If your luggage tracker shows “no location” or hasn’t updated in hours, it doesn’t mean it’s broken — and it usually doesn’t mean your bag is lost.
This happens because most luggage trackers don’t work the way people assume they do.
This page explains why tracking often fails in transit, what won’t fix it, and when a different type of tracker actually helps.
First: this is normal during flights
Most luggage trackers are not GPS devices.
They don’t report location continuously.
They update only when certain conditions are met.
During flights and airport handling, those conditions often aren’t.
How most luggage trackers actually work
The majority of consumer luggage trackers rely on:
- Bluetooth
- nearby phones acting as relays
- intermittent updates
They do not:
- transmit location from inside aircraft holds
- update in real time
- override airport shielding
This gap between expectation and reality causes most confusion.
The main reasons trackers stop updating
1. Aircraft cargo holds block signals
Metal shielding and altitude prevent Bluetooth-based trackers from communicating.
Even GPS-based devices often can’t transmit until landing.
No signal = no update.
2. Airport handling areas are signal-dead zones
Baggage is frequently stored in:
- underground areas
- shielded rooms
- metal containers
Trackers may not update until:
- the bag reaches a public carousel
- or is moved near active devices
This delay is expected.
3. Battery-saving modes pause updates
Many trackers:
- sleep to conserve battery
- update only when movement is detected
- delay reporting until conditions stabilise
This can look like a failure when it isn’t.
4. “Last seen” is not live tracking
People often misread the app.
“Last seen” usually means:
- the last successful relay
- not the current location
If no compatible device passes nearby, nothing updates.
Why common fixes don’t help
These actions rarely change anything:
- refreshing the app repeatedly
- reopening Bluetooth settings
- restarting your phone
- reinstalling the app
The tracker isn’t disconnected.
It’s just not in a position to report.
When tracking
will
resume
Most luggage trackers update:
- shortly after landing
- when the bag reaches a public area
- once another device passes nearby
A delayed update doesn’t mean the bag is lost.
It means the reporting condition hasn’t been met yet.
When the tracker type is the real issue
At this point, the reader already understands:
- the tracker is behaving as designed
- real-time updates aren’t realistic mid-transit
- Bluetooth ≠ live tracking
This is the decision moment.
Some travellers realise they didn’t want “last known location” tracking — they wanted independent, live location reporting, which requires a different kind of device.
This isn’t a better version of the same thing.
It’s a different technology with different trade-offs.
The takeaway
Most luggage trackers don’t fail.
They behave exactly as designed — just not as imagined.
Once you understand how tracking actually works in airports and aircraft, delayed updates stop feeling alarming and start feeling predictable.
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