> Do AirTags drain the battery?
My partner and I updated our iPhones to iOS 14.5 to use AirTags. Now, when we track them in the Find My app, both phones use a lot of battery power. Is that normal?
In normal use, AirTags in your iPhone’s Find My list should make little difference to its battery use. AirTags aren’t intended to track items that aren’t normally with you, nor people. Pop one on a keyring, a purse or bag which you keep nearby and could be misplaced. When you can’t find them, open Find My and tap Items to see where your AirTags are.
To track someone, that person will need to agree and share their location with you so you can view their location in the People section of the app. That uses common location services rather than Apple’s Find My system, and remains under their control.
Because of the danger of misusing AirTags to track people, a potential issue that’s flared up in the news recently, Apple has built deterrents into the Find My system. If an unknown AirTag moves with you for a while, the Find My app notifies you of its presence, and the AirTag plays a sound to help its location. You can then tap and hold your iPhone against the white side of the AirTag to learn information about it: Apple details this at bit.ly/ml184airtagalert.
If you’re concerned, you can easily keep track of the battery use of the Find My app by opening Settings and tapping Battery, which lists usage by each app. Sometimes shutting your iPhone down then starting it up again can return battery use to normal after an iOS update.