AirTag helps you to keep track of and find the items that matter most to you. Simply set it up with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and attach it to your item, and it shows up in the Find My app. AirTag leverages the incredible Find My network*, a vast network of hundreds of millions of Apple devices that can help determine the approximate location of your things, even when they aren’t nearby.
Other devices that are part of the Find My network accessory program also use the Find My network to help you keep track of and find your belongings. Once you set up a compatible item, it will show up in the Find My app.
AirTag and the Find My network are designed with privacy at their core. AirTag and Find My network accessories have unique Bluetooth identifiers that change frequently. This helps prevent you from being tracked from place to place. When the Find My network is used to locate an offline device, AirTag, or other Find My network accessory, everyone’s information is protected with end-to-end encryption. No one, including Apple, knows the location or identity of any of the participating users or devices who help locate a missing Find My network accessory.
AirTag and the Find My network have also been designed to discourage unwanted tracking. To discourage tracking without your knowledge, Find My will notify you if an unknown AirTag or other Find My network accessory is seen moving with you over time. An AirTag that isn't with the person who registered it for an extended period of time will also play a sound when moved so you can find it, even if you don’t use an iOS device. If you detect an unknown AirTag or Find My network accessory, use the steps below to learn about it and how to disable it.
* The Find My network isn't supported in South Korea.
If you find an AirTag or a lost item with an AirTag attached
- Hold the top of your iPhone or NFC-capable smartphone near the white side of the AirTag until a notification appears.
- Tap the notification. This opens a website that provides information about the AirTag, including its serial number.
- If the owner marked it as lost, you might see a message with information about how to contact the owner.* You can contact the owner to let them know that you found their AirTag.
To learn more about a Find My network accessory that’s been separated from its owner, scroll to the bottom of the Items tab then tap Identify Found Item.
* You can view a Lost Mode message on any NFC-capable smartphone, such as an iPhone or Android phone.
If you see an "Item Detected Near You" message
If you see this message on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later, an AirTag or Find My network accessory that has been separated from the person who registered it is traveling with you, and the owner might be able to see its location. It's possible that the AirTag or Find My network accessory might be attached to an item you're borrowing. Follow these steps to turn off these notifications or disable the AirTag or Find My network accessory:
- Tap the message.
- Tap Continue. If you need help finding the AirTag or Find My network accessory, tap Play Sound.*
- If the AirTag or Find My network accessory is attached to an item you're borrowing, you can tap Pause Safety Alerts to turn off "Items Detected" notifications for one day.
- If you're borrowing an AirTag from a member of your Family Sharing group, you can turn off Safety Alerts for one day or indefinitely.
- You can tap Learn About This AirTag to see its serial number if the owner marked it as lost.
- To disable the AirTag or Find My network accessory and stop sharing your location, tap Instructions to Disable and follow the onscreen steps. If you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local law enforcement who can work with Apple. You might need to provide the AirTag, Find My network accessory, or the device's serial number.
* If you can't play a sound, the AirTag might not be with you anymore. If it was with you overnight, its identifier might have changed. Find My uses the identifier to determine that it's the same AirTag moving with you. If you believe the AirTag is still with you, look through your belongings to try to find it, or wait to see if another alert appears as you move from location to location during the day. If the AirTag is within range of the person who registered it, you also won't be able to play a sound.
If you hear an AirTag making a sound
When moved, any AirTag separated for a period of time from the person who registered it will make a sound to alert those nearby. If you find an AirTag after hearing it make a sound, you can use any device that has NFC, such as an iPhone or Android phone, to see if its owner marked it as lost and help return it.
Check for nearby AirTag or Find My network accessories with an Android device
If you use an Android device, you can download the Tracker Detect app from the Google Play Store. Tracker Detect looks for item trackers within Bluetooth range that are separated from their owner and that are compatible with Apple’s Find My network. These include AirTag and compatible item trackers that use the Find My network. If you think someone is using an AirTag or another item tracker to track your location, you can scan to try to find it. If the app detects an AirTag or compatible item tracker near you for at least 10 minutes, you can play a sound to help locate it.