Do you like what you heard? You might enjoy the Apple AirTag. These little trackers are meant to help you find things you lose, like keys you leave at the park or things that get stuck between the pillows on your couch. Over the course of a week, I tested two AirTags to see how well they work. The tags can help you find things in your home. I even gave some to other people to check how accurate they were. Talking to other people who use AirTags helped me learn more about the good and bad points of the technology.
How the AirTag works
AirTags can help you find more than just your keys. A lot of tourists need them right away because they help them keep their bags, IDs, and other important things in order. The songs can be used anywhere that iPhone users are. A lot of GPS trackers charge a fee every month, but these don't.
AirTags give out a Bluetooth signal that can be picked up by your phone and other nearby Apple products that use the "Find My" network. With this, you'll always know where your things are. As long as you are close to the tracker, you can use the Precision Finding tool to find your lost items. Even if you're not near your phone's Bluetooth range, your AirTag will ping other iPhones to let you know where it is.
For this reason, the tracks are most useful when there are a lot of people around. People who use Google Play don't get much from them. A lot of people use AirTags to keep their keys or cash close at all times. They're also good for trips. AirTags are a cheap, easy, and light way to keep track of your bags in case they get lost or sent to the wrong place, according to talk show host Pamela Holt. "I usually buy a few so that I have one in each checked bag, as well as one in my wallet and passport holder for peace of mind," she adds.
You can quickly find your keys or ID if your hotel room is a mess. This will ease your mind if you think you may have lost them. Holt also says it can be useful at the airport: "This cool feature helps relieve the stress of baggage claim by letting you check to see if your bag has arrived safely and is still on the premises."
I put some AirTags to the test to see how they really work. Tests were done on the trackers around my house. My partner and dad helped me see how exact they are when they're not there.
Do it
Each AirTag is about the size of a quarter and looks sleek and simple. You can put one in your pocket because it's small, and you can buy keychain clips to hang one from your keys or bag.
I will say that the trackers are simple to see, especially on small items. This means that they won't help you as much if your things are stolen. It's likely that someone who gets your ID will see the AirTag and know to take it off.
How it Works
It was quick and easy to connect the AirTags to my iPhone once I took them out of the box. I only had to take off the plastic tab on the tracker to be able to put it next to my phone. I was told to put the device in place and label it with a name and picture so that people could find it. I set up two tracks, and in the Find My app, I could see both of them under the "Items" tab.
I could use the Precision Finding tool to find the AirTags when they were in my house. You had to be about 20 feet away from the tag for this to work. My phone rang to let me know the tracker was there when I got close to it. It has a button that beeps, which is helpful in case you lose it or put it in your bag.
I also wanted to know how well the tracks worked when they weren't connected to my phone. My dad, my brother, my partner Nate, and I were all asked to bring one to work one day. Nate wore his to work in the city and then to golf in the morning. So, while he was doing study, my dad took the other AirTag into the woods. It's important to remember that they both decided to do this for the study. It is against the law to follow someone around without their permission.
During the day, Nate's tracker always showed the right place where he was. In the end, I used Find My Network to get the address of both the golf club he was at and his office. The tracker would tell you where it was every few minutes. It probably did this because there were many people nearby for it to ping. It didn't update as often while he drove, but I could still tell where he was going.
People thought the AirTag wouldn't work as well in places that are hard to get to. Where someone is can't be found if there aren't any iPhones close. People couldn't find my dad for more than two hours while he worked in the country with the AirTag I gave him. He was getting out of his car the last time the AirTag was seen. For miles, there had been no one else around. If you lose your wallet while hiking in the woods, your AirTag probably won't help you find it.
Privacy
When people use tracking devices, they worry about their safety. AirTags are safe in many ways that will make you feel better. Apple says the AirTag doesn't keep track of who you are or what you've done. They can also talk to other iPhones, but the information they send is encrypted and not shared with anyone else. Apple does not know where your AirTag is at any given time; only you do.
There are also protections in place so that other people can't follow you around without your knowledge. After walking around with my tags for a few hours, both of the people who helped me test the app got iPhone alerts that an AirTag was following them. They got the AirTag's serial number, the time it first showed up, and the last four digits of my phone number from their phones. There was also a way to turn off the AirTag.
AirTag can figure out where you are without GPS if there are other iPhones nearby. The AirTag can tell where that iPhone is in relation to other iPhones that have Bluetooth. My phone would be in location A, and the AirTag would be 10 meters away. The AirTag would know that it is close to spot A.
There must be other people nearby for the AirTag to work. It's not as exact as a GPS tag because of this. This isn't as big of a deal, though, since the iPhone is the world's most famous phone. It's pretty easy to use any iPhone as a mast to find your AirTag.
I used this for a few things and then gave it to my wife to carry with her as she walks around downtown London. The map would always be different, so you could see where it is. You can also set the AirTag to "lost." The next time an iPhone picks it up, it will tell you if this happens.
Time for the battery
One of the best things about AirTags is that their cells last a long time. They should last more than a year on a single charge, so you shouldn't need to bring extra batteries or a charger with you when you go on vacation. If the power in your AirTag goes, your phone will let you know. To change the CR2032 coin cell battery inside, just twist off the back cover.
It's easy to find the AirTag when there are a lot of people around. This makes it much more useful in cities than in the country. They worked for me in a Kent town and in the middle of London. Like I thought, they wouldn't be as useful where there aren't as many people. The AirTag works sometimes, but not all the time.
You can see where the AirTag has been on a map if you have a GPS. You can use a ping to find out where it is on a map. You can also use your iPhone 11 or later to get a better idea of where the AirTag is if you are close enough. The first thing your phone will do is tell you how far away the AirTag is. It will tell you the exact way it is going as you get near.
It's simple to use and works well. Someone hid an AirTag for me to test it, and I found it right away.
Apple AirTag vs. Tile
It works the same way as the AirTag and is also called the Tile. Tile has four types of trackers that come in different shapes and sizes. The Tile Mate looks a lot like an AirTag in terms of shape. The Tile Slim is about the size of a credit card and can fit in your pocket. It looks like a button and is a small sticker. The Tile Pro can reach farther and has a battery that can be changed. It's also bigger than the Tile Mate.
AirTags and Tile trackers are not the same in a lot of ways. Apple phones and tablets can both use tile things. On the other hand, you can only use AirTags on Apple phones and laptops. You can use Bluetooth to find the Tile tracker if it's close by. People who use Tile can help you find things that are farther away.
But these tracks can only talk to phones that have the Tile app. But AirTags can ping any iPhone or iPad. You can also pay to use some parts of Tile. You can share the tracker, get smart alerts, and see where the tracker has been in the past with the $29.99-a-year Tile Premium plan.
Don't lose anything else
Devices that keep track of people, cars, and other things make a lot of money. The SmartTag 2 can be bought from Samsung for $29.99 by people who have Galaxy phones or computers. If you lose your keys, Tile's cheap Bluetooth trackers can let you know. The only other big player in the market is them. Both the Tile and the AirTag work well with iPhones and iPads. Life360 now owns Tile. Life360 makes a phone app that family members can use to find each other. No new songs have been released since it was bought in late 2021.
With AirTags, you can find more things than with Tiles. You can find them from farther away and they are easy to set up. Tiles can call your phone or your phone can call Tiles. AirTags only come in a few sizes and shapes. But their Bluetooth range is only around 400 feet. AirTags can reach anywhere as long as there is an iPhone close.
It costs $29 for one AirTag and $99 for a set of four. Leash holes are on the Tile and SmartTag 2, but not on the AirTag. You will also need to get cases for them. Apple sells the FineWoven key ring in Black, Coral, Mulberry, Pacific Blue, or Taupe for $35. A white leather loop case costs $39 as well.
Holders made of leather and plastic used to be on the market, but they aren't anymore. This Apple device already has a lot of apps made by other people. A simple Apple ring costs $19.95 from OtterBox or $12.95 from Belkin. Amazon also has a lot of plain loop cases and keychains that cost at least $2.99.
Magic to help you find things
It feels like magic to set things up and find them. If you hold up a new AirTag to your iPhone or iPad, it will find it on its own. After that, Find My will start looking. It's your choice of name. One way to help you find the AirTag is to whistle or play "hot-and-cold with distance."
My AirTags showed "connected" when I was about 45 feet away, and when I got to about 30 feet, they showed "distance." The ultra-wideband (UWB) pointing system on an iPhone 11 or later makes the distance display have an arrow that points in the right direction. The $39.99 SmartTag+ is the only Samsung tag that has UWB. Tile doesn't have any.
Apple helps you keep things from getting lost
Apple only really does new things when they take other people's ideas and dull them down. There were MP3 players and smartphones before the iPod and iPhone, but the iPod and iPhone made it easier to set up and use their types, which made them more popular. The AirTag is going through the same thing.
Apple has made a Bluetooth item tracker that "just works," with great UWB direction-finding and no connection problems, so that the tag works well with iOS. Even things that aren't techy can look cool thanks to Apple. AirTags are no different. More trackers are still needed in the market. You don't need to get more Tiles and SmartTags.
The Tile Pro is our favorite Google Play gadget. It works well with other things, is well-made, and has a button hole. Some things, like thin wallets and remote keys, don't fit an AirTag or an AirTag case well. The Tile Slim and Tile Sticker can handle them, though. There are better ways to find lost people or things in places with few people, like with Jiobits and connected smartwatches. Have an iPhone, though, and lose your house keys a lot? Get an AirTag. The AirTag won the Editors' Choice award because it looks good and works well.
Set up the app
Place the AirTags next to your iPhone after taking them out of the box. That's the end of it. Then there's a simple guide on how to use them. There was no wait time for any of the things I did with each AirTag. They showed up in the Find My app as soon as I hooked them up to my phone. You can see on a map where the tag was last seen by clicking on it.
From the app, you can change the AirTag's name, make it play a sound to help you find it if it's in Bluetooth range, use the find function to find it if it's in Bluetooth range, and "lost mode" it.
One AirTag should have power for a year. After that, just change the CR2032 cell. It's been a month, and there's been no sign that they won't stay. That claim hasn't been put to the test yet.
Cost
We've tried a lot of different bike tracks over the years, but only an AirTag really works well. The Vodafone Curve cost £79 plus a monthly fee when I tried it out not long ago. That's a lot more than the others. But it can fully track your phone with GPS and has a lot more tools.
The Tile Pro might be the most noticeable rival. They cost £89.99 for four, which is £10 less than the AirTag. It costs £30 for one unit, which is about the same as an AirTag. It works like the AirTag and does a lot of the same things. The AirTag is better than the Tile Pro because it has a lot more users. There are only 26 million Tile Pro users in the whole world.
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