Apple just launched AirTag, a small, elegantly designed accessory to track and find items that matter most using Apple’s Find My app. Whether attached to a handbag, keys, backpack or messenger bag, AirTag taps into the vast, global Find My network and can help locate a lost item, all while keeping location data private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption.
AirTag can be purchased in one- and four packs for $39 (CAD) and $129 (CAD) respectively, and is available starting Friday, April 30.
“We’re excited to bring this incredible new capability to iPhone users with the introduction of AirTag, leveraging the vast Find My network, to help them keep track of and find the important items in their lives,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s VP of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing. “With its design, unparalleled finding experience, and built-in privacy and security features, AirTag will provide customers with another way to leverage the power of the Apple ecosystem and enhance the versatility of iPhone.”
Lightweight Design with Magical Setup
Each round AirTag is small and lightweight, features precision-etched polished stainless steel and is IP67 water- and dust-resistant. A built-in speaker plays sounds to help locate AirTag, while a removable cover makes it easy for users to replace the battery.
AirTag features the same magical setup experience as AirPods — just bring AirTag close to iPhone and it connects. Users can assign AirTag to an item and name it with a default such as “Keys” or “Jacket,” or provide a custom name.
You can also personalize AirTag with free engraving, including text and a selection of 31 emojis (when purchasing from apple.com or the Apple Store app). Place AirTag into a bag or pocket on its own, or utilize a wide range of Apple-designed AirTag accessories, including the lightweight, durable Polyurethane Loop or the Leather Loop and Leather Key Ring, made of tanned European leather. The enclosure of each accessory fits securely around AirTag while conveniently attaching to your belongings.
How it Works
Once AirTag is set up, it appears in the new Items tab in the Find My app, where you can view the item’s current or last known location on a map. If you misplace an item and it’s within Bluetooth range, you can use the Find My app to play a sound from the AirTag to help locate it. Siri will also help find your item — AirTag will play a sound if it’s nearby.
Each AirTag is equipped with the Apple-designed U1 chip using Ultra Wideband technology, enabling Precision Finding for iPhone 11 and iPhone 12. This advanced technology can more accurately determine the distance and direction to a lost AirTag when in range. As you move, Precision Finding fuses input from the camera, ARKit, accelerometer and gyroscope, and then guides you to AirTag using a combination of sound, haptics and visual feedback.
The Find My network can detect Bluetooth signals from a lost AirTag and relay the location back to its owner, all in the background, anonymously and privately.
You can also place AirTag into Lost Mode and be notified if in range or when located by the vast Find My network. If a lost AirTag is found by someone, just tap it using your iPhone or any NFC-capable device and be taken to a website that will display your contact phone number, if you’ve provided one.
AirTag includes support for accessibility features built into iOS. Precision Finding using VoiceOver, for example, can direct users who are blind or low-vision to AirTag with directions like “AirTag is 9 feet away on your left.”
Privacy and Security Built In
AirTag is designed from the ground up to keep location data private and secure. No location data or location history is physically stored inside AirTag. Communication with the Find My network is end-to-end encrypted; only the owner of a device has access to its location data, and no one, including Apple, knows the identity or location of any device that helped find it.
AirTag is also designed with a set of proactive features that discourage unwanted tracking, an industry first. Bluetooth signal identifiers transmitted by AirTag rotate frequently to prevent unwanted location tracking.
iOS devices can also detect an AirTag that isn’t with its owner, and notify the user if an unknown AirTag is seen to be traveling with them from place to place over time. And even if users don’t have an iOS device, an AirTag separated from its owner for an extended period of time will play a sound when moved to draw attention to it.
If a user detects an unknown AirTag, they can tap it with their iPhone or NFC-capable device and instructions will guide them to disable the unknown AirTag.
