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Airtag not updating location

I have airtags with my kids which they wear everytime they go out. The issue is, the location of 1 of the airtag never updates when it is not close to my iphone. for the second airtag, it updates the location sporadically. Sometimes it updates every 3 to 5mins but sometime it stays at one location for over 15-20mins without chanigng even though my kids are moving all over the community on their bikes. I have been looking into this issue and seems like this is very common problem. I wish I had known this before buying 4x airtags :( . Please help if anyone knows the solution.

Posted on Aug 1, 2023 4:11 PM

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Posted on Jan 6, 2024 4:09 PM

My sister (has an iPhone with wifi and Bluetooth on, and find my network too) and has my keys with an AirTag but the location doesn’t update. What’s happening?? It has more than 10 hours without updating

59 replies

Jan 2, 2024 5:09 AM in response to Tesserax

But you see, Apple advertised the AirTag as a device that can update its location periodically thru other Apple devices nearby. My generous expectation is at least once every 10 or so minutes in a busy international airport, yet it could take hours to update itself. That means if someone stole my wallet I would not be able to locate it in a reasonable time. If that’s not called false advertising I don’t know what to say to you.

Nov 9, 2023 9:59 PM in response to Chris_V89

I found that AirTag did not update the location information as mentioned.

When I am walking in the night market where are about 200 people around and for sure there are people using iPhone and my wife is also using an iPhone with find my network enabled, and the airtag is in the beg with her.

At some point she walked far away from me, and I try to locate her with Airtag, and the airtag did not update location for about 30 min time.

This situation doesn't seems to match the explanation given above?

Feb 28, 2024 1:34 PM in response to sidra5212

Wondering if a lot of people on this thread bought these new. I’ve been using this service since early last year and they were working fine. Leave one in each of my kids bags, drop off to school, notified left behind, location updates in find my app, and from home could get semi regular location info even seeing them move when coming home on the bus. Since I want to say Nov/Dec 2023 the behaviour has changed. They are not updating location for days or more at a time. I can literally drop the kids off and the tags will notify left behind but still show as being at home. This should not be how they work and understand why people are questioning apple products.

Jan 17, 2024 6:49 AM in response to Chris_V89

I don’t think you understand the issue. The AirTags no longer update for many even close to range of others with find my iPhone network. Example mine won’t update unless I’m close to it, I share the location of the AirTag with my wife, her AirTag location screen won’t update even though it’s updating on my screen. It’s like the find my iPhone network isn’t broadcasting when it senses an AirTag. Then randomly it will update. I’m thinking maybe people work older iOS are still broadcasting while anyone upgraded is not. Seems everyone is having this problem and are just stopping using their AirTags.

Jan 23, 2024 7:36 AM in response to sidra5212

I have the same problem. I used airtags (I have 8) in the last 2 years without problem, now it seems not working. When one of my devices is close to the AirTag, it updates the position, when I am far, and I am sure there is an apple device close to the airtag (my brother's iPhone), it doesn't update the position.

The scheme should be this:

  1. airtag (that is paired to my iPhone, or better, to my Apple ID) uses any apple device with active bluetooth connection to "send" his position
  2. apple system should forward this position to my iCloud
  3. my device(s) should sincronize the position from iCloud


It seems that the point 2. is working ONLY if there is close to the AirTag one of the devices of the SAME Apple ID, and so syncronized using the same iCloud ID.

Dec 14, 2023 3:02 PM in response to Tesserax

Actually this is exactly what Apple says on their website.


Get by with a  little help from  hundreds of millions of friends.

When youʼve left something far behind, like at the beach or the gym, the Find My network — hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices around the world — helps track down your AirTag. And itʼs designed to protect your privacy every step of the way.



so although it is not meant specifically to track a person or pet it is specifically designed to track a lost inanimate object. It’s not a huge leap to go from missing cooler to missing dog at the beach.


I put one on my dog, fully knowing it was not gps and would not be 100% reliable. However, it would be better than nothing on the chance he did run off. But it has proved to be utterly useless. If my wife walks or takes him somewhere, I can see her exact location but my dogs AirTag is maybe 20 miles away and not updating. Now let’s assume she took my car keys and not my dog it would be the same situation.


Airtag not updating location

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