Why is my AirTag not updating its location?

I've just tried airtags for the first time. I have one in a backpack and one on my dogs collar. The backpack seems to update all the time but the one on my dog does pretty much nothing. For example, I just jumped onto the find my app tonight. It's the 23rd of August and the app says the dog airtag was last seen on the 11th August. This is despite multiple daily walks with me, past many members of the public who presumably have iphones (I live in a heavily populated area) and all manner of other events that should 'track' my airtag.


What gives? Is there some way to fix this?


The apple site says "When youʼve left something far behind, like at the beach or the gym, the Find My network — hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad and Mac devices around the world". Considering it's nearly two weeks without an update I call bs on this so far.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

AirTag

Posted on Aug 23, 2024 1:45 AM

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Posted on Aug 23, 2024 11:03 AM

We get numerous posts here about folks being unhappy with how the Apple AirTags work (or not work) when using them to track their pets.


The bottom line? Apple did not design these tags for tracking ... whether that's for people or pets. They were designed to help you locate a missing "static" object, like your car keys.


If you want to track your dog, then consider getting a dedicated tracker that is based on GPS, not Bluetooth crowdsourcing for real-time location updates.

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Aug 23, 2024 11:03 AM in response to Sannen1234

We get numerous posts here about folks being unhappy with how the Apple AirTags work (or not work) when using them to track their pets.


The bottom line? Apple did not design these tags for tracking ... whether that's for people or pets. They were designed to help you locate a missing "static" object, like your car keys.


If you want to track your dog, then consider getting a dedicated tracker that is based on GPS, not Bluetooth crowdsourcing for real-time location updates.

Aug 23, 2024 3:04 PM in response to Sannen1234

Ok, if you have the same issue with this particular tag, regardless of what it is connected to, would indicate to me that this tag is potentially defective (as you suspected). As such, it comes with a one year warranty against manufacturing defects, and I suggest that you contact Apple Support directly to 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.


However, before doing so, AND if you have not done so already, you may want to try resetting it to see if this resolves the issue.


Ref: How to reset your AirTag - Apple Support

Aug 23, 2024 3:20 PM in response to Sannen1234

The AirTag is a Bluetooth tracker and relies on a network of nearby Apple devices to auto-update the location.


If an AirTag is in a crowded area, the location may update very frequently. Conversely, if you use an AirTag in a remote area, the device may not always update its location as often.


Do you live in a remote area? The AirTags may lose their tracking accuracy and connection.


-Zachyy ✌️


Aug 23, 2024 2:28 PM in response to Tesserax

I understand your sentiment about pet tracking but in this specific situation your reply is unhelpful. Replace the word dog with car keys and you still have an airtag that is refreshing it's location nearly once every two weeks. Over a year that would be 26 times out of 365 days (7% of the year). I am absolutely not expecting live tracking here but I would put to you that this refresh rate is pretty garbage even for static items.


Given the second airtag is refreshing almost daily, it suggests that this first airtag is not operating as intended. Could I please ask for suggestions on how to correct this?

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Why is my AirTag not updating its location?

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