Why an AirTag beeps
An AirTag can play a sound when it has been separated from the phone it belongs to for some time. This is a safety feature designed to help people notice a tag they did not know about. The owner can also make it play a sound on purpose, to find lost keys.
If it is probably yours
- Check that your phone's Bluetooth is on and that the tag is on your Find My list.
- Keep the tag close to your phone for a few minutes. It usually stops beeping once it reconnects.
- A weak battery can also cause odd behaviour. The battery is a standard coin cell.
If it is not yours
- Locate it. Beeps are short and irregular, so stand still and listen. Check bags, pockets and cars.
- Hold the top of an NFC-enabled phone against its white side to see its serial number and a partly hidden phone number of the owner.
- Photograph it and note the time and place before you do anything else.
- Follow what to do when you find an AirTag, including how to disable it and when to call the police.
Is it following me?
Where you found it matters. A tag in a friend's bag is different from one hidden in your car. To see whether any tracker has stayed with you across several places, run a scan with TrackerGuard. It records time and place, then shows a route map.
In testing. Use the app as one signal, along with your phone's own alerts.