10 Hacks Every Apple AirTag User Should Know

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AirTags can be exceptionally useful trackers. These tiny devices passively beam their locations to any passing iPhone, iPad, or Find My-enabled device, which makes it possible to track items like keys and bags when they go missing. They’re not difficult to set up and use: Once they’re in place, they’re good to go—until their batteries die about a year later.

But while AirTags are simple, there’s a lot you can do with them. You can locate missing tags in futuristic ways; use them as NFC tags to run automations with a scan of your iPhone; and you can share their locations with airlines to help locate your luggage when it goes missing. Whether you own one AirTag or many, here are 10 hacks to make the most of your trackers.

Use Your Apple Watch for Precision Finding

AirTags are meant to find things you’ve lost, but there are many ways to find them. You can use Precision Finding on your iPhone to see guided directions to your missing AirTag, assuming it’s within Bluetooth range. However, if you have the right kind of Apple Watch and the right kind of AirTag, you can use your watch to track down your tracker via Precision Finding, too.

To use Precision Finding, you need an Apple Watch Series 9 or newer, or an Ultra 2 or newer, as well as a second-generation AirTag. To set it up, open Control Center on your watch, then scroll to the bottom and choose “Edit.” Here, tap (+), choose “Find Items,” then choose “Find AirTag.” Tap Choose, then tap an item from your existing AirTags. Tap “Done.” Now, you’re set to find that item in the future. When you need to, return to Control Center, then tap the “Find AirTag” button. If the AirTag is somewhere within range, you’ll see guided directions on your Apple Watch.

Ask Siri Where Your AirTag Is to Quickly Locate It

Depending on your situation, your fastest location method might be via Siri. If you’re sure the AirTag you’re missing is nearby, just pull out your iPhone (or your Apple Watch) and ask Siri where your item is — for example, “Hey Siri, where is my backpack?” or “Where are my keys?” Siri will think for a moment, and if it can find them, will start pinging your AirTag so you can follow the sound to locate them.

Whitelist Locations to Cut Down on “Left Behind” Alerts

Apple’s “Left Behind” alerts can be useful. If you leave your house without your keys, for example, you might appreciate that notification letting you know. But if you have an AirTag in something you don’t take with you every day — perhaps a suitcase or a backpack — you don’t need your iPhone buzzing every time you step out your door. Then again, should you leave your hotel room without your suitcase, you may want that heads up before hopping in the car to the airport.

As such, you should whitelist specific locations where your AirTags can stay behind without triggering one of these alerts. That way, you can keep the notifications on in general, but spare your sanity whenever leaving items behind in a known location. Your iPhone may even do this for you automatically, depending on the locations it thinks you don’t need the alerts from. However, you can add or remove any locations manually to your liking.

To set this up, open Find My on your iPhone, tap “Items,” then choose the AirTag you want to adjust settings for. Scroll down, then choose “Notify When Left Behind.” If the feature isn’t on, enable it, then look down to “Notify me, except at:” Here, you can remove any automatically added locations, or add new ones by hitting “New Location.”

Use Tape or Rubber Thimbles to Replace the Battery More Easily

When your AirTag’s battery is low — or dead — you can replace it yourself, assuming you bought the proper CR2032 batteries. But they’re not the easiest to open: you have to press down on the silver back of your AirTag and rotate it counterclockwise until the cover comes loose. If you’re having trouble getting it to work, you’re not alone, but there’s a simple hack to make it a bit easier.

The trick, via MacGeekGab on YouTube, is to place a small amount of tape on the back and use that as a grip to help with the twist. MacGeekGab also recommends using rubber thimbles — like the kind used to count money — to achieve the same effect, giving you the extra grip needed to pop the cover off without a struggle.