In a somewhat controversial Vergecast episode, I stated that AirTags are a better product than iPads. iPad lovers have been roasting me on social media. I have heard and respect their opinions. But I’m sorry—the second-generation AirTag only reinforced my belief that the humble $29 item tracker is one of Apple’s most useful gadgets.
New updates focus more on improving a good thing. There are upgraded ultra-wideband and Bluetooth chips that help extend the range by about 1.5 times. The chime has a new higher volume and is 50 percent louder thanks to a redesigned speaker. And now you can use Precision Finding for AirTags on Apple Watch if you have at least a Series 9 or Ultra 2.
Before Apple announced the update last week, my husband and I owned seven AirTags and planned to buy several more. We both struggle with ADHD. We have cunning cats that love banging things under diapers and beds and behind shelves. Without AirTags, we’d probably spend an hour a day running up and down the 42 stairs of our four-story townhouse trying to find the essentials. We have AirTags on our keychains, TV remotes, wallets, car compartments and inside our Canada Goose jackets. (They were and are expensive arctic it’s cold on the east coast now, huh?)
But we also get a lot of complaints about our AirTags. The other day my husband lost his car keys and spent 90 minutes looking for them. The bell was too quiet and AirTag tried to connect via Bluetooth. The chunky shape of the disc is a pain in the wallet unless you buy one specially made to fit it. (And those wallets tend to be unsightly.) They scratch easily. If your cat knocks it down the stairs, there’s a good chance it’ll be blown to pieces and you’ll have to scurry with the unhinged scumbag to keep it from eating the battery.
Second generation AirTags are not repairable most that. They still have the same shape, size and design. (And luckily, the price too.) My control unit scraped off two seconds after I slipped it into the included key ring. But the louder ring and extended range made a huge difference in testing.
I pitted the second generation AirTag against the original with a freshly replaced battery. I quickly noticed how the extended range improved connectivity. The connection to my phone was always much faster than the original, no matter the distance. This speed meant that the bell rang sooner and the signal for accurate detection appeared faster.
The vertical range is also improved. AirTags are best if you’re looking for things in horizontal space. They really struggle if you’re on another floor – a perennial problem in our townhouse. The original AirTag was fine when I was a floor above or below the desired object. But two or more floors? Forget about it. The best I could hope for was an Accurate Search screen telling me the label was “far away” or rather unreachable.
Not so for the second generation AirTag. I stuck it on the ground floor of my house and ran up to the fourth floor. Not only was I able to reliably get a fast connection for Precision Finding, but to my surprise I could easily hear the ringing. (If everything on my street was dead quiet, I might maybe hear the original AirTag from the same position, but often couldn’t.) This was true when I stuffed the AirTag under the covers and also between the couch cushions.
My favorite new feature, however, was the ability to use Precision Finding from the Apple Watch. The setup is not intuitive. Instead of using the Find Items app, you need to add a button to the Apple Watch control panel. It works fine. I often leave my phone behind when I’m doing housework. If something with the original AirTag is missing, I have to find my phone first and then use the Accurate Find feature on it to find the lost item. I never i lose my apple watch because i always wear it. (Honestly, the most used feature on my Apple Watch is finding my phone.)
As with the original AirTags, the new versions still have unwanted tracker notifications. Apple’s announcement of the new model claims that the louder ringing makes AirTags less attractive for nefarious purposes. Apple tries to say during setup that these devices aren’t meant to track people or pets — unlike Tile — but the bad actors won’t listen. I haven’t had this unit long enough to see how the louder ringing and extended range affect this feature in an organically triggered scenario. I’ll let you know when I have it.
Now I want to upgrade all our perfectly good original AirTags. It will cost us at least $200. While you can recycle old AirTags for free, you don’t get store credit, and I hate the idea of e-waste when it’s affordable to replace a coin cell battery. My father-in-law has stated that he has no such qualifications and plans to update all eight of his AirTags immediately. I suggest a more reasonable compromise if you’re an AirTag power user like me. Be patient, identify the four items you tend to lose the most, get a four-pack when they’re on sale, and then reuse the originals on the items you use (or lose) less often but still want to keep track of.
Finally, iPad lovers loudly reminded me that AirTags are not for everyone. I’m inherently jealous of you geniuses who always know where your stuff is. But if you’re like me, plagued by goldfish executive dysfunction, the second-generation AirTags are a meaningful upgrade—albeit one that’s nothing flashy.