Apple’s AirTag has change 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 available today.
It is powered by the second-generation Extremely Wideband chip (U2), which Apple has already employed in current iPhone and Apple Watch fashions. It improves the power to find the tag’s exact location when utilizing Apple’s Precision Discovering mode, with as much as 1.5 occasions larger vary. You possibly can raise your iPhone, and you will obtain visible, audio, and haptic suggestions because the system guides you to your AirTag. For the primary time, Apple says Precision Discovering is now accessible on the Apple Watch Series 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 total vary. There is not 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 working the most recent iOS 26 version (you additionally want an Apple Account and must be signed into iCloud). The software program options stay the identical—the whole lot 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 accessible is Apple’s Share Merchandise Location characteristic, which helps you to share the situation of a lacking merchandise with an airline to allow them to discover it in your behalf. Proper now, this characteristic is offered with 36 airways, however that quantity will leap to 50, although Apple did not present a selected timeline.
After the unique AirTags have been exploited to tech-savvy-stalkers-researchers-say/”>monitor folks, Apple deployed monitoring alerts (and labored with Google to enable these alerts on Android), and those self same capabilities are right here within the second era. If somebody locations an AirTag in your bag, your iPhone or Android will ship a notification about an “unknown tracker” in your individual.
Apple says the second-gen AirTag is created from 85 p.c recycled plastic in its enclosure, with one hundred pc recycled uncommon earth components within the magnets, and one hundred pc recycled gold plating within the printed circuit boards, to not point out one hundred pc 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 instances, key rings, and different equipment. Apple even has a brand new model of its official Key Ring accent made from its FineWoven material to match your FineWoven iPhone 17 case.
