How to Set up and Pair Airtag with an iPhone or iPad

This practical guide walks through how to set up and pair airtag with an iPhone or iPad, explains the main requirements, and highlights common issues that may appear along the way.

How to pair AirTag with an iPhone or iPad

Basically, the AirTag connects to your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth LE and Apple's custom U1 (Ultra Wideband) chip.

Start by taking your AirTag out of its packaging and removing the protective plastic. When the last piece of plastic is removed, the AirTag will play a short chime indicating the unit is ready for use.

Next, place the AirTag near the iPhone or iPad you want to pair. Note, your phone or tablet must be running on iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5 or later. The devices will automatically detect Bluetooth trackers. When the pop-up message appears on the iPhone or iPad screen, press the 'Connect' button.

If the on-screen dialog box doesn't appear after a few seconds, lock your iPhone or iPad, unlock it again, and bring the AirTag closer to the Side / Power button (the power button).

You can now assign a name to AirTag for easy management. If you do not like one of the default names, you can choose the "Custom Name" option and give it a name you want.

Click the 'Continue' button to continue.

Another pop-up message will show the email address and phone number associated with your Apple ID. This information will be attached to your AirTag in case it gets lost and someone tries to identify the owner (which is you).

Click 'Continue' to complete AirTag registration with your Apple ID.

Wait a moment and the AirTag setup will complete automatically.

AirTag has now successfully paired with your iPhone or iPad, and has been added to the Find My list. A message will appear, briefly explaining some of the search methods you can use in the event of a lost accessory. Click on 'View in Find My App' to see AirTag's performance status.

You can now click on the 'Done' link to exit the completed setup.

In the Find My app, you'll see a live map of the AirTag's location that is constantly updated in real time (if it's within Bluetooth range of your iPhone, iPad, or Mac). Along with that are the button to play an alarm sound and the option 'Find' to accurately locate the accessory if your iPhone has a U1 chip (iPhone 11 or later).

Alternatively, you can mark the AirTag as lost, rename the item, and remove the Bluetooth tracker from the Apple ID and Find My network.