I have never experienced the AirTag beeping, either first hand or by my wife (who would hear it if I have gone away for a few days). Maybe I just don't go far enough often enough.
I lent a suitcase with an AirTag to a family member a while back (for a week or so), and they didn't report beeping either, though I did "share" it with them via the Find My app - maybe shared AirTags won't beep if they are near the owner OR the shared person?
Of course, that won't help as your parents are Android users. So perhaps the hardware hack is necessary.
Keep in mind that AirTags will only work if someone with an Apple device is nearby, passes by, etc. but it is certainly better than nothing. And there are a lot of apple devices out there to help form the "Find My" network. My father-in-law has an older iPhone and we are able to track him (with his consent), which provides peace of mind, so I totally understand.
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