AirTag owner information not scanning, appears defective

A lost kitten with an AirTag has been hanging around for 3 days. None of our phones connected to it til mine finally did today briefly. It won’t scan for owner info, but will every so often pop up in the phone for me to add as mine. Is there another way to find out who the owner is? I think the AirTag is defective but I’d like to get the little guy home.

Posted on Nov 11, 2025 2:19 PM

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Posted on Nov 12, 2025 9:15 AM

Ask a vet to scan for a microchip. If the kitten has an AirTag (not paired, apparently?), it probably has a chip.


AirTags are not great for tracking cats, as AirTag only works when the cat is within somewhere between 10 and 100 meters of another Apple device. The latter is probably best case in a wide open field with no structures. For places cats can get into, I wouldn’t bet on that 10 meters range.

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Nov 12, 2025 9:15 AM in response to TrinaRP

Ask a vet to scan for a microchip. If the kitten has an AirTag (not paired, apparently?), it probably has a chip.


AirTags are not great for tracking cats, as AirTag only works when the cat is within somewhere between 10 and 100 meters of another Apple device. The latter is probably best case in a wide open field with no structures. For places cats can get into, I wouldn’t bet on that 10 meters range.

Nov 12, 2025 9:08 AM in response to TrinaRP

The AirTag's owner would have to place the AirTag into "Lost Mode" and include the owner's contact information in order for you to see it. Otherwise there is no way for you to get who they are, nor can Apple tell you either.


If the tag is "letting" you add it to your Apple Account, then the owner did not properly set it up in the first place. Another reason, you will not see their contact information.

AirTag owner information not scanning, appears defective

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