity or playing sound, this could be a Bluetooth or UWB (Ultra Wideband) issue. Resetting network settings often helps with Bluetooth flakiness.
  • Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will wipe Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth pairings, but won’t touch your data or apps.


3. Reassociate AirTags

  • Unpair each AirTag, then re-pair them one at a time.
  • In Find My > Items, tap the AirTag > Remove Item.
  • After removing, press on the AirTag battery cover, rotate it to pop off, remove the battery, wait a few seconds, then reinsert it. It’ll make a chime. Do this five times in a row until it makes a different, continuous chime—this resets the AirTag.
  • Then re-add it through the Find My app.


4 If you have an iPhone 11 or newer model, perform an Ultra-Wideband & Location Hardware Test

  • If you’re still not getting Precision Finding or sound alerts despite all this, it's worth checking if UWB is working on your iPhone. This part can go bad or get glitched after updates.
  • If available, try using another iPhone (if available) to see if it can locate the tags properly.

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1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 17, 2025 9:21 AM in response to critter sitter01

Sounds like you’ve done a solid round of basic troubleshooting already, so let’s dive a little deeper to get your AirTags behaving properly again. When all three are acting up like this, it’s often less about the tags themselves and more about the connection between your iPhone and the Find My network or the phone's Bluetooth stack.


Give the following a try::


1. Check Bluetooth, Location, and Find My Settings on your phone.

  • Make sure Bluetooth is enabled (Settings > Bluetooth).
  • Location Services should be on (Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services), and "Find My" should be set to "While Using" + Precise Location ON.
  • Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My and confirm Find My iPhone is enabled.
  • Under the Find My app, make sure all three AirTags are showing properly under Items and tap each one to see if their status updates.


2. Reset All Network Settings on your phone.

  • Since you mentioned they're not accurately updating proximity or playing sound, this could be a Bluetooth or UWB (Ultra Wideband) issue. Resetting network settings often helps with Bluetooth flakiness.
  • Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will wipe Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth pairings, but won’t touch your data or apps.


3. Reassociate AirTags

  • Unpair each AirTag, then re-pair them one at a time.
  • In Find My > Items, tap the AirTag > Remove Item.
  • After removing, press on the AirTag battery cover, rotate it to pop off, remove the battery, wait a few seconds, then reinsert it. It’ll make a chime. Do this five times in a row until it makes a different, continuous chime—this resets the AirTag.
  • Then re-add it through the Find My app.


4 If you have an iPhone 11 or newer model, perform an Ultra-Wideband & Location Hardware Test

  • If you’re still not getting Precision Finding or sound alerts despite all this, it's worth checking if UWB is working on your iPhone. This part can go bad or get glitched after updates.
  • If available, try using another iPhone (if available) to see if it can locate the tags properly.

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All three AirTags not doing what they’re supposed to do

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