The AirTag 2 leaves some iPhones behind – here’s the full compatibility list and which models get its best upgrade

• The new Apple AirTag offers numerous upgrades
• You need the right iPhone to use the extended range though
• Any model from 2019 or later will work

Almost five years after the dinky tracker first came into our lives, there’s a new Apple AirTag, with a louder speaker, a smarter chipset, and an improved range. However, the features you can access on it depend to some extent on the iPhone you have.

First of all, to connect to the second-generation AirTags, you need an iPhone running iOS 26 or later (or an iPad running iPadOS 26 or later). When it comes to iPhones, that means the iPhone 11 or later – any iPhone launched in 2019 or the years since.