Why is my AirTag not showing its location?

Please explain Apple why you created AirTag i went to add home location and expanded it for 50 miles.. i left my AirTag at my buddies house the other night on my house keys and he lives 10 miles away… but it “hasn’t been seen since i left home” even when it’s set up for a 50 miles radius… that’s false advertisement… how can i find something that has no location once i leave my home…


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Posted on Jul 31, 2024 11:10 PM

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Posted on Jul 31, 2024 11:17 PM

AirTags are not gps enabled trackers. Instead, AirTags rely on the FindMy network of Apple devices. The more device that contact the device, the more likely you’ll be able to find the location. Dropping your keys in a train station is likely to elicit a very different response than leaving them by a friend.

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Jul 31, 2024 11:17 PM in response to AirTagsuseless

AirTags are not gps enabled trackers. Instead, AirTags rely on the FindMy network of Apple devices. The more device that contact the device, the more likely you’ll be able to find the location. Dropping your keys in a train station is likely to elicit a very different response than leaving them by a friend.

Aug 1, 2024 1:09 AM in response to muguy

Why create something only being able to be found by people with findmy active what happens if my Backpack or briefcase is stolen and the culprit has a Samsung lol by the time its finally located it will be tossed as it has plenty of time .. also the iPhone user in the vicinity has to have Bluetooth enabled and allow it to connect so it can bounce its signal… it’s literally a useless product.. they should of branded it as find your belonging while at home if you have a mansion with 10 bedrooms haha i removed the AirTag it has no use to me

Aug 1, 2024 12:21 PM in response to AirTagsuseless

Before you purchased this AirTag did you compare its capabilities vs. a GPS-based tracking device? If you did, you would have learned that they are not the same technologies.


As already mentioned by muguy, the AirTag relies on the Apple's Find My Network, which consists of literally millions of iPhones. The AirTag itself, does NOT know its location. When an iPhone is within Bluetooth range of the tag, it will pick up the tag's ID, and if that phone has an active Internet connection, it will relay that ID (along with the phone's GPS location) to the Apple servers over that connection. That is where you would see updates with the Find My app on your iPhone.


Setting the "range" is basically used to identify an area where you do not want your phone notifying you when you left the tag behind.

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Why is my AirTag not showing its location?

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