Why "Compatible with AirTag" is Suddenly a Thing?

[FoxyKaye]

I saw this mentioned somewhere on one of the AirTag2 threads, and just encountered it ordering new CR2032 batteries online: Is "Compatible with AirTag" suddenly a thing? Wouldn't *any* CR2032 battery be compatible with an AirTag, or has something changed that I missed? Thanks for any thoughts on this!

 

[Weaselboy]

I think they are referring to the "bitter" coating some batteries have. The idea is the coating tastes horrible, so a child would spit out the battery rather than potentially swallow it.

That bitter coating interferes with the electrical connection in Airtags, so bitter coated batteries won't work.

I spent an hour one day fussing with trying to replace an Airtag battery before I stumbled onto the solution in a Google search. I was able to get the Duracell battery I bought to work by cleaning the bitter coating off with alcohol.

If you search Amazon, you can find batteries without the bitter coating.

Duracell Battery Products | CR 2032 Lithium Coin Battery with Bitter Coating

Duracell has a tradition of investing in the extensive development of features that can help keep children safe, especially for its Lithium Coin batteries. With its latest innovation the CR 2032, CR 2025, and CR 2016 3 Volt cells are bitter on both sides! The non-toxic bitter coating on the cell...

duracell.com

 

[FoxyKaye]

I think they are referring to the "bitter" coating some batteries have. The idea is the coating tastes horrible, so a child would spit out the battery rather than potentially swallow it...

Huh... That's good to know, and thank you!

 

[FreakinEurekan]

@Weaselboy has it right, but specifically - "Made for AirTags" may indicate that it DOES have a bitterant coating AND is compatible. This article gives a little more detail.

I assume the way they make it "compatible" is to use bitterant coating on some areas, and keep it off others. Not totally sure about that though.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Running them under water works too.