Enough key rings, we need an AirTag pet collar

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An AirTag pet collar is a product that’ll sell
Attaching an AirTag to a beloved pet makes at least as mucgh sense as putting an item tracker on your keys.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Bad news AirTag shoppers: there’s no hole in Apple’s item-tracker. You have to buy an add-on to attach it to anything. Accessory makers have rushed to put out key rings and luggage tags. But no one makes the item I want: an AirTag pet collar.

Filing the hole Apple didn’t leave in AirTag

Finding misplaced keys is a great use of AirTag, which Apple unveiled Tuesday. Or put one in your purse and you can easily discover you left it in the car. What’s not easy is actually attaching the item tracker to anything.

AirTag is flat disk about the size of a couple of quarters. There’s no hole so you can’t simply run a string through it. You have to buy a holder for the AirTag to add a ring. Shame on you, Apple.

So price the cost of a holder into your purchase. Apple is already on it with a selection of key rings and other variations. AirTag is $29, and many add-ons cost more that that, especially the Hermès Key Ring that’s a whopping $349. At least good, reliable Belkin has one that’s $12.95.

There are other ideas, too. The Nomad Glasses Strap ($29.95) helps you keep track of your sunglasses, for example.

AirTag pet collar for Rover and Fluffy

But keys and sunglasses don’t hide under bushes in the neighbors yard. That’s why someone should make an AirTag pet collar.

I know that Apple didn’t design AirTag with cats and dogs in mind. When asked about the possibility, Kaiann Drance, Apple’s VP of iPhone marketing, told Fast Company, “If people do that, they just have to make sure that their moving pet gets into range of a device in the Find My network.”

She’s referring to a lost AirTag’s ability to be found by any iPhone, iPad or Mac. The concern is, there might not be any of those items in my neighbors’ backyard so I can’t locate my cat. But I’ll be searching for my pet with my iPhone, and having an AirTag on him makes that process so much easier.

I have a cat that’s allowed outside under my direct supervision. I clip a Tile item tracker to his collar when we do this. He’s never tried to run away but I’ve occasionally used the tracker to find him under my car or behind some bushes.

I’d be even more confident with an AirTag attached to his collar. And I’d have a much better shot at finding him if he got scared and took off, or ever got out of the house on his own. All he’ll need to do is get within range of any iPhone user and I’d be notified where to look.

I don’t want the tracker dangling from his collar where it can get caught on something. Integrate the AirTag into the design. I’d buy that.

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