Why do Airtags Beep? Learn noise & chirp Meanings

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Written By Dinu Sri

Dr H. T. D. S. Madusanka is an electronic expert with 10 years of experience, involved in the research and development of SMART HOME systems.

Among many state-of-the-art features, one unique feature of Airtag is its built-in speaker. It comes in handy in so many ways that you will only understand when you use an Airtag. 

With all the hardware and software installed, you might want to know- how does AirTag work? Or why does it chirp? Do not hesitate to ask them because it’s a new device and, to be honest; I have all the responses for you in this write-up. 

On top of it, I will also discuss the effect of various Airtag sounds on its battery in the latter part of this article. You will learn everything about Airtags’ chirps and beeps when you finish. 

So, let’s fire away without wasting any more of our time. 

Why Do Airtags Chirp? 

There is a built-in speaker inside this tracker, which can make sounds for various reasons. It will make a sound when you first unbox your Airtag and remove the plastic wrap. After pairing up with your phone, it will sound again. You can also make sounds when you are searching for your Airtag. Besides, it will beep when separated from its paired device. 

Apple has introduced Airtag to track valuable items like wallets, keys, backpacks, luggage, iPads, etc. This is a cutting-edge tracker packed with many advanced features. One of them is its built-in speaker. Even though it’s a small device, it has a speaker inside that makes sounds on various occasions. 

The first sound you’ll hear from this tracker is when you unbox it and remove the plastic wraps. Then you will hear a sound again after pairing it with your iPhone. After that, you can make sounds from your Airtag for different reasons. Sometimes your Airtag will make sounds of its own if there’s an issue. 

But important of all, you can make sounds from Airtag when you are tracking it using the Find My app. The sounds make it easier to find your misplaced items where Airtags are attached. As a result, finding an item becomes faster. 

If your Airtag starts beeping, it might be because it has been separated from its paired device for a particular time. This period can be between eight and twenty-four hours.  

How Many Sounds Can An Airtag Make? 

We have come to know why and when Apple Airtag makes sounds. But now you ask how many sounds can an Airtag makes or how many sounds are installed in them. Since it has a built-in speaker inside, you will get unique sounds from it while tracking and at other times. 

Depending on your feature, your Airtag can make up to four unique sounds directly from its built-in speaker. The sounds are often chirps and chimes. To be honest, I personally love the sounds, and I’m pretty sure you would love them too. 

But the sounds and their duration are different in different situations. You will hear one type of sound when you unwrap the plastic cover, pair it with your iPhone, and hear other sounds while tracking it down using the Find My app. 

Sound NameAssociated Feature
Welcome ChimeWhen You Unwrap And Begin To Set Up Your Airtag
Setup Complete SoundWhen Your Airtag Is Set Up And Ready To Use
Find My ChimePlay Repeatedly When You’re Locating Airtag In The Find My App
Battery ChimeAfter Successfully Replacing The Battery

Can You Make Airtags Beep?

Airtags can sometimes make sounds on their own if there is an issue like separating from their paired devices. But you can make sounds out of them as well. You can do that while tracking them using the Find My app. This app is connected by Bluetooth and has the option to create sound from your Airtag. 

Since Airtags has a built-in speaker, you will hear sounds from them. Airtags can produce different sounds depending on the features you use from the Find My app. You can also make them beep while searching for your Airtag.  

You hear a sound when you replace your old battery with a new one. Like this, Airtag makes sounds for various reasons. An Airtag separated from its paired device will start beeping when it’s moved. So, you can make Airtags beep, and the device can beep for many reasons. 

Can You Change The Sound On Airtags?

An Airtag will make different types of sounds in different situations. You will get one type of sound when you first hold your Airtag. Then after pairing up with your iPhone, it will produce another sound. Similarly, depending on which feature you use, you will get various other sounds. 

But you cannot change the sound of a particular program on your Airtag. For example, you will hear a particular sound while searching for your Airtags using your Find My app. But you cannot replace it with the sound that your Airtag makes after installing a new battery. 

Since we are talking about changing sound, you should know how to make sound from your Airtag while searching for it. The following process will let you make sound from your Airtag: 

  • Firstly, open your Find My app and tap on the items. Here you will see all your listed Airtags. 
  • Then you must tap on the Airtag name you want to search for or make a sound. 
  • After that, you will see an icon named Play Sound. You have to tap on this button. 
  • Finally, your Airtag will start making sounds, and you can find it easily. 

This way, you can search for any unknown Airtags that are not yours. 

How Loud Is An Airtag Sound?

Apple Airtag can make four different sounds depending on what feature you are using. But how loud are these sounds? At its maximum, all the sounds of an Airtag are approximately 60 decibels. But if you keep your Airtag in your luggage or wallet, the sound’s loudness can be reduced to approximately 40 decibels. 

However, Apple is working on making the sounds louder so you can easily find your Airtags. Now a lot of people are seeing unknown Airtags around them. So, there is a risk of being stalked. With louder Airtag sounds, you will be able to find them quickly. 

Apple is planning on altering the tone sequences so that your Airtag can use more of the louder tones to help find your Airtags and the unknown and unwanted ones. 

Why Does My Airtag Make Noise Randomly?

There are several reasons your Airtag will make random sounds. And when it does, there might be some reasons behind that. If your Airtag is disconnected from your iPhone and you move it, your Airtag will make beeping or chirping sounds. 

Another reason your Airtag is making random sounds is that the security features may be triggered for some reason, or they have malfunctioned. If your Airtag is not connected correctly, it might make some noise. 

Another reason you hear random noises from your Airtag is when a software update is required to tackle bugs that can influence your experience with older versions. Sometimes, you might hear sounds from unknown Airtags. This means someone has lost their Airtag or is trying to stalk you. 

How Do I Get My Airtag To Stop Beeping?

Your Airtag can make up to four sounds. And because of the sound, you can easily find your Airtags. You will know whether any issues are there with your Airtag. Besides, you will hear sounds from this tracking device while using various features. 

However, if you want, you can stop the beeping sounds from your Airtag. This device makes sounds while tracking. But you can make it stop. Here’s how you can stop it: 

  • Firstly, open the Find My app and tap on the items. 
  • On the items section, you will see the name of your Airtags. From there, you have to click on the Airtag name you want to turn the sound off. 
  • Then you will see an icon for Stop Sounds. Click on it.
  • Finally, your Airtag will stop playing sounds. 

So, after stopping the sound, you will no longer hear any chiming or chirping sound from your Airtag while searching for it. 

Airtag Alert When Out Of Range 

Now iOS 15 users will get an alert whenever they leave Apple devices or things attached to Airtags. Apple has added Separation Alert for Airtag users. The Find My app will notify you that you are leaving things behind. You will hear a sound alert as well. 

You will have to enable the Notify Me When Left Behind option from the Find My app for the items your Airtags are connected to. It will send you a sound alert if you get out of the range of your item. You can create customization for places like your home where your items are safe. 

Airtag Separated From Owner Sound 

Airtag will send a sound alert if it’s separated from its owner. If your Airtag is separated from you and you suddenly start moving, your Airtag will start making chirping. As a result, you will not leave things behind. 

Besides, Airtags also start beeping if it cannot connect to its paired device. In that case, you’ll have to see why they are not connected. On top of it, Apple has introduced a new Separation Alert for iOS 15 users. 

Do Airtag Sounds Consume A Lot Of Battery? 

As a tracking device, Airtag has a lot of unique features. A built-in speaker is one of them; it can make four different sounds. You will get different sounds for different features. But you might think the sounds consume a lot of battery. 

But it doesn’t. If you make four unique sounds daily and use your Airtag for tracking once daily, the coin-size CR2032 battery will last about one year. So, you can figure out that the sound doesn’t take much of the battery. 

Do Airtags Communicate With Each Other?

Airtags directly send its location information to iCloud. You can access it through the Find My app. It doesn’t have a definite range as it works within the Find My app network. However, it will have to be within the Bluetooth range of your iPhone. 

Although Airtags can communicate with your phone, one Airtag cannot communicate with another one. There is no mechanism for that. You’ll have to create a different profile for each Airtag in your Find My app, and each one has to be individually registered with your Apple ID.  

Final Thoughts 

A built-in speaker is a very useful feature in Airtag. It comes in handy, especially when you are searching for it. That’s why Apple has provided this feature with Airtag to make tracking your valuable items much easier. And most importantly, because of the sounds, you will be able to detect unknown and unwanted Airtags, which could threaten your safety. 

References 

Hardwick, T. (2021, April 30 ). How to Play a Sound on an AirTag. Retrieved from MacRumors: https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/play-sound-airtag/?Bibblio_source=true