HUGE AirTag Battery Problem! Replacements Won't Work! Apple's AirTag Design Flaw, Explained.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ธ.ค. 2024
- Apple's AirTags have a major design flaw. We purchased Duracell CR2032 batteries to record a video on how to replace an AirTag battery - and they didn't work.
We quickly realized Duracell CR2032 batteries don't fit inside the AirTag because they have a larger ring and a thin, bitter coating designed to deter children from ingesting the batteries.
The real problem? Apple's cutesy design. Apple put the negative connector on the edge of the AirTag. Had Apple moved the negative connector slightly closer to the center of the AirTag, there wouldn't be an issue.
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Use a Q-tip and dip it into rubbing alcohol. Rub it against the bitter coating, make sure it’s dried, and it should work perfectly!
Thank u this worked lol… saved me 12 bucks
Saved us $10 as well .. thanks to all you who posted that info about that here ..! We did the rubbing alcohol .. but it didn’t work - until we took the next suggestion down in the comments about scrapping it lightly .. and we did so with a knife . Be great if the Payette Forward Guys could make a quick video addition on this .. what a helpful video that it would be for so many .!! 😊
Thanks. It’s working.
If I didn't find an Energizer battery, I would be eternally grateful. Either way, tons of money saved for me.
That is the solution! Saved me money! Thank you for sharing this and thanks to the Payette Forward guys for discovering the issue! It was driving me nuts!
The “official” TH-cam Apple video on Airtag battery replacement says, “batteries with bitter taste coatings may not work.”
Give the battery a good rub down with nail polish remover, or rubbing alcohol. That gets rid of the childproof/bitter coating. That’s what’s causing the poor connection. Make sure to focus on the sides of the battery. Works like a charm!
Thank you
Worked perfect
Yes you are correct - remove the coating and your good to go.
Hey, it worked! Thanks
So true.
Energizer worked no problem
You are of course right boys! I now have 12 spare Duracell 2032 batteries. Off to find some Panasonic 2032's
How is this an Apple issue? it's a Duracell issue. I have the same issue with all my Digital Multimeters at my shop. No Duracell will work in them.
It's actually the bitter coating causing the problem. I used some alcohol and a mildly abrasive sponge to remove the coating and it started working. Thanks for the video though, I had no idea the battery was the culprit until I saw this!
Thank you. 🎉
Use a fine grit sandpaper and lightly sand the negative side of the battery then it will work fine. It's the bitter coating causing the problem on the negative side of the battery.
Clean the battery with rubbing alcohol and it removes the bitter coating and it works fine.
that’s the east fix..,
Wow thx for the suggestion. Was literally beside myself on what to do. Used a alcoholic sanitizing wipe and that did the trick. Thx so much for the suggestion! Saved me a trip to the Apple Store.
@@gzo313 what a GOD!!!!! thanks man this worked magic 🪄
Like magic. It works!!!!
Thanks for this discovery. I found that a gentle application of a small rasp around the negative edges of the Duracell battery solved the issue.
Thank you for this video. I was going crazy thinking I didn’t know how to replace the battery 🤣
All Apple has to do is supply a compatible battery list and problem worked-around. The real challenge is preventing the consumer from having a bad experience. That’s where Apple has the opportunity to do magic. I’d love a feature where Apple anticipates the tag’s battery is low and provides compatible battery info in a notification or gives you the option to have a supplier ship you batteries as needed.
It's a good idea - but not a great look if they say, "Make sure you buy the batteries that aren't safe for children."
One can easily make it work with batteries from every manufacturer, but it surely is not the users job to fix a bad design. I can also make the magic mouse work, while charging, but I would assume it's their job to design a proper product, when they expect me to pay for it. XD
@@haifutter4166 That mouse gets 8 hours worth of charge in 60 seconds. You can’t take a one minute break once a day?
@@PayetteForward Buy the Panasonic CR2032 they work completely fine buy on amazon & they are the same as default apple 👍
@@haifutter4166”bad design “… except that the ‘bad design’ is on Duracell… their “child-safe” cell it OUT-OF-SPEC. The coating makes it too large to fit a 2032-spec holder.
Stop blaming Apple for Duracell problem.
Thanks for the info. Do you plan on notifying Apple of the defect?
I know a lot of people have said this already but to clean off the bitter coating, which is the thing screwing up the connection between these batteries and your airtag (I actually had a similar issue with a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard, where my duracells were not working) is to just use some rubbing alcohol, and to scrub the battery clean with either a q tip or an old cloth, just clean it 2 or 3 times and it should work perfectly fine after, please do not use a knife to get it off, it is not a good idea at all
Thank you. As a 70 yr old with 82 yr old husband who misplaced his wallet this am, I relied on th air tag to locate it, but was notified the battery was low. Immediately tried to replace batteries on 4 AirTags Thai I purchased at the same time. Not easy to replace if you have arthritis, so having to do this multiple times was a pain. Also, for some reason the AirTags would not immediately reconnect using my iPhone. I had to use shut down everything, turn Bluetooth off and on and then was finally successful reconnecting/pairing using my iPad instead of my iPhone. These devices are important for Seniors. Apple needs to make this process easier.
Have you taken off the plastic coating on the edge of the Duracell battery? Doesn’t look like it from the video.
Yay, looks like you found the extremely thin coating. Comes off easily with your nail BTW 😉
It is clearly visible at 1:47. I do not know if they are stupid or if they will simply tell anything for views.
@@hpekristiansen probably both
I noticed the plastic also.
It may be plastic, but it's the childproof coating and we were only able to get it off with a sharf knife - it isn't supposed to be removed. We're not geniuses, but we know that much!
@@PayetteForward and? Did it work them. It looks more like the packaging it came in.
Thanks guys. This was driving me mad trying to use Duracells.
So are the Panasonic batteries not available in stores?
They are selling in stores
Came across this problem this morning, tried to put in an energizer battery and could not figure out why my AirTag was not responding in the way that it should saw your video was super helpful!
Bought the same Duracell batteries with the non-toxic bitter coating. I removed the coating with alcohol wipes and it works fine. Thanks for posting.
Its Duracell’s battery design flaw, not Apple 😇.
Perfect fix! I was close to dumping my only Airtag in frustration until I found your video. Sincere thanks for your vigilance and sharing. Chris @ Galway, Ireland.
I lightly rubbed the bitter coating side against concrete, worked ok.
The reason why it doesn’t work is because of the bitter coding
Found a solution (don’t know if anyone has posted it in another comment): use a nail file or fine sandpaper, and file/sand the battery on the bottom (negative) area that makes contact with the bottom pin inside the AirTag. If you angle the battery just right to the light, you will see an outer ring that I presume is the bitter coating. You can clear just the section that the pins contact, or if you want to ensure the battery will work no matter how it is inserted (anglewise around the Z axis) you can clear the whole coating ring.
Instead of a mechanical tool I used a solvent which is used to clean the Paint from a Paint brush. I had to rub it for a few minutes, but then the coating was gone and the battery worked.
I got to this vid because I was having the same problem. I alcohol swabbed the bitter coating off the Duracell and the battery worked.
Awesome!
Thank goodness I found this video...I couldn't figure it out. Amazon Basics 2032 Battery worked.
Hey this applies to car remote keys too! I have the same problem with my remote key for my Toyota Camry.
I have the same issue with gutalkali cr2032 batteries which have no childproof coating
THANK YOU! I just had to replace my battery and it’s a Duracell I’m using and it isn’t working and I’ve been googling and trying all day to figure out what it was. Thanks
Glad we could help! - Maceo
So good to know-Thank you very much for saying this before I went to Costco to get a crap ton of Duracell!
Heads up, just tried an older model Duracell CR2032 and it worked straight out of the pack, it’s these new 2022. A fix I found was to lightly sand the base of the new battery to remove the coating, works fine!
Thanks for the video!
I use the nail file to scrape off the coating from the bottom side and the edge that seem to work
Or maybe there is a problem with Duracell batteries…
Great video tried the Duracell wasn’t working so I searched it up and as soon as I put it on at a angle it worked but still going to have to switch batteries from Duracell
Thank you, I thought I was going crazy because I knew the battery was new!
Sometimes I think I'm going crazy too! 🤣
I have 3 air tags and one of them refuses to work with Energizer replacements. I had trouble with another one but eventually got it to work but I don't know how. Although on the one that doesn't work i may have accidentally jammed the battery in backwards and bent the pins down.
I thought I was going nuts so I removed the tag from my phone and found your video. When I switched to a Panasonic battery I found I was unable to re-pair the tag to my phone but the answer was to do the resetting of the tag, maybe you can do a video on that. :) For anyone reading this comment. Once you have acquired a good non-coated small o-ring battery you simply remove the cover and insert and remove the battery 5 X in a row and on the 5th time the chirp sound is different indicating the full reset was successful. Then you can resynch the tag with your device. Good Luck and Thank you.
There is a bitter coating on the back of the Duracell battery that is stopping the connection. Not wanting to waste the money I spent on several batteries, I simply slid the battery back and forth across 120 grit sand paper about 10-15 times. Easily removed the bitter coating, didn't damage the battery, and now the Duracell batteries works in the AirTag.
You are right. I just bought Duracell batteries trying to fix an issue I had where all my AirTags just disconnected for no reason; I was trouble shooting it with apple who suggested I replace the battery and they don’t work at all! I think this is a huge problem
Design flaw?
Apple: "You're holding it wrong!"
Can't believe this video hasn't been updated yet with all the comments. Had this same issue with Duracell and just wiped it with nail polish remover to take off the coating. Now works perfectly.
Good catch! Maybe put folded tape on the other side of the battery to tighten the fit on the connection
Thanks for the tip! I had the same problem with an Energizer battery. Placed a bit of folded paper under the battery (opposite side of the pins) so as to ‘tip’ it at a slight angle down so it connected with the three pins. Now works!
I just discovered this problem. I had a pack with a couple of Duracell batteries from a few months ago and tried them both in my Airtag, but no luck. Thinking the batteries were probably dead, I went and bought a new 4-pack only to discover they didn't work either 😞. Unfortunately I bought Duracell again (they're supposed to be the best right?). I checked the voltage with a multimeter and could see they were outputting the correct value which lead me to Google to see if there was any information about this issue and that lead me to this video. I wish I'd searched it sooner. Surely the problem is with the Duracell batteries rather than the AirTags? I'm surprised that Apply hasn't notified users of this problem, it's not like they don't know I've purchased a few AirTags.
I kept changing the battery in and out and then looked you up ...most frustrating because we have to buy NEW apple tags to work. You are exactly right the new battery's don't work.
When my Duracell’s with the bitter coating wouldn’t work I tried the emery board solution and it worked perfectly. Simply hold the bottom side of the battery on a 45 degree angle and you can see where the bitter coating is. A few back and forth strokes all around the circumference with the emery board and your coated Duracell will work.
Yep! My Duracel’s didn’t work either! I thought the supplier sent fakes. Thank you for this vid.
I wonder if now that people's batteries are starting to run out, this video might actually get some traction. 🤣
Thanks for your comment, ByrdRun!
had my first low battery warning, got 4 duracells to get ready for the rest of them to go, and my set (custom engraved Black Friday 2021) STILL have this issue. Certainly frustrated with Apple that this is a problem, but thank you for a solid breakdown as to why exactly my batteries are not working.
I was about to throw mine away until I saw this video,thanks guys!!!
I have exactly this issue with Duracell in the UK. My Duracell powered AirTags simply do not work (I tested the batteries with a multimeter though). Thanks for the tip.
Found your video very interesting can honestly say 100% that Duracell batteries do not work I was hacked off thinking that my air tag was broken tried all sorts and came across this video fantastic now I know it’s not broken
Thanks. ALL my tags had stopped working/low battery. I bought Duracell for all of them - and had the issue. Found this video - will now replace them all again with cheaper batteries
The problem is the Child Deterrent Coating. You can see it if you look carefully. Solution - use a standard emory board or low grit sandpaper and remove the Child Deterrent Coating. All Batteries now work!
I’m an electronics tech and confirmed your solution works. I fixed several batteries from a 12 pack from Costco. I also posted a more detailed solution. Thanks!
@trialshawaii I cannot find your more detailed solution. How do I find it?
Thank you for this video! I was changing out the batteries for my dogs and wondered why they weren't being picked up. I got the 'baby formula' Duracells from Costco, so this video should be helpful to many!
Yup I got the multipack duracells on sale from Costco. This is such a hassle because I wasted 45 minutes trying to make it connect. Not cool! Now I have to return the batteries because I have no need for them 😡
I purchased an airtag to follow my pet. I have had the airtag for a month or so and have only just received the container. But I couldnt get a connection. I opened up the airtag and I had the panasonic battery. I thought it a bit off that it had run out so soon but I went and got a replacement - ironically enough it was a Duracell - and that did not work either. Then I found your website and found what you said about the Duracell. Then i went back and tried again with the Panasonic and eventually got it to make a noise when inserting it. To be honest i am dubious as to whether it will continue to work.
Thank you for this! I was going crazy the past few days trying to figure out why my wife's Air Tag for her IDs wasn't connecting. I figured it was my iPhone upgrade, but the AirTag is tied to your Apple ID - NOT the device. I had used - Duracells - the Child Secure with Bitter Coating - and like these two gentlemen said - the battery only worked briefly when angled in. I've ordered Panasonics from Amazon....
Follow-up to this: the Panasonic Lithiums I bought worked perfectly. No having to angle it in, then losing electrical contact anyway. My AirTag is working normally now.
Just experienced the same thing. Got a refund for the Duracell's and ordered the Panasonic.
Yay!
So glad this video helped you. We made it a year ago and everyone's batteries are just now running out. :)
I worked around this issue by putting a small thin metal washer/spacer between the pin and the Duracell battery. Once the battery is in, and you hear the chime, put the cover back on without significantly moving the battery (so the connection is still good). It might take a little extra to turn the cover counterclockwise to lock, but it’s doable. Now my cat’s AirTag is working with the Duracell battery. :)
Tin foil disc would work as well
You can also chemically remove the coating with nail polish remover.
Best Buy sells the Air Tags and they also sell batteries to go along with them - Insignia brand. So perhaps it’s not that you can only use Panasonic batteries with them but that you cannot use Duracells. And altho that’s still a major design flaw, at least it doesn’t restrict you as much. You just have to know that if you buy a brand other than Panasonic and they don’t work, that’s why.
What I find annoying - and I think it’s a major design flaw - is the lack of a hole or a loop or something to use a keychain. Maybe you can stick them on things? I haven’t looked into that. But if you need to buy an expensive holder to make them functioning, that’s annoying. (There are cheap ones on Amazon, but still....)
I’m still waiting for something really small that I can put on my husband‘s glasses because he loses them all the time. He takes them off to read and then he forgets where he left them.
I've already had one battery die on an AirTag for my dog. I had the same problem of it not working when I replaced it with a Duracell 2032. I used a small piece of aluminum foil, folded several times, and it gave it just enough thickness to make a connection. It's been working just fine since.
There is an almost invisible bitter film on the negative side of the battery. It looks like a small clear round sticker if you look very close. I took a piece of sandpaper and sanded it off, and the Duracell then works. Better off not buying Duracell if you don’t want to go through the hassle
To David and David, a very interesting video. Could it be that the actual issue is the difference between a "CR 2032 battery" and a "DL 2032 battery"?
The AirTag app says to use CR2032 and I have a brand new 8 pack of Duracells that say CR2032 and they don’t work.
I hear ya! Same thing happened here.
Nope, they're exactly the same - DL is just a prefix that Duracell uses. CR is everybody else. According to a commenter on an Amazon page for Duracell batteries, "The number that follows indicates the diameter and thickness (so CR2032 is 20mm diameter, and 3.2mm thickness)." I learned something too!
I stopped buying Duracell batteries years ago after they leaked and ruined four flashlights. They’re trash. Maybe Apple designed the AirTags to prevent crappy Duracell batteries from being used and ruining Air Tags.
…different chemistry altogether. The 2032 don’t leak.
Or, let me put it this way…. In over 40 years of using these, I’ve NEVER seen one leak, even twenty-year-old cells.
So glad I found this video. I have the Duracell batteries and they’re not working at mine at all. I thought I was crazy.
Looks to be the Duracell battery only due to the bitter ant coating. As stated, Panasonic works as well as Energizer.
I’m sure Apple didn’t know about this mini, tiny battery detail. 😆
Hey guys so I had this exact problem but quickly found a solution. Take the battery and use a very slightly damp towel or rag and rub the battery. This gets rid of coating on the battery and it should work after doing this. If it still doesn't work maybe put a bit more water on the rag/towel and do it again. I only did about 10-15 seconds and it worked just fine.
I did this trick and rubbed (-) side with some StrikeHold cleaner as well as an added measure. Battery works fine now. I had some similar issues with getting CR2032 batteries working in my Nissan Leaf keyfob and now think that may be the problem with that item as well.
Years ago I had a Psion PDA and the AA Duracell batteries were always a really tight fit compared to the others
Interesting. They'd be a REALLY tight fit in an AirTag. :)
thank you, i thought i was going crazy for the last few days 😂
I just replaced the battery in my Airtag with a Duracell battery, and it's working perfectly.
Hand sanitiser rubbed around a Duracell battery vigorously with paper towel worked a treat for me.
So we basically gotta get panasonic batteries. Cool tip!
Duracell doesn’t work energized I just tried worked no issues. Thanks it was driving me mad why I couldn’t get it to read w my Duracell this video was a huge help
Yay Jessica! That's why we made it a year ago - I'm glad you found it!
I found this out the hard way. Luckily, I found an Energizer CR 2032 and it worked. I almost considered dumping this AirTag out and replacing it with a Tile. I saved $28 for now.
Safe to say better buy Panasonic batteries
Just cleaned my Duracell bitter batteries with 99% rubbing alcohol and a paper towel and it works fine now
I just installed a new Duracell battery and the AirTag works 100% fine.
I figured this out too late. New energizer battery works but it won’t connect to my Fond My now. But it will let me know that an AirTag is fallowing me.
What to do if it’s obviously connected and drawing power from the battery, but no sound? Is there any solution besides taking it in for repair/buying a new one?
I literally just installed a new Duracell 2032 battery in an AirTag today. I heard the indicator placed the backing on, and it has been working just fine since.
Have same issue with Duracell, so started to look for solution. Thanks fot the vid!
thanks for this video. I thought I was losing my mind on why my new batteries weren't working. great tips here.
Thanks for posting this. I was so frustrated...I even threw away one of my AirTags in the past because I was sure it was broken. Then I read through some of the comments and I saw "clean the battery with rubbing alcohol". BOOM! I knew the batteries were NOT the problem. I ended up fixing 2 AirTags...they connected quickly and easily and all I did was put a little Isopropyl alcohol on a rag and rub both batteries. DONE. WORKS FINE!
And both batteries were Duracell!
On Amazon they advertise the Panasonic as the battery replacement for the Air Tag!
Some light sandpaper on the top of the battery removes the coating...
This is certainly good information to know, but I hardly think this can be describe as a "huge" problem or design flaw. Panasonic ones obviously work. You put out this video without testing any other brands of batteries? I just tested an Energizer brand 2032, and it works fine. I suspect most others will also work fine. This is really a design flaw in the Duracell batteries. I guess maybe you're going for the views by describing this as a huge problem and design flaw. I don't mind that you did that because now I know to stay away from Duracell. Then again, I never buy Duracell batteries, anyway.
It’s not a big deal for me, as I found a way to work around the incompatibility, so I’m using the Duracell in my cat’s AirTag, but I would’ve bought a different brand had I known about this.
If the AirTag doesn’t work with certain types of batteries, making this clear up front would help the customers make the right decision when choosing replacement batteries.
Apple’s tutorial video for changing batteries does mention this (at least the one I saw). I can’t check as I tossed the docs that came with the AirTags, but it would be very helpful if certain incompatibilities are mentioned in the paperwork.
How are the energizers holding up? I tried Kodak and some of the cheapest I found, they lasted me a few hours, Energizer lasted 2-3 days, and I made sure they were all CR2032
…yes, they are ‘going for the views/clicks” totally.
Those Duracell “bitters” are OUT-OF-SPEC, plain and simple.
It is GREAT that Duracell is doing something about people swallowing these cells, because they can be fatal if swallowed, but come on, FOLLOW THE SPECS!!
BTW, I’ve tried these Duracell “bitters” in remotes, motherboards, lights, etc.
They fail to fit right 90% of the time.
Out of spec.
Class-action should be against Duracell.
sunbeam lithium 3 for $1.47 at Dollarama in Canada work! Also energizer sold in walmart, 2 for $9 work. Unfortunately the duracells which are sold in Costco and most other stores Don’t work.
Thank you because I tried Duracell and it didn’t work but Energizer does.
Duracell changed the side where they put the bitterant on. I recently bought Duracell CR2032 batteries where the bitterant is applied to the positive side. They probably changed it to cope with this problem.
Thank you for the great info! Had to order the Panasonic online, nowhere to be found in our small town.
I also can confirm rubbing alcohol and q-tip worked with Duracell.
I just bought the energizer 2032 batteries and they work flawlessly
You need to do another review using batteries from multiple brands, before concluding that it is an Apple issue. The only conclusion you can make from this video is that the Duracell batteries you used, don't work with the Airtags. It could be a design issue with Duracells. Doesn't prove that all Duracells don't work either - as some posters have commented, their Duracell batteries do work with the Airtag. Could be a batch, quality control issues etc
Energizer batteries worked perfect. No issues.
I saw a TH-cam video saying you have to take the battery out and reinsert it 5 times. Idk why. But that works. I used Energizer. I, too, thought I was going crazy when it wasn’t paring up and was about to search for a new AirTag! But now everything is okay and back in business.
Thank You! I used a scotch brite (yellow and green) sponge to clean the coating off the negative side. Perfect!
what I did is that I removed the coating and also positioned battery is the other way - and it worked. But I threw out a bunch of 3V batteries because I thought it's duracell problem.
If only I watched this before I went to cvs and bought the 2 pack
I literally just changed by battery for my air tag today with a Duracell. Zero issues.
In order to fully reset your air tag with the battery you need to take the new battery out up to 5 times. You will hear a different chirp and the airtag is ready to use with new battery
Hey ye it’s that ring that you can see on the negative side that coating that looks like a ring and should work
So you can get the coating of with a damp piece of kitchen paper they will work after that