As Apple opens pre-orders for the AirTag, we thought you’d be interested in the various tidbits about this inexpensive personal item tracker that weren’t originally shared at the unveiling.
AirTag tidbits
- The AirTag is IP67 water and dust resistant.
- Water-resistance lets an AirTag be submerged 3.3 feet deep for 30 minutes.
- No more than 16 AirTags can be paired with a single Apple ID.
- AirTag tracking can be instantly stopped by removing the built-in battery.
- The replaceable CR2032 battery lasts up to twelve months.
- A notification on your iPhone pops up when the AirTag battery is low.
- To open an AirTag, press and twist its back panel.
- An AirTag’s location cannot be seen by anyone but its owner.
- Apple cannot access the AirTag’s location.
- AirTags emit Bluetooth identifiers that rotate many times per day.
- These Bluetooth identifiers are also never reused.
- This prevents anyone from seeing crowdsourced devices in the Find My network.
- Pairing Lock stops others from re-pairing and using a lost AirTag as their own.
- Like other Apple devices, AirTags support Lost Mode in the Find My app.
- An AirTag in Lost Mode can display its serial number.
- An AirTag in Lost Mode can also optionally display its owner’s phone number.
- This is revealed via a special webpage after scanning an AirTag in Lost Mode.
- This lets the finder return a lost AirTag to their rightful owner.
- Anyone with an iPhone or Android phone can scan an AirTag in Lost Mode.
- Scanning an AirTag in Lost Mode requires a device with NFC.
- An “AirTag Found Moving With You” alert prevents secret tracking via AirTags.
- Tap the notification to find the AirTag in the Find My app via sound.
- The alert pops up when an AirTag not associated with your account is following you.
- The alert won’t appear for other people’s AirTags in your vicinity.
- An AirTag away from its paired iPhone for three days will emit a sound.
- This feature notifies people near that AirTag of its presence.
- If asked, Apple may provide personal info tied to an AirTag to law enforcement.
- Precision Finding in Find My uses AR, sound, and haptic to guide you to an AirTag.
- Precision Finding requires an iOS device equipped with the Apple U1 chip.
- Both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 family features the U1 chip.
- AirTags can be configured for Family Sharing and set to stop family members’ devices from detecting the owner’s AirTag as secret tracking.
- If someone not in your Family Sharing circle wants to borrow your AirTag, they have the option to turn off the tracking notification temporarily.
For further details, visit apple.com/airtag and read a support document on Apple’s website.
AirTag pricing and availability
AirTags can be pre-ordered starting today from Apple.com, the Apple Store app, at Apple Store locations and through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers ahead of retail availability sometime in the second half of May 2021.
A single AirTag will set you back $30 a piece. A pack of four is priced at just $99.