Latest AirTags Firmware Update Tunes the Unwanted Tracking Sound for Easier Detection

Earlier this week, Apple began rolling out a firmware update for AirTags, and while it wasn't clear at the time what changes were included in the update, Apple has now revealed in a new support document that it tweaks the sound made by unknown AirTags found to be traveling with you.

AitTag New Firmware

AirTag Firmware Update 1.0.301

Tuning the unwanted tracking sound to more easily locate an unknown AirTag.

Apple has made several changes to the way AirTags function since their release in order to address concerns about the trackers being used for stalking purposes. Apple in February announced a suite of changes it would be making with regard to stalking concerns, with some of the changes rolling out in March with iOS 15.4 and others coming later.

One of those changes coming later involved using more of the loudest tones in the tone sequence played by an unknown AirTag to help locate it more easily, and that appears to be what this week's firmware update includes.

Tuning AirTag’s sound: Currently, iOS users receiving an unwanted tracking alert can play a sound to help them find the unknown AirTag. We will be adjusting the tone sequence to use more of the loudest tones to make an unknown AirTag more easily findable.

While not mentioned in the release notes, Apple is rolling this firmware out on a staggered basis, and there is no way to force your AirTags to update. The update was capped at being delivered to 1% of ‌AirTag‌ users as of Tuesday when it started rolling out, which will rise to 10% on May 3 and 25% on May 9, and it will go fully live to everyone on May 13.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...

Top Rated Comments

jopiek Avatar
45 months ago
Really annoying 'feature'. My brothers dog has an AirTag. If she stays at our place and my brother is not around it will make this sound and the dog of course goes nuts. They should make an option to share AirTags in Family, that would totally solve this problem I think.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
45 months ago

I don't use mine anymore. It's something else to take care of, just adds more clutter to life. I was fine without them.
I generally don’t understand your complaints:

Something else to take care of? I haven’t had to take care of anything, with the exception of an update.

How exactly does it add clutter? It’s approximately the size of a quarter.

You said you were ‘fine without them’, so what made you allegedly purchase them in the first place then?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
45 months ago
I have nothing but trouble with these things and I wish I never bought them.


* I just replaced the batteries and 2 of 5 already claim they are low on battery again
* 3 of 5 refused to connect after replacing the batteries because it claimed the battery is too low to connect or something like that (new batteries!). - Somehow they were able to connect just fine using the same batteries after opening the back and pressing the battery against the AirTag with my hand. Once connected, I could put on the back thingy again and they would stay connected.
* Maybe it is my imagination but it seems to hit my battery life on iPhone / iPad a lot ("Find My") always in my over night battery stats
* Getting the annoying notification of my BFs AirTag. They need to add an option to mark an AirTag as known like "I know this AirTag. Please stopp bothering me FOREVER, not just for this day
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaikidan Avatar
45 months ago

I have nothing but trouble with these things and I wish I never bought them.


* I just replaced the batteries and 2 of 5 already claim they are low on battery again
* 3 of 5 refused to connect after replacing the batteries because it claimed the battery is too low to connect or something like that (new batteries!). - Somehow they were able to connect just fine using the same batteries after opening the back and pressing the battery against the AirTag with my hand. Once connected, I could put on the back thingy again and they would stay connected.
* Maybe it is my imagination but it seems to hit my battery life on iPhone / iPad a lot ("Find My") always in my over night battery stats
* Getting the annoying notification of my BFs AirTag. They need to add an option to mark an AirTag as known like "I know this AirTag. Please stopp bothering me FOREVER, not just for this day

About the "Low Battery" notification after replacing, I remember a article her eon macrumors about airtags having a lot of problems with duracells and other brands who used the anti-child swallowing coatting, as it caused connection problems with the small pins used on the airtags since it didn't provided enough contact surface to trasnmit enough electricity, acting as insulators. and since you managed to have it working by pressing harder I think that that is the problem here, you can use something to brush to try to remove a little bit of coating where it connects to the airtag, but I don't know the best method for it.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
femike Avatar
45 months ago
I don't use mine anymore. It's something else to take care of, just adds more clutter to life. I was fine without them.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Swissfashion Avatar
45 months ago
So a bike thief will now be able to more easily locate the AirTag the bike's owner hid on the bike?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)