An improved second-generation AirTag just launched. Apple’s tracking tag has been upgraded with a new Ultra Wideband chip and improved Bluetooth connectivity so it can be located from much farther away. Apple also built in a louder speaker.
Like its predecessor, AirTag 2 can used to find lost items and get reminders that items have been left behind.
Benefits of AirTag
You can attach an AirTag to anything that gets misplaced frequently (like a set of keys) or to something that would be a big problem if it went missing (like luggage). Then you can locate the item using the Find My app on your iPhone. The trick works by making a Bluetooth connection between the tracking tag and your handset. (This method also works with rival trackers.)
But AirTag uses another trick, too: It can communicate with your iPhone via Ultra Wideband. Unlike Bluetooth, this is directional, enabling the Precision Finding feature in the Find My app to point you in the direction of the lost item.
Better Ultra Wideband and Bluetooth performance in AirTag 2
The new AirTag 2 includes a better UWB chip to enhance Precision Finding. This is the same second-generation UWB chip found in the iPhone 17 lineup, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11.
Using haptic, visual and audio feedback, Precision Finding guides users to their lost items from up to 50% farther away than its previous generation tracker tag, according to Apple.
And an upgraded Bluetooth chip in AirTag 2 also expands the range at which items can be located.
Now with Apple Watch support
Previously, Precision Finding an AirTag worked only with iPhone. That changes with AirTag 2.
For the first time, users can use Precision Finding on Apple Watch Series 9 or later, or Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, to find their AirTag.
More improvements
Thanks to an updated internal design, Apple promises that AirTag 2 is 50% louder than the previous generation, enabling users to hear the tracker tag from up to 2x farther than before.
But the new tracker tag retains the same design as its predecessor, even staying compatible with accessories designed for the original from 2021.
Available now
The new AirTag version launches Monday for the same price as its predecessor: $29 for a single AirTag and $99 for a four-pack. Apple offers free personalized engraving on apple.com and the Apple Store app.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
