Airtag Battery Level

This is a feature that Apple decided we don't need, so they changed the feature to only show up when the battery needs changing.

A more charitable view is that it is a feature Apple decided was inaccurate and therefore unhelpful, or worse - misleading. Earlier this year the tech press, as can be seen here in MacRumors, there were reports of cases where the battery indicator was showing a very incorrect charge status. We’ve all become accustomed to iOS device lithium-ion batteries showing the exact percentage of charge remaining and perhaps expect that in every situation, but the button batteries are very different as shown in this electronics article here.

The article describes the difficulty in calculating the remaining power charge in these type of batteries especially when the battery is in place in a device. It goes further and beyond my knowledge of electrics, but the point is that gauging the battery level of a button battery is more art than science. It is reasonable then to conclude that the earlier iteration of the AirTag battery performance in iOS was closer to a best guess than reality. I can see though that some owners valued that indication whether or not it was accurate.

It’s worth comparing the AirTag with a similar product, the Tile Pro, which takes the same battery type - CR2032. From what I can determine the Tile Pro does not give any indication that the battery is low and needs replacing; it simply stops working. Is this approach preferable? In comparison the AirTag still gives the owner more oversight of the battery than the Tile device offers.

If you wish to convey your concerns to Apple send some feedback to Feedback - AirTag - Apple

Apple's instructions to check an AirTag battery in How to replace the battery in your AirTag are:

1. Open the Find My app.
2. Tap the Items tab.
3. Tap the AirTag whose battery charge you want to check.
4. If the charge is very low, Low Battery appears under the name of your AirTag

Is this what you checked? Did it not work for you?

This is a feature that Apple decided we don't need, so they changed the feature to only show up when the battery needs changing. I, like you and many others here, believe that this is not enough warning to replace the battery. Maybe if enough of us write to feedback.apple.com, they will restore the feature.

Oh dear, avoid people who sound like they know what they're talking about!

Apple has a little video on the various sounds AirTag makes. Have a look at it here.

Earlier information about checking the AirTag battery indicated that an icon with battery charge is displayed. Has that changed to only a low battery warning?

I have one AirTag that seems to be discharging its battery very quickly (without warning).

Hi David, do you know if find my stuff app will give a notification that the battery is low or do you need check the app and tag regularly? And I left my keys at a locksmith and picked them up today. But yesterday when I located them the locksmith said it was making periodic sounds (the chirp I’m sure), but I had not activated lost mode or hit play sound. Today an Apple tech said they can make a noise when the battery was low she thought. It hasn’t made a noise since I picked them up. Asking you because you sound like you might know. Thanks

Yes, the battery indicator was removed in an update earlier this year - iOS 15.6 as I recall.

Thanks David. I have a vague memory of that happening but all the search showed the old information.

The current information is minimal. I have a rogue AirTag that I should probably just decommission.

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No

Seconded. I really wish apple would stop disabling any feature that gives its customers any illusion that they actually control the products they've purchased.