After 5 Years, Apple Lastly Upgrades the AirTag

Apple’s AirTag has turn into the de facto “Bluetooth tracker” since its 2021 debut, upending established gamers like Tile. Now, Apple is lastly upgrading the {hardware}. The second-generation AirTag nonetheless prices $29 for one, and $99 for a four-pack, and it is out there at the moment.

It is powered by the second-generation Extremely Wideband chip (U2), which Apple has already employed in latest iPhone and Apple Watch fashions. It improves the flexibility to discover the tag’s actual location when utilizing Apple’s Precision Discovering mode, with as much as 1.5 instances higher vary. You’ll be able to carry your iPhone, and you may obtain visible, audio, and haptic suggestions because the machine guides you to your AirTag. For the primary time, Apple says Precision Discovering is now out there on the Apple Watch Sequence 9 or later and the Apple Watch Extremely 2 or newer.

The second-gen AirTag is 50 p.c louder than its predecessor, and Apple says it may be heard from twice as distant as earlier than; there is a new chime, too. Apple has additionally upgraded the Bluetooth chip for higher general vary. There isn’t any notable improve to battery life, as Apple nonetheless cites “greater than a 12 months,” although the battery stays user-replaceable.

{Photograph}: Courtesy of Apple

Apple requires new house owners of the second-gen AirTag to have an iPhone or iPad operating the newest iOS 26 model (you additionally want an Apple Account and should be signed into iCloud). The software program options stay the identical—every part is powered by Apple’s Discover

My characteristic, which leverages a community of Apple units that will help you find and monitor your AirTag. Additionally out there is Apple’s Share Merchandise Location characteristic, which helps you to share the placement of a lacking merchandise with an airline to allow them to discover it in your behalf. Proper now, this characteristic is accessible with 36 airways, however that quantity will bounce to 50, although Apple did not present a selected timeline.

After the unique AirTags had been exploited to monitor folks, Apple deployed monitoring alerts (and labored with Google to allow these alerts on Android), and those self same capabilities are right here within the second technology. If somebody locations an AirTag in your bag, your iPhone or Android will ship a notification about an “unknown tracker” in your particular person.

Apple says the second-gen AirTag is comprised of 85 p.c recycled plastic in its enclosure, with 100% recycled uncommon earth components within the magnets, and 100% recycled gold plating within the printed circuit boards, to not point out 100% fiber-based paper packaging.

The AirTag retains the identical form as its predecessor, which means you received’t have hassle stuffing it into the identical AirTag circumstances, key rings, and different equipment. Apple even has a brand new model of its official Key Ring accent made from its FineWoven materials to match your FineWoven iPhone 17 case.