Apple AirTags have finally been revealed during the Apple Event in April, and they’re here: a Tile-like tracker you can attach to anything and find using the network of Apple devices that exist in the world.
So what are AirTags? The pitch is that you clip one of these things to an item you don’t want to lose, and you’ll then be able to track it from an Apple device using the enhanced Find My app.
After years of rumors about their emergence, finally, AirTags are here as accessories to track your items using the Find My network of iPhones and other Apple devices.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Apple AirTags.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Location trackers to help you keep track of personal items
- When is it out? April 30
- How much will it cost? $29 for one, $99 for a four-pack
The Apple AirTags debuted at Apple’s spring event on April 20, 2021, with preorders starting April 23 with sales starting April 30.
AirTags start at $29 (around £20 / AU$37) for one or $99 (around £70 / AU$128) for a four-pack.
Given their similarity to Tile, we could compare those prices: the standard Tile Mate costs $25 / £20 / AU$40, so the prices are pretty comparable – and with the new AirTags Apple is allowing you to engrave each one for free, so you’ll know which is which if you buy many.
AirTags are round accessories about the size of a quarter – you’ll have to slip them into an attachment strap (a fob, really) to attach them to anything, though you can also just slip them into a pocket of a purse or bag you want to track.
Unlike the Tile Tracker, there doesn’t seem to be an official way to stick them to anything – so you won’t be able to track a remote or laptop just yet. However, we can see that kind of accessory coming from a third party
The AirTags harness the same network of Apple devices – yours and those of strangers – that Apple already uses for the Find My app.
But the AirTags specifically use the Ultrawide band (U1) chip in newer Apple devices from the iPhone 11 upwards in a feature called Precision Finding for even more refined tracking – those devices use their own accelerometer, camera, and gyroscope to direct you to your AirTag-attached object within a very accurate space.
Apple has made these small AirTag devices with a plastic rear and the metal front housing all the mechanics – in doing so, it’s made them water resistant, although there’s no IP rating here so we assume you shouldn’t use them to track a goldfish.
As we’ve asked above, we’re not sure whether these can be stuck flush to a device – while it looks unlikely given the slightly bulbous back, if you head to the official Apple AirTags page in Safari on an iPhone, you can view them in AR.
When the phone detects a surface, it places the AirTag on it as if it were stuck – so perhaps this will be a feature.
Apple is touting the fact that its AirTags are power efficient enough to last a year, and the battery inside is removable and replaceable too. That’s good to see given the brand has been making a big deal about how sustainable it wants its operations to be,
Here’s something interesting – looking at Apple AirTags in AR will attach them to the nearest surface if you use an iPhone with LiDAR. Will they be stickable after all? #AppleEvent2021 pic.twitter.com/u7awCuyptbApril 20, 2021
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