Jim Rossman: Apple finally released updated AirTags

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I’m a huge fan of Apple’s AirTags – the small, round Bluetooth finder that works with Apple’s Find My network to help you keep track of your stuff.

The AirTag was introduced in April of 2021, and now Apple has released the second generation AirTag that promises expanded connectivity range and improved findability.

I’m not afraid to say I lose my keys and my wallet (usually in my house) and I have come to rely on my AirTags to make quick work of locating them.

If you have a new enough iPhone, the AirTags can invoke “precision finding,” which can show you on your iPhone’s screen how far away the item is located and in even point an arrow to show you which way to walk.

The new AirTag will allow the user to use precision finding at distances up to 50% farther away than the original AirTag. By the way, the old AirTag looks just like the new one.

If your iPhone doesn’t have the ability to do precision finding, you are able to make the AirTag chirp to make itself known (and hopefully, found).

The 2026 AirTag has a 50% louder speaker, which will be a delight to my wife, who has trouble figuring out where her AirTagged items are hiding even when it is beeping in the same room.

The new AirTags will now allow users of the Apple Watch (series 9 or newer) to see the precision finding direction/distance on their watch face.

According to Apple, “The new AirTag integrates seamlessly with Share Item Location, an iOS feature designed to help users recover a misplaced item by temporarily and securely sharing its location with trusted third parties, such as airlines, so they can assist in recovering delayed luggage or other lost items. Apple has partnered directly with more than 50 airlines to privately and securely accept Share Item Location links.”

According to SITA, a leading IT provider for airlines, carriers report that using Share Item Location has reduced baggage delays by 26% and reduced incidences of “truly lost” or unrecoverable luggage by 90%. Access is granted only to authorized personnel via secure Apple Account or partner authentication. The shared location will be disabled as soon as a user is reunited with their item, can be stopped by the owner at any time, and will automatically expire after seven days.

The new AirTags are priced at $29 each or $99 for a four-pack from Apple.com or Apple retail stores.