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 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 may elevate 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 out there 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 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 version (you additionally want an Apple Account and must be signed into iCloud). The software program options stay the identical—every little thing is powered by Apple’s Discover
My characteristic, which leverages a community of Apple gadgets that will help you find and observe 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 out there with 36 airways, however that quantity will leap to 50, although Apple did not present a particular timeline.
After the unique AirTags had been exploited to track people, 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 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 produced 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, that means you gained’t have bother 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 material to match your FineWoven iPhone 17 case.
