- Apple AirTag gets a huge update
- The chips are new, as are the sounds
- Price remains unchanged: $29 / £29 / AU$49
AirTag, one of the most popular tracking tags, is getting a major update that somehow manages to not change the size, shape, or even price. The next-generation AirTags have better finding range, louder speakers, and even a more recognizable chime, all of which could make their ability to help you track and find lost and misplaced items (or people) better than ever.
The new AirTags (oddly not called “AirTags 2”), which look exactly like the old tags and work with all existing accessories, arrived today on Apple‘s online store and will arrive at retail stores later this week. Inside is the same second-generation Ultrawideband chip Apple introduced with the iPhone 15 and Apple Series 9.
The chip significantly enhances precision-finding capabilities, making it easier to detect the new AirTag at distances 1.5x further away than the previous AirTag. This means that when you’re using your iPhone to find, say, where in or around your house you left your wallet, the AirTag-toting device will appear on your phone, guiding you to the AirTag that much sooner.
Now, though, you can also use your Apple Watch – Series 9 or higher, or Ultra 2 – to find the updated AirTag using visuals and haptic feedback that should be recognizable to anyone who has used their phone to find a lost AirTag.
You’ll hear it now
In addition to a better range, the new AirTag is louder with reengineered speakers that Apple claims are 50% louder. A new Bluetooth chip also means that the AirTag can be activated to make a noise from a greater distance. Plus, the chime they make has been updated and is now more recognizable.
AirTags can help you find items that are far away from you by connecting to the wider Apple user network (without delivering any personalized information to you). And they can work with 36 different airlines, which will help you find your lost AirTagged luggage (you share a link with them). Apple plans to add another 15 airline partners soon, bringing the total to 50.
Not everything is different
For all these changes, there’s a lot about the new AirTags that remains the same. As noted, the $29 / £29 / AU$49 per AirTag price ($99 / £99 / AU$165 for a pack of four) is the same. Nothing about the battery or how you replace it has changed. It’s still powered by a standard CR2032 battery, and Apple is claiming over a year of battery life.
In addition, all privacy settings and controls remain unchanged. iOS and Android devices will still alert you to an unknown AirTag tracking with you. AirTags separated from their owners for an extended period will also emit a noise. Plus, found unknown AirTags can be disabled: you tap the AirTag with your phone, and it guides you through the steps.
This is the first major update for AirTags in years, and since they launched in 2021, they’ve seen increasing competition from Tile, Samsung, Moto, and others. Apple doesn’t release how many AirTags are out there, and we wonder how often people remember to change the batteries (even if it is only once a year) and how many are just inert discs sitting at the bottom of a backpack. Yes, this is a gentle reminder to check the charge on your tags.
Even so, the peace of mind that comes with tracking wallets, backpacks, and especially luggage is hard to beat. When an airline loses your bags, an AirTag or a tag like it may be the only surefire way to find them, and now, with better range and louder tones, the chances of retrieval are even better.
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lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
