Tong Family

OK, this sounds crazy, but I have eight AirTags attached to my various sets of keys, even luggage, and backpacks. They really do work. I’ve been shocked at how long the batteries last. We got the first thing back in the middle of 2021 when they first launched in April and I’m shocked to see that after a year of operation, they are at 80% battery life. The Tile tags I tried before this was nowhere close to this life. The AirTags are supposed to last a year and use a simple CR2032 battery so replacement is straightforward which is great just twist the back of them off. I certainly don’t expect them to last years, but the idea that they could last two and they will tell you when they are dying is great.

So, now I’m wondering what the actual maximum per account really is. It does seem like every time I think about it I can think of another use for them. For instance, putting them in a car or a bicycle in case of theft doesn’t seem silly. And I have all kinds of travel wallets, so having them on the one dedicated for NYC or for Asia seems like a good idea.

The main thing that you need with it are you want some protectors to keep the silver finish nice and some no-name luggage tags as well as an AirTag wallet so you can just have your cards protected. These are decent 10% off right now at Amazon for 4 for $89.

In case you think this is crazy, on our last trip, my AirTag wallet somehow actually popped out of my pocket, and while on the flight, I could see it first in the bag check (maybe I dropped it there?) then to the place where I was sitting and finally it arrived on the plane.

AirTag limits and Bluetooth device limits

The only slight glitch is that if you have ever synced AirPods to your system, then these each take two AirTag slots, so if you are getting close to the 16 AirTags per account limit, then you need to remove the AirPods before you add AirTags so they don’t take the two extra slots, force stop Find My and everything else then restart your iPhone and hopefully it will all pair properly. Otherwise, you are in reset your AirTags land.

The second problem is one I’ve found with Garmin Bluetooth as well, there is some silent limit on the number of Bluetooth devices you’ve ever hooked up, so if it still fails, then you have to turn off Bluetooth for 30 seconds and then unpair every device on your phone, then add your AirTags and the absolute minimum number of devices you need (so all those rental car Bluetooth connections have to go!).

Finally you can try an AirTag reset which is pretty involved, you need to turn the battery cover and take it off by turning it counter clockwise, take out the battery and put it back and press down on the battery until you hear a tone. You have to do this four times. Then you should hear five tones and it is completely reset and try again.