Can An AirTag Go Through Airport Security? | Smooth & Easy

Why AirTags Breeze Through Security

Security scanners see an AirTag as a tiny plastic disc with a watch-style battery and no blades, liquids, or dense electronics. It doesn’t trigger special alarms by itself. The tag uses a small, non-rechargeable CR2032 coin cell, which is the same battery you find in many key fobs and fitness sensors.

U.S. rules allow devices with small lithium metal cells in both cabin and hold, as long as the cell stays installed inside the device. AirTags fit that description. Spare, loose coin cells are a different story: those belong in your carry-on. That’s why travelers leave the battery in the tag and toss the tag in the bag.

Where AirTags Are Allowed

Taking An AirTag Through TSA: Step-By-Step

Before You Reach The Checkpoint

Set the tag up at home in the Find My app. That way, if a screener asks what it is, you can open your phone and show the pairing screen fast.

Drop the tag in a pocket of your backpack or purse. You don’t need a bin just for the tag, and it doesn’t count toward liquids. If your bag gets pulled for a quick look, a polite heads-up like “small Apple tracker inside” speeds things along.

When you check a suitcase, place the tag under a top layer of clothes. The fabric keeps it from getting knocked loose, and the signal still gets out.

Taking An AirTag Through Airport Security: Rules That Matter

The FAA PackSafe guidance allows location trackers that use tiny lithium metal cells as long as each cell contains no more than 0.3 grams of lithium. Coin cells in AirTags fall well under that bar.

Bluetooth and Ultra-Wideband radios are low power and cabin-friendly. Most airlines allow Bluetooth devices from gate to gate, and an AirTag uses only brief bursts to chirp its presence to nearby Apple devices.

Loose batteries are different. If you carry spare CR2032s for other gadgets, keep them in retail packaging or a small sleeve so the contacts can’t touch. Pack those in your hand luggage, not in checked bags.

Checked Luggage Tracking With AirTag

Put the tag inside the bag, not on the handle. Ground machinery can rip off exterior tags. Inside the lining or a mesh pocket works well. If your case has a metal shell, place the AirTag near the zipper line to help the signal escape.

Name each tag clearly in the app—“Blue Samsonite,” not “AirTag 3.” If customer service asks for proof the bag is nearby, you can share the live location from Find My.

Keep sound alerts on. A quick ping can help a baggage agent find your suitcase when it reaches a carousel or a storage room.

When An AirTag Might Get Extra Screening

A screener may ask you to open a bag if something else in the same pocket looks dense on the X-ray. The AirTag just happens to be near it. That’s normal and quick.

If your tag is playing a sound in the checkpoint area, switch it off in the app. Loud chirps distract staff and travelers alike.

Very rarely, staff may swab the tag for explosive traces alongside your other electronics. A thirty-second test and you’re on your way.

International Notes And Airline Stances

In recent years, European authorities aligned with the small-battery rules used in the United States. Many airlines have since published notes that trackers with coin-cell batteries may remain on in checked bags.

Some carriers went further and embraced them. Lufthansa, for instance, now lets customers share AirTag location data with its tracing team, which speeds reunions after a misconnection.

If you’re flying a niche carrier and can’t find a policy page, assume the usual rule: coin-cell trackers installed in a device are okay; spare cells ride in the cabin.

AirTag Specs That Matter At Screening

Troubleshooting And Prep Before You Fly

If Find My shows “last seen hours ago,” pop the cover and reseat the battery until you hear the chirp. That refresh often saves you in the check-in line.

Use a flexible tag holder rather than a hard case. Soft holders survive conveyor bumps and keep the AirTag from rattling against metal.

For shared trips, add a family member to your item so they can help watch the bag’s path on their phone.

Signal Tips That Actually Help

Put soft stuff between the tag and dense items like power banks or a toiletry case. Thick metal or a tight stack of cables can muffle the radio blips the tag sends.

Use one tag per bag. Doubling up rarely adds coverage, and it can make you think you’re tracking one suitcase when you’re looking at another. If you own several bags in a family, give each tag a different emoji so they’re easy to tell apart on the map.

Turn on Notify When Left Behind for carry-ons. If a gate agent asks you to valet-check a roller at the aircraft door, the alert reminds you to remove valuables before the bag goes down the stairs.

Myths Worth Ditching

“Security bans trackers.” Not true. The screening process cares about prohibited items and safety hazards. A small coin-cell tracker is neither.

“Airplane mode kills tracking.” Airplane mode on your phone doesn’t control your tag. AirTags speak to any nearby Apple device, not only to your own phone. That’s why your bag can update even while you’re seated.

“Checked bags need the tag turned off.” With coin-cell trackers under the international small-battery limit, airlines let them stay on. That keeps your bag visible during long connections and overnight holds.

Special Cases You Might Run Into

Gate-checked items: place the tag where a ramp agent can hear a sound if needed, such as the top outer pocket. That helps during a quick hand-off on tight turns.

Regional jets with tiny bins: tag the item you risk surrendering at the door, not the one that always stays at your feet.

Military or secure facilities: a few checkpoints post signs about radios near restricted rooms. In that rare case, listen to staff; you can slip the tag inside a tray without pairing or scanning.

Lost Bag Playbook With An AirTag

Open Find My and tap the bag’s name. If it shows at your origin airport minutes after you land, take a screenshot. That time stamp helps the baggage desk start a tracer.

Use Play Sound when you’re near a carousel or a storage room door. Staff will hear the chirp and pick the match from a row of similar cases.

If the map pin sits at a different airport, share the location from the app with the agent so they can add it to the file. Many teams now accept a link and call the station on the ground to pull the bag before the next flight.

Keep updates turned on until your suitcase reaches your hotel. Then rename the tag for your trip home.

Safe Packing Checklist For AirTags

• Set up and test in Find My the day before you leave.
• Install a fresh CR2032 or bring spares in your cabin bag.
• Place the tag inside the suitcase under a soft layer.
• Label the item in the app with a clear bag name.
• Keep the tag’s sound feature available for pickup moments.
• Carry spare coin cells in packaging inside your carry-on.