AirTags are small location-tracking gadgets made for the Apple crowd. These circular, almost coin-like, devices are designed to attach to your keys and other items, either by being slotted into an AirTag-friendly key ring – which are sold separately – or simply by placing them inside a wallet, bag, suitcase or other valuables.
AirTags help reunite you with misplaced items by playing a sound when you can’t find your stuff – Apple users just need to use the Find My app to get the AirTag to call out. Those with an iPhone 11 or newer get more precise directions, with the Find My app telling users the distance and direction of their lost belongings.
Apple AirTag: price and where to buy
In Australia, AirTags are $45 each, while a pack of four will cost you $149. Apple’s main rival in this space is Tile, which has various Bluetooth trackers of different shapes and sizes. The Tile Sticker is the cheapest at $35.95, while the Tile Slim tops out at $47.95.
At launch back in April 2021, most retailers refused to stock the AirTags due to safety concerns around the button battery that's used in the device. Retailers were concerned that it posed a risk to young children if they managed to open the device and swallow the battery.
Apple has since sorted that out by updating its packaging with a prominent warning on both the outside and inside of the box, which was followed by the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) releasing a statement urging parents to keep the product away from children.
Apple AirTag: how it works
Unfortunately, the AirTag isn’t compatible with Android devices, but it certainly makes use of Apple’s extensive network of users. If you’ve lost your AirTag-toting item somewhere out in the world, there’s a chance your iPhone, iPad or Mac will be out of range and unable to pick up on your missing device.
Apple's tiny trackers work by emitting a Bluetooth signal that's picked up by any nearby Apple device (or user) anonymously as long as it's within the company's Find My network. When you mark your AirTag as lost, it's location can be pinpointed by its signal strength sent to these other devices and is then pinned into the map in your Find My app.
You’re also able to let an AirTag remember your phone number, so if anyone with an NFC-enabled phone finds it, they can tap the AirTag with their device and your phone number will be displayed.
The idea of carrying around your own personal tracker might raise some privacy concerns for some, but Apple has given serious thought to this, and equipped the AirTag with several security features to help ensure it isn’t misused.
For a start, you aren’t able to set up an AirTag for someone else, and your iPhone, iPad or other iOS device can recognise when someone else's AirTag is travelling around with you – you’ll get an alert if this happens, though the catch is you’ll need to be an iOS user. If you happen to miss that alert, the unknown AirTag will start playing a sound to let you know it’s there.
AirTags aren't necessarily for lost items outdoors; you can also located any AirTag or AirTagged item anywhere within your home. You can make it beep and follow the sound to its location or, if you use an iPhone 11 or newer, you can use Precision Finding. This turns your iPhone into a compass that hones in on the location of your misplaced AirTag.
Apple AirTags: more information
- AirTags have a 10-metre range, so they need to be within that distance to be picked up by an Apple device
- You can register up to 16 AirTags to a single Apple ID
- They aren't GPS-enabled or work over Wi-Fi
- They're water resistance, but not waterproof
- AirTags can be set up with any iPhone running iOS 14.5 or later iterations
- AirTags use replaceable CR2032 3V coin batteries and are not rechargable
- When it's time to replace a battery, you will receive a push notification
- AirTags aren't designed to locate anything in motion, so may not help you find your runaway pooch
