User profile for user: rickyh17
rickyh17 Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

Unlink AirTag from old device without new device

I bought an AirTag last year and associated it with my personal Apple ID on my iPad and everything was working fine, however my iPad suffered a catastrophic failure last month and I don't wish to replace it.


I would now like to associate the AirTag with my employer provided iPhone, but since it is set up with a different Apple ID, the process keeps failing since I can't access my old iPad to remove it from that profile. I do not own a personal iPhone or a Mac to use as backup devices. Is there any hope for me to fix this, or am I stuck until I buy a new Apple made phone, tablet or computer? Thanks for any help.

AirTag

Posted on Aug 21, 2023 9:08 AM

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User profile for user: WheelieNick
WheelieNick
User level: Level 8
38,171 points

Posted on Aug 21, 2023 12:02 PM

Hi there,


Follow these steps to un pair the AirTag by resetting it, after it you can pair it anew


Here's how to reset your AirTag:

  1. Press down on the polished stainless steel battery cover of your AirTag and rotate counterclockwise until the cover stops rotating.
  2. Remove the cover and the battery.*
  3. Replace the battery.
  4. Press down on the battery until you hear a sound. This sound means that the battery is connected. 
  5. When the sound finishes, repeat the process four more times, removing and replacing the battery, then pressing down on the battery until you hear a sound. You should hear a sound each time you press on the battery, for a total of five sounds. The fifth sound is different from the previous four. This indicates that the AirTag is now ready to pair.
  6. Replace the cover by aligning the three tabs on the cover with the three slots on your AirTag.
  7. Press down on the cover.
  8. Rotate the cover clockwise until it stops rotating.


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User profile for user: WheelieNick
WheelieNick
User level: Level 8
38,171 points

Aug 21, 2023 12:02 PM in response to rickyh17

Hi there,


Follow these steps to un pair the AirTag by resetting it, after it you can pair it anew


Here's how to reset your AirTag:

  1. Press down on the polished stainless steel battery cover of your AirTag and rotate counterclockwise until the cover stops rotating.
  2. Remove the cover and the battery.*
  3. Replace the battery.
  4. Press down on the battery until you hear a sound. This sound means that the battery is connected. 
  5. When the sound finishes, repeat the process four more times, removing and replacing the battery, then pressing down on the battery until you hear a sound. You should hear a sound each time you press on the battery, for a total of five sounds. The fifth sound is different from the previous four. This indicates that the AirTag is now ready to pair.
  6. Replace the cover by aligning the three tabs on the cover with the three slots on your AirTag.
  7. Press down on the cover.
  8. Rotate the cover clockwise until it stops rotating.


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User profile for user: rickyh17
rickyh17 Author
User level: Level 1
6 points

Aug 28, 2023 8:25 PM in response to rickyh17

Here's the fix.


You need an iPhone or iPad to sign into "Find My" with to unlink the AirTag from your original Apple ID. A Mac computer will not work. You will also need to pair the AirTag with that device so that you can remove it, so make sure that it's with you when you're doing it. The process of removing the AirTag in "Find My" will unpair it from both the device and your Apple ID. In my case, since I had no device of my own, I had to go to an Apple store, where they let me use a "dummy" device to do this, but anyone considering buying a new iOS device and keeping their same Apple ID will be able to follow the first part of this to get their AirTag working with their new device.

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User profile for user: Tesserax
Tesserax
User level: Level 10
149,027 points

Aug 21, 2023 12:19 PM in response to rickyh17

Hmm, I'm not 100% sure on this, but I am pretty sure that just resetting the AirTag will not remove its association to your Apple ID.


Typically, as you know, you would remove the AirTag from your ID, by using the device that you originally done the association with. It could be another Apple device, but it would have to be logged in with the same ID.


Since you iPad is not accessible, and you don't have another device handy, I think you have the following two choices:


  1. Pay a visit to your local Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider to have them assist you with, OR
  2. Using a computer, access iCloud.com. Go to Find My iPhone. Select your broken iPad, and remove it from your Apple ID. This should dissociated the AirTag as well. You can then reassociate your iPad with your ID. << This is the step that I'm not 100% sure about.
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User profile for user: Tesserax
Tesserax
User level: Level 10
149,027 points

Aug 21, 2023 5:54 PM in response to rickyh17

Ok, thanks for giving that a try and your results. Sorry, that did not work out. Apple makes it easy to add or remove an AirTag from your Apple ID .. when you have an operational phone/iPad, but seems to not offer (AFAIK) a simple solution when you don't.


At this point, the only thing I can suggest is that you contact Apple Support directly for further assistance with this matter. To do so, simply select the "Support" link on the lower left-hand side of this forum's web page. Hopefully, they will have a resolution, and would appreciate that you post back what that is.


Alternately, you can still wait for someone else to chime in with the solution that worked for them.

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Unlink AirTag from old device without new device

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