Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max Worse At Detecting AirTags?

Hi everyone,

I’m new here, and this is my first post—hoping someone can help or has noticed a similar issue. I've been a long-time Apple iPhone user. Up until about a month ago, I was using an iPhone 13 Pro with Apple AirTags, and the detection was fantastic. I could open the app, and it would show the directional arrow pointing to the item's location.

Recently, I upgraded to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, expecting an even better experience, but I’ve found that it’s actually worse at detecting AirTags. The directional arrow rarely appears, and the app often says “weak signal.” Initially, I thought my AirTags might be failing, so I purchased a new set, but the issue persisted.

To troubleshoot further, I tested my old iPhone 13 Pro, and it still works perfectly—the arrow shows up immediately, even in the same location where the 16 Pro Max struggles. This suggests that the problem lies with the new phone, not the AirTags.

For example, if I sit at my desk about 5 feet away from an AirTag, the 16 Pro Max app says “weak signal” and shows no direction. Meanwhile, in the same position, the 13 Pro app works flawlessly although still saying weak signal, immediately displaying the arrow. Both phones are running iOS 18.2.

I rely on AirTags to locate important items, so this has been quite frustrating. Has anyone else experienced this with the newer iPhones, or does anyone have a solution?

Thanks in advance for your help!