Apple makes it incredibly easy to replace the battery in its AirTag tracker, but the company has since come out with a warning to not use one specific type of battery when doing a replacement. AirTag was released in April 2021 as Apple’s answer to Tile and other Bluetooth trackers. It works exclusively with iPhone, integrates seamlessly with the Find My app, and offers highly precise tracking — right down to the distance and direction someone is from their AirTag. It may not be as ubiquitous as some of its competitors, but at just $29 for one or $99 for a four-pack, AirTag is an excellent accessory for anyone in the Apple ecosystem.
In addition to AirTag’s excellent functionality and affordable price, Apple also went the extra mile by making it surprisingly eco-friendly. The included battery is designed to last for over a year with regular use, allowing folks to rely on their AirTag for immediate tracking at any time. When the battery eventually runs out, it can be easily replaced with any standard CR2032 lithium 3V coin battery. Press against the stainless steel back of AirTag, rotate it counterclockwise, take it off, and swap out the dead battery for a new one. Put the stainless steel portion back on, turn it clockwise, and the AirTag should last for another year.
While all of this is great, it turns out that this whole replacement process does come with a small catch. Per an update to Apple’s support site (first spotted by The Loop), CR2032 batteries with bitterant coatings “might not work with AirTag.” The ‘might’ wording suggests batteries with bitterant coatings could work in some cases, with Apple further explaining that it depends on “the alignment of the coating in relation to the battery contacts.”
What Bitterant Coatings Are & How To Avoid Them
This is good to know, but what exactly is a bitterant coating? It’s a harmless chemical often placed on batteries or other small components that give them a foul smell or bitter taste — used to discourage small children from putting things in their mouths that they shouldn’t. Remember when the internet went crazy because of how bad Nintendo Switch game cartridges tasted? That’s because they have a bitterant coating. It resulted in some silly videos and plenty of memes on Twitter, but it’s there to prevent kids from accidentally putting something harmful in their little bodies.
This same idea applies to bitterant coatings on CR2032 batteries. It’s a good safety measure for little ones, but it can also interfere with the electrical activity needed to power an AirTag. So, when it comes time to buy a new AirTag battery, just double-check that it doesn’t have a bitterant coating on it. Batteries that do will say so on the package, either noting that it’s child-safe or directly indicating it has a bitter coating (like the Duracell batteries shown above). If there’s no indication of these things on the package, it’s likely free of that coating and a good fit for AirTag.
