Apple expects an AirTag’s battery to work for more than a year. In my experience, it’s somewhere between 6 and 12 months.
Apple once published that 6 to 12 month range. Now, I can’t find it mentioned on their site at all.
To replace the battery, open the case, swap the cell, and close it again:
- Remove the back cover: Holding the glossy white front, push down to twist the metal back panel counter-clockwise. It only needs to move a small distance before the cover pops off.
- Remove the battery: Inside, you’ll see its small coin cell battery. Remove the battery, making note of the right side up: the + sign on the battery will always face you.
- Insert the new battery: Put the new cell in with the + sign up, facing you.
- Reattach back cover: Now you can look at the cover to see the extended tabs and align those with the hole in the top. Press in and then rotate the cover clockwise against its top until it’s firmly in place.
The small size of the AirTag, its cover, and the battery within are all choking hazards for small children or pets. If you have either or have visitors with them, keep track of loose AirTags or parts.
Many CR2032 lithium batteries are now sold with a “bitterant-coating”—a coating that makes it bitter to the taste—designed to deter a child who gets one in their mouth from swallowing it. They should spit it out instead. (The same danger is present for pets, though the coating may not fully deter animals from swallowing.)
Apple recommends using a battery with such a coating, and particularly notes that the “Duracell 2032 Lithium Coin Battery with Bitter Coating” works with an AirTag. Manufacturers all use different coating methods, so it’s possible you will buy a battery that will not correctly power an AirTag. I’d recommend buying one or a small package first before making a bulk buy.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a “Notice of Violation” to Apple in January 2025, because their AirTag and packaging failed to include necessary child-protection warnings required by the March 19, 2024, Reese’s Law, named for a child who died after swallowing a coin-cell. Apple updated their packaging since. The company also provides safety information when the Find My app recognizes a battery reaching the end of its life.
If you are resetting an AirTag rather than changing its battery, the sequence is different. The folks at Elevation Lab have created many kinds of AirTag cases, but perhaps their two most striking are the extended battery models, which come in 5- and 10-year versions. The duration depends on two long-life lithium batteries: AAA for 5 years and AA for 10 years. The rugged case is secured with a screw with a difficult-to-find drive head. The company designed it to be installed in hard-to-reach places to provide maximum protection for an estimated 5 or 10 years.
