Apple’s new AirTag is louder and can be found across longer distances

Summary

Apple on Monday introduced the next version of its AirTag, which will now feature a longer Bluetooth range, a louder speaker, and improved precision finding capabilities. The latter is powered by Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, which is also found in the iPhone 17 devices, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, and Apple Watch Ultra 3. With Precision Finding, the new AirTag can offer haptic, visual, and audio feedback to guide users to their lost items. Now, those finding capabilities extend up to 50% farther away with the prior generation, Apple claims. The upgraded Bluetooth chip, meanwhile, also helps extend the range at which items can be located. Notably, with this update, Precision Finding will be accessible from the Apple Watch Series 9 or later and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later. The device’s speaker is also 50% louder than the prior generation, which means you can hear the AirTag’s beep from up to 2 times farther away than before. The AirTag devices will also integrate with Share Item Location, an iOS feature that allows users to temporarily share the AirTag’s location with third parties. Today, 50 airlines are partnered with Apple for luggage tracking. One thing that hasn’t changed is the AirTag’s price: it’s still $29 for a single AirTag and $99 for a four-pack, including free personalized engraving. First launched in 2021, AirTag quickly came to dominate the market for Bluetooth-connected lost item finders, essentially forcing previous market leaders like Tile to quickly find an exit. The company alleged that Apple was unfairly competing as its finding network was instantly as big as the iPhone install base, and Apple was pushing AirTag rivals to integrate with its own Find My app. Other companies, like Chipolo, took Apple up its offer to work with Find My and competed against AirTag with products that work across iOS and Android, or that have different features, like rechargeable batteries. Still, Apple’s AirTag remains the one to beat, with th...