Apple AirTags Range, Battery Life and More, Explained | Gear Patrol (2024)

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Apple’s little button-sized trackers, AirTags ($29), have been around for several years now. They’re meant to be attached to a personal belonging like a keychain, backpack or bike, so that in the even that it gets lost or stolen, you can then locate it via the Find My app.

Of course, being that they are tracking devices, AirTags carry a healthy amount of intrigue, skepticism and general uncertainty. That’s why we’ve collected a smattering of questions about how it works and answered them below.

How do AirTags work?

Photo by Tucker Bowe

AirTags work within Apple’s Find My network. This means as long as an AirTag is within Bluetooth range of an iPhone or Apple device (even if the device isn’t yours), it passively communicates with said device to help you locate your AirTag — plus, whatever it’s attached to.

Once set up with your Apple ID, an AirTag will show up on your iPhone’s Find My app. Each AirTag can only be owned by a single ID. If you were to let another person borrow something attached to an AirTag, you can pause safety alerts in the Find My app on your phone.

Photo by Tucker Bowe

Yes! But it’s a pretty new feature. Apple didn’t allow you to share AirTags with friends and family until it rolled out an update with iOS 17 — more than two years after AirTags were originally released.

Thanks to the update, however, you can now share your AirTag’s location with up to six people. This is ideal for families that have an AirTag attached to their pet’s collar; in the event the dog or cat escapes, the entire family can better help track it down.

What is the range of the Apple AirTag? Can you track one miles away?

AirTags do not have a defined range because of how they connect to Apple’s Find My network. You can locate an AirTag that’s thousands of miles away or even internationally, providing it is within Bluetooth range of an iPhone.

In other words, if you leave an AirTag in a coffee shop on the other side of the world, you should be able to locate it. However, if you lose an AirTag in a remote-but-nearby place like the woods behind your house, you won’t be able to find it unless someone with an Apple device walks into its Bluetooth range.

Apple has not specified the exact Bluetooth range of an AirTag but it’s believed that each AirTag supports Bluetooth 5.0 (same as the latest iPhones). The Bluetooth range is around 30 feet.

Do you have to charge an AirTag?

You do not have to charge an AirTag but you will have to change its battery. Each AirTag relies on a circular CR2032 battery, which you can buy for a few bucks online. To remove the battery, flip the AirTag over to the polished metal side, push down and twist clockwise.

How long do AirTags last?

Apple claims that the battery of an AirTag should last about one year but mileage may vary depending on how active a given AirTag has been over its life.

To see how much battery life an AirTag has remaining, go to the Find My app, select the “Items” subsection at the bottom of the screen and select the AirTag you are curious about.

How many AirTags can you have?

Any given Apple ID can have a maximum of 16 AirTags associated with it at one time.

Can you see an AirTag’s location history?

Not quite. The Find My app will allow you to see the current location of any given AirTag that is connected to your account; you cannot view the path of an AirTag over time, nor is the location history of an AirTag contained within the tag itself.

This is in part an attempt by Apple to limit AirTag’s utility as a tracking device, in combination with some other security features that will detect and alert you to nearby AirTags that are not yours unless their owner is also nearby.

Can you use AirTags to track pets?

Tucker Bowe

Apple says that AirTags aren’t designed to track pets. If your dog or cat goes really off the grid, an AirTag won’t be useful unless they somehow walk by someone carrying an iPhone.

That said, you can still use an AirTag as a security measure in case your pet ever runs away, and a number of third-party brands now manufacture collars and harnesses that can house an AirTag. Every little bit helps.

Are AirTags safe? Can they be used to track people?

With each AirTag, Apple baked in important security features that prevent bad actors from using one to track other people.

If you have an iPhone running iOS 14.5 or later and an AirTag that isn’t registered to your Apple ID starts “following” you, your iPhone will receive a push notification from the Find My app. If you have an iPhone 11 or later, you can also use a feature called Precision Finding to see if an unknown AirTag has been following you.

If you have an Android smartphone, an old iPhone or just haven’t updated your software, you will still receive a warning about orphan AirTags in your vicinity. That’s because any AirTag that’s been out of range of its parent phone will start making a noise after three days of isolation.

Learn more about the ways Apple is tackling unwanted tracking on the company’s website.

How often does an AirTag update its location?

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It depends! AirTags don’t broadcast their location directly to your phone. Instead, they relay their location information to nearby iPhones or other devices in Apple’s Find My network. Those devices then automatically and securely pass on that information to you.

If your AirTag is in a busy area where many iPhones come and go, its location may be updated as often as every minute or two. But if your AirTag is in a comparatively deserted area, you may stop getting location updates altogether, because the AirTag quite literally cannot reach you if there are no other Find My devices in its radius.

The “last seen” message indicates the most recent time that a given AirTag made contact with another Apple device that was able to relay its location to the broader network. If your AirTag’s “last seen” time was a long time ago, it means that AirTag is in a relatively isolated area, without many passing iPhones (or other devices) to report in on its location. It’s also possible that your AirTag is no longer where it was last seen and there just haven’t been any devices nearby that can provide an update on its new location.

What is Precision Finding?

If you have an iPhone 11 or later, you can use Precision Finding to better pinpoint the location of your AirTag. When you select your AirTag in the Find My app and then select the “Find” option, an arrow will appear on your Find My app and it’ll point you to the exact location of your AirTag.

Only iPhones that have Apple’s U1 chip are able to take advantage of Precision Tracking. The U1 chip is a small radio transmitter that uses “Ultrawide Band” (UWB) radio waves to locate the exact position of devices.

Are AirTags waterproof?

No, but they are close. Each AirTag has an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, meaning it can be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. This is roughly the same water-resistance rating as the iPhone SE 2020, but it’s not as good as the IP68 rating of the latest iPhones, which allows them to be submerged in six meters of water for 30 minutes.

Can I trigger an AirTag to make a sound?

Yes, if your AirTag is within Bluetooth distance of your phone, you can cause the AirTag to make a sound to help you find it. This is particularly helpful if your phone does not support the more advanced Precision Finding feature.

To make your AirTag make a noise, simply go to the Find My app, click the “Items” tab, choose the AirTag you want to find, and select “Play Sound”.

You can also ask Siri to do this for you by saying “Hey Siri, find my [object].”

How do you attach AirTags to things?

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The intended way to use an AirTag as a keychain is to purchase an additional holder accessory. There is no built-in hole to attach one to a keychain.

Technically, it is possible to drill a hole into an AirTag. When done properly, it won’t impede the AirTag’s ability to function, but it may just be easier to buy a keychain, slip the AirTag in an already-existing pocket or even just use some tape.

How thick is an AirTag? Can you fit one in your wallet?

Photo by Tucker Bowe

An AirTag is a puck-shaped gadget that’s 0.31 inches in height and 1.26-inches in diameter. All-in-all, it’s about the size of a piece of Mentos candy. It will be able to fit into most wallets, although it won’t fit as nicely as if it were as thin as quarter or the shape of a credit card.

Can an AirTag be stolen?

An AirTag that’s registered to you can’t be stolen and then used by someone else. That’s because in order to factory reset the AirTag, you need the consent of the person whose Apple ID it is filed under.

Without that consent, all you can technically do is remove the AirTag’s battery. If you do this, the owner of the AirTag will only be able to see the AirTag’s last known location.

Can you use an AirTag find your phone?

You cannot use an individual AirTag to locate an iPhone that it is paired to. The best way to locate a misplaced iPhone is to use another device with the Find My app, like an iPad, or by going to icloud.com.

Apple

Apple AirTag

Released in 2021, an AirTag is button shaped tracking device that work exceptionally well Apple devices. You can attach an AirTag to a personal item, like a keychain, purse or suitcase, and then track it via the Find My app on your iPhone.

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