Apple Announces Next-Generation AirTag
In a press release published on its Newsroom site on Monday, Apple announced a refreshed, second-generation AirTag. The diminutive tracker, available as a single for $29 and as a 4-pack for $99, is touted by the company as “even easier to locate with more powerful Precision Finding, a longer Bluetooth range, and a louder speaker.”
“Since the launch of AirTag in 2021, users from around the world have shared stories of being reunited with lost luggage, keys, bicycles, bags, and more,” Apple wrote in its announcement. “With the help of AirTag placed inside an instrument case, a musician was able to locate their lost instrument and perform that evening, while another user was able to find lost luggage that contained a lifesaving medication.”
The marquee feature of the New AirTag is the presence of Apple’s next-generation ultra-wideband (UWB) chip—the very same custom silicon found in the iPhone 17 line, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, and Apple Watch Ultra 3. According to Apple, the Precision Finding function—made possible by the UWB chip, makes use of “haptic, visual, and audio feedback” to (accessibly!) locate lost items with 50% greater range than the OG AirTag. Moreover, Apple notes Precision Finding is now available “for the first time” on Apple Watch Series 9 or later, as well as Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later.
Other internal upgrades to the new AirTag include an all-new chime, which Apple claims is 50% louder than the original and enables people to hear the sound from twice as far away. Coupled with the aforementioned Precision Finding, Apple says the new AirTag “makes it easier for users to find their important items, such as keys hidden deep in between couch cushions or a wallet as they head out the door.”
Today’s news comes to me fortuitously, as I’m in the market for another AirTag to put on my new everyday bag. I have OG AirTags on essential items—my keys, wallet, and luggage—but won’t be upgrading to the new ones beyond putting a new battery in the AirTag in my wallet. (In April 2024, I wrote of my mini-saga with trying to open the AirTag’s battery compartment.) I love the peace of mind I get with knowing AirTags are with me in spades—redundancy indeed is a good thing at times—and especially appreciate how accessible the little things are to me. While it’s fair to point out there are less expensive, ostensibly just-as-good alternatives on the market, none of them are as accessible—nor are they as vertically integrated as AirTag. My battery door adventure notwithstanding, it isn’t hyperbole or fanboy-ish to resolutely say AirTag is clearly the best, most accessible tracker if you have disabilities and use an iPhone.
The new AirTag is available to order beginning today.
