AirTag still locked with previous owner (me !) despite having removed it to replace battery…

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Level 1

5 points

AirTag still locked with previous owner (me !) despite having removed it to replace battery…

The battery died on an AirTag. Changed the battery but it was not recognized…

So I followed the steps as described online :

Remove device
reset airtag
setup on Find my… but it blocks saying the device is owned by someone else !

impossible to remove it again since he does not appear on my list of devices in Find my ; but still considered owned by someone else when 5 mn before it was showing 9000 km away (dead battery) !

Is there a delay to disconnect it from my Apple ID when not connected for a while ?

How to accelerate the reset such that I can pair it again ?

… and how long if not ? At a loss at this point on what I can do next … already tried a full reset of the AirTag and it is seen by my iPad but keep refusing to attach tome as “still attached to a Apple ID” (despite the fact that it is the same Apple id by the way !)

iPad Pro, iPadOS 17

Posted on Feb 4, 2024 7:09 AM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

159,696 points

Feb 4, 2024 9:12 AM in response to herve242

You did all the right steps to get tag to work; however, what caught my attention was the first line: The battery died on an AirTag. Changed the battery but it was not recognized…

With a properly replaced battery (& a battery that does not have a bitterant coating), your iPhone should have quickly recognized it when the tag was placed on it. Since it didn't may indicate that either the battery replacement had an issue, or that this tag is defective. You shouldn't have had a need to remove it from your Apple ID.

As such, at this point, you can certainly wait a bit. (I would be interested to know if this would work.) Or, 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.

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AirTag still locked with previous owner (me !) despite having removed it to replace battery…

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