What you’re dealing with
The gap between a cheap tag and an AirTag is not the Bluetooth, it is the network behind it. In your own house, the cheap tag performs just as well.
| Broadcasts as | Chipolo, iTAG, Nut, TagLink |
|---|---|
| Typical battery | Six months to two years on a coin cell |
| Findable by scan | Yes, while powered on |
| Search window | Days to weeks |
Once the battery is gone: Coin-cell tags run for a very long time. A tag that has stopped appearing has usually failed or been removed rather than gone flat.
Where it usually is
Attached to whatever you tagged
Keys, a bag, a remote. Find the tag and you have found the object.
How to search for it
- Check the last-seen map firstBefore you search a room, find out which building. A pin saves you from searching the right way in the wrong place.
- Scan from the middle of the roomNote everything that appears, then select the device you want so the rest of the list drops away.
- Walk and watch the signalSweep in a straight line, give each position a few seconds, and turn 90 degrees when the reading stops rising.
- Search inside things, not across themA strong signal with nothing visible means it is underneath or inside something. Fabric and metal block Bluetooth badly.
Tips specific to chipolo and budget tags
- Cheap tags often advertise a generic name like iTAG, so several in one house are hard to tell apart. Save each one in My Devices with a proper name.
- Some budget tags have very slow advertising intervals to save battery, give the scan a full minute before concluding it is not there.
Other things people lose
The same method applies to these, with different battery windows and different hiding places.
- How to find lost AirPods Max, About 20 hours
- How to find lost smart glasses, About 4 hours of active use
- How to find a lost GoPro or action camera, 1 to 2 hours recording
- How to find a lost Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch, 1 to 3 days on most models
- How to find a misplaced baby monitor unit, 8 to 20 hours on the parent unit
- Bluetooth scanner for iPhone, Scan tab
- How to find something in the dark, Method
- All device guides, the complete list
Common questions
Do I need the manufacturer’s app?
Not to detect it. The tag broadcasts openly and any Bluetooth scanner can see it and follow the signal. The manufacturer app is needed for ringing the tag and for its own network features.