Bluetooth trackers were popular even before Apple released theirs, but the real difference-maker here is the vast number of iPhones that exist today, all passively scanning their surroundings for AirTags. On top of that are the updated second-gen hardware features you can physically touch. The new AirTag model reaches four times farther than previous models when using Precision Finding and provides about 50% more speaker volume than the first gen. It also has a replaceable CR2032 battery that lasts about a year. With this 4-pack, you can track keys, a wallet, a bag, and a suitcase.
Head over to Amazon to get the Apple AirTag (2nd Generation) 4 Pack for just $80, down from its usual price of $99. That’s a $19 discount and 19% off.
A smart tracker that works easily with iOS devices
Precision Finding sets these apart from standard Bluetooth trackers. When you’re close enough to an item with an AirTag attached to it, your iPhone will show arrows leading directly to the object as well as the approximate distance away from you in feet, allowing you to simply walk towards it instead of wandering around trying to hear the chirping noise. This distance has quadrupled since the first generation, so you can begin tracking an item from across a parking lot rather than being right next to your vehicle.
Apple uses the Find My network for this type of long-distance tracking. Any iPhone, iPad, or Mac near an AirTag anonymously sends the device’s location back to you after the AirTag sends a quiet ping to locate it. Because Apple has hundreds of millions of active devices circulating worldwide, it essentially provides a free global network that no other standalone company can create.
A louder speaker makes a lost tag easier to find. Apple says the speaker in this iteration is about 50% louder than the first gen. Using Play Sound in the Find My app now carries through a thick jacket pocket, a stuffed backpack, or the space behind a car seat, the places where we often lose our smaller items.
AirTags operate under end-to-end encryption. Your exact location information isn’t saved on the tag, and it doesn’t share any location information with Apple while traveling to your destination. If someone else finds one of your missing AirTags, they can tap the device with their own mobile phone to view any contact information you previously entered into the tag.
Replaceable batteries make a dead AirTag much easier and faster to fix: replace the existing CR2032 and wait about 30 seconds, rather than buying another unit. At $20 per unit, or $80 for the four-pack instead of $99, you can affordably cover keys, a wallet, a backpack, and a suitcase. Do note that AirTags work with iPhone and iPad only, so an Android phone won’t pair with them.