Apple has unveiled a new AirTag, upgrading the popular tracking device without reinventing it.
At a glance, the new AirTag looks identical to the old one and costs exactly the same. It still does the same job, too. What’s changed is that Apple has quietly improved almost every part of the experience, making it easier than ever to find your lost stuff.
All the upgrades
The most notable upgrade is range. Thanks to a newer Ultra Wideband chip, Precision Finding now works from up to 50 percent farther away than before, guiding you to lost items with on-screen directions, sounds, and haptic feedback. Bluetooth range has also been extended, which should make it easier for nearby devices on the Find My network to spot a missing AirTag in the first place.
The built-in speaker has also had a boost. Apple says it’s around 50% louder than before, making it easier to hear an AirTag buried under cushions or tucked away in a bag. There’s even a new chime designed to cut through background noise more clearly.
One genuinely new addition is support for Precision Finding on Apple Watch. With a compatible model, you can now locate an AirTag directly from your wrist, complete with directional guidance.
Same old battery
What’s notable by its absence, though, is any mention of battery life. Apple once again avoids the topic entirely, likely because the AirTag’s roughly one-year lifespan isn’t exactly impressive. It’s a shame, as this is the one area that doesn’t appear to have been improved at all – probably due to the gadget’s reliance on coin-cell batteries. It would take a complete reimagining – like this AA battery-housing AirTag case that powers a decade of finding – for Apple to make a change in this area, to be fair.
Everything else remains familiar. AirTag still leans on the vast Find My network, still supports temporary location sharing with airlines to help recover delayed luggage, and still includes Apple’s anti-stalking safeguards. The design is unchanged too, meaning all existing AirTag accessories remain compatible.
Pricing stays put at $29 for a single AirTag or $99 for a four-pack, with free engraving included – available immediately. This might be a boring update, but it’s a sensible one. The new AirTag does the same job as before, just louder, easier to find, and from farther away, even if you’ll still be swapping the battery about as often as ever.