The Onn Bluetooth Item Tracker from Walmart costs $15 and uses Apple's Find My network. It looks like a half-price AirTag on paper. In reality, both units I tested failed. One drained from 100% to under 50% battery in two weeks. The other was dead on arrival. The speaker chirped once instead of ringing continuously, and UWB precision finding never activated. Spend the extra $14 on an AirTag 2 instead.
I wanted this tracker to work. A $15 Find My tracker with UWB and a built-in keychain hole sounds like the AirTag deal of the year. I bought two from Walmart to give it a fair shot.
Both failed. Not in subtle ways. In ways that made me question whether quality control exists for this product.
- Battery life was catastrophic -- the first unit drained from 100% to under 50% in just 2 weeks, far short of the advertised 1-year lifespan.
- The speaker chirped once quietly instead of ringing continuously, making it nearly useless for locating items even in the same room.
- UWB precision finding (the feature that guides you within inches) failed to activate in every attempt across two units.
- In a coffee shop test, the tracker couldn't be located from 40 feet away while inside a purse.
- The second unit was dead on arrival -- it never powered on despite a fresh battery.
What the Onn Tracker Promises
On paper, the Onn Bluetooth Item Tracker checks every box:
- Works through Apple’s Find My network
- Bluetooth and UWB tracking (same as AirTag)
- $15 price — roughly half an AirTag
- Replaceable CR2032 battery rated for 1 year
- Water-resistant design
- Built-in keychain hole (no case needed)
- iOS only — no Android support
At $15, you’d expect some compromises. A slightly shorter range, maybe a quieter speaker. What you wouldn’t expect is a product that doesn’t reliably function.
Hands-On Testing: Two Units, Two Failures
Setup: The One Thing That Worked
I’ll give the Onn tracker this much: setup was painless. Pull the battery tab, press the button, and an iPhone notification instantly prompted me to add it to Find My. Naming the device and choosing an icon took about 30 seconds total.
The Find My app immediately showed the tracker’s location and battery level. This was the high point.
Design: Cheap but Practical
The Onn tracker is a white plastic rounded square, slightly larger than an AirTag. It feels hollow. The plastic is thin and light in a way that doesn’t inspire confidence.
But the built-in keychain hole is genuinely useful. The AirTag requires a $13-30 holder to attach to anything, which effectively doubles its cost. The Onn saves you that expense.
The CR2032 battery compartment twists open with a coin. I dropped the tracker several times on tile flooring during testing — no visible damage.
Tracking: Inconsistent at Best
I tested the Onn tracker in three scenarios:
At home (keys in couch): The 60-70 foot Bluetooth range was enough to locate it in my two-bedroom apartment. But the speaker only chirped once, quietly, instead of ringing continuously like an AirTag does. I had to ping it four times before I could narrow down which cushion the keys were under.
In a coffee shop (purse on chair): I left the tracker in a purse on a chair, walked 40 feet to the counter, and tried to ring it from Find My. My phone couldn’t locate it at all. Not a weak signal — no signal. Forty feet. In a coffee shop. This is a failure for any Bluetooth tracker.
UWB precision finding: This is the feature that makes AirTag special — it uses ultra-wideband technology to show you an arrow pointing directly at the item, with distance measured in feet and inches. The Onn tracker supposedly supports UWB. In my testing, the precision finding screen never appeared on either unit. I tried with an iPhone 15 Pro, which fully supports UWB. The feature simply didn’t work.
Battery Life: The Worst I’ve Seen
The first Onn unit drained from 100% to below 50% in 14 days of normal use. That’s not a minor shortfall — the advertised lifespan is 1 year. At this rate, you’d burn through a battery every month.
I replaced the CR2032 with a fresh Energizer. Same drain pattern. This isn’t a bad battery problem. It’s a hardware power management problem.
For context, my AirTag battery lasted 14 months before I replaced it. The Tile Mate 2024 uses a sealed battery rated for 3 years.
The second Onn unit was dead on arrival. Pressing the button produced no chirp. Swapping in a new battery made no difference. I returned it.
Pros and Cons
- $15 price is half an AirTag
- Built-in keychain hole (no holder needed)
- Uses Apple's Find My network
- CR2032 battery is easy to replace
- Setup takes under 60 seconds
- Battery drained to 50% in 2 weeks (advertised: 1 year)
- Speaker chirps once quietly instead of continuous ringing
- UWB precision finding failed to activate on both units
- Couldn't locate tracker from 40 feet in a coffee shop
- One unit was dead on arrival
- No Android support
Better Alternatives for Every Budget
Do not buy the Onn tracker. Based on testing two units, both with critical failures, I can't recommend it at any price. The alternatives below are proven, reliable options.
Apple AirTag 2
The obvious choice for iPhone users. Costs $29, uses Apple’s Find My network (over a billion devices), and the UWB precision finding actually works. Battery lasts over a year. IP67 waterproof. The AirTag 2 added a built-in speaker that’s louder than the original.
The only downside: no built-in keychain hole, so you’ll need a $5-30 holder. Even with a holder, total cost is around $34-59 — more than the Onn, but the tracking actually functions.
Tile Mate 2024
The best cross-platform option. Works with both iPhone and Android. The Tile Mate 2024 costs $25, has a sealed 3-year battery, IP67 waterproofing, and access to the Tile/Life360 network. No UWB, but the Bluetooth tracking is consistent and reliable.
Chipolo Pop
A strong Find My alternative to AirTag at a lower price. The Chipolo Pop costs $28, supports dual networks (Apple Find My or Google Find Hub — pick one at setup), and hits 120 dB buzzer volume. That’s louder than any tracker on the market. No UWB, but the sheer volume makes it easy to locate.
Samsung SmartTag 2
Samsung Galaxy users should look at the Samsung SmartTag 2. It offers UWB precision finding for Samsung phones, IP67 waterproofing, and SmartThings Find network support. At $30, it’s comparable to AirTag for Samsung users.
How the Onn Compares to Working Trackers
| Feature | Onn Tracker | AirTag 2 | Tile Mate 2024 | Chipolo Pop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $15 | $29 | $25 | $28 |
| Battery | ~2 weeks (tested) | 1+ year | 3 years (sealed) | 2 years (sealed) |
| UWB | Broken | Yes | No | No |
| Volume | Barely audible | ~80 dB | ~85 dB | 120 dB |
| Waterproofing | Claimed, untested | IP67 | IP67 | IPX5 |
| Network | Find My | Find My | Tile/Life360 | Find My or Find Hub |
| Android | No | No | Yes | Yes (Find Hub) |
The $15 savings means nothing when the product doesn’t work.
Bottom Line
The Onn Bluetooth Item Tracker is the worst tracker I’ve tested. Two units, two failures. A battery that dies in weeks instead of a year. A speaker that barely makes noise. A UWB feature that never activates. A Bluetooth connection that fails at 40 feet indoors.
Spend $29 on an AirTag 2. Spend $25 on a Tile Mate. Spend $28 on a Chipolo Pop. Any of those will actually find your stuff when you need it. The Onn won’t.
FAQ
Does the Onn tracker work with Android?
No. It relies on Apple's Find My network, which requires an iPhone running iOS 14.5 or later. If you use Android, look at the Tile Mate 2024 or Samsung SmartTag 2 instead.
Can you replace the Onn tracker battery?
Yes, it uses a standard CR2032 coin cell. Twist the back open with a coin to swap it. However, replacing the battery didn't fix the rapid drain problem in my testing. The power management hardware itself seems flawed.
Why doesn't UWB precision finding work on the Onn tracker?
I tested it with an iPhone 15 Pro, which fully supports UWB. The precision finding screen never appeared on either unit. This could be a firmware issue, a hardware defect, or both. Either way, the feature that's supposed to differentiate it from a basic Bluetooth tracker doesn't function.
Is the Onn tracker waterproof?
Walmart describes it as water-resistant but doesn't specify an IP rating. Given the quality issues with both units I tested, I wouldn't trust it near water. The AirTag and Tile Mate both carry verified IP67 ratings.
How does the Onn tracker compare to AirTag?
It doesn't. The AirTag is $14 more but works reliably -- 1+ year battery, loud speaker, functional UWB, and the same Find My network. The Onn promises the same experience at a discount but doesn't deliver on any of it except the Find My integration.
Is there a better low-cost tracker than the Onn?
Almost anything. The eufy SmartTrack Link costs about $14 and uses Find My with a 1-year CR2032 battery that actually lasts. The Nutale Key Finder 4-pack works out to $10 per tag with 400-foot range. Both are more reliable than the Onn, based on my testing.
Should you buy the Onn tracker if you find it on sale?
No. A lower price doesn't fix hardware defects. The battery drain, broken UWB, and weak speaker are product design problems, not pricing problems. At any price, a tracker that doesn't work is a waste of money.