Airtag won’t work after changing battery

Had the same problem. I wasn’t aware of the bitter coating issue so after seeing this post, I wiped both sides of the battery with a damp rag. Dried and installed it and now it works!

Changed battery, doesn't have bittex coating

& not found by phone

Had 2 AirTags. Successfully changed the battery in one, tested the beeper. All ok. 2nd AirTag not successful. Tried 3 batteries, it’s deleted from my phone.

Does the “new” battery have a bitterant coating? (Common on Duracells)

It will prevent the battery from working.

See “note” in this article:

How to replace the battery in your AirTag - Apple Support

Popped new battery into an AirTag and heard the beep but it wasn’t popping up on my device. Wiped all surfaces with rubbing alcohol and my iPhone now recognizes the AirTag….problem solved!

No coating , batteries worked in another AirTag

Spit doesn’t work. I didn’t even taste bitterness. However I soaked a paper towel in rubbing alcohol and tried installing again. Heard the tone again but this time it worked! My iPhone can see it!

The way AirTag battery connections are design and located makes them very sensitive to the geometry of the 2032 battery, in particular the outside diameter of the negative terminal. Some 2 year old (and older) Duracell 2032's do not make adequate contact with the AirTag.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions on this. I was replacing two batteries, neither of which worked. I wiped each battery with an alcohol wipe to take the coating off and dried it off, placed them back into the AirTags and both beeped and connected. Problem solved.

I had the same problem and thought spit would remove the coating…no bitterness. Still beeping but not connecting.

Used 70% isopropyl alcohol aka rubbing alcohol. Put some on a paper towel and gave it a good rub. Inserted again, beeped and connected!

Here is the answer after much trial and error! You first of all need to be looking under the “Find My App” NOT “Find My” (in settings under your name). Next look under “items” NOT “devices”. Disconnect the AirTag. Then reset by replacing the battery 5x. Banner should show up to connect!

You’re welcome! 👍🏼

Maybe it’s just a “dud” airtag.

Suggest remove it from your AppleID followed by a reset or the tag.

If that fails, the tag is apparently beyond saving.

All batteries Duracell and Eveready have the child safety coating

they are all made with that bitter coating

You can’t use wafer batteries that have a coating on them to help prevent swallowing, like Duracell batteries. Panasonic are the original brand batteries.

Saw the video below while trying with a Duracell battery. I put a little spit on the battery and it connected fine. https://youtube.com/shorts/IryQuw8YbBk?si=BJ4rmUa3rqBNuA17