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10+ Things to Know About the New AirTag 2

svanstrom said:
That a brand new version of a very much optional device doesn't support an old OS is them throwing users that refuse to upgrade under the bus?

That has to be the stupidest take on this.

Refusing to upgrade doesn't make these people victims of the rest of the world moving on.
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I think the biggest issue is that many people have old phones and do not update their iOS. For example, I have an AirTag on all my checked luggage. When they arrive at an airport, if someone in the baggage handling area has an iPhone it will find and I can see the location on my phone. Now, if the baggage is around phones that are not running on the newer iOS, I won’t see their location until it gets closer to an iPhone running new iOS. At least I think that’s how it works.
 
MN7119 said:
I think the biggest issue is that many people have old phones and do not update their iOS. For example, I have an AirTag on all my checked luggage. When they arrive at an airport, if someone in the baggage handling area has an iPhone it will find and I can see the location on my phone. Now, if the baggage is around phones that are not running on the newer iOS, I won’t see their location until it gets closer to an iPhone running new iOS. At least I think that’s how it works.
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That’s not how it works.

The client (other phone) sees a Bluetooth beacon it recognizes as an AirTag and it reports back to the FindMy network. It does not care if it’s an AirTag, third party device, or homemade tag.

github.com

GitHub - seemoo-lab/openhaystack: Build your own 'AirTags' 🏷 today! Framework for tracking personal Bluetooth devices via Apple's massive Find My network.

Build your own 'AirTags' 🏷 today! Framework for tracking personal Bluetooth devices via Apple's massive Find My network. - seemoo-lab/openhaystack
github.com github.com
 
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erihp said:
That’s not how it works.

The client (other phone) sees a Bluetooth beacon it recognizes as an AirTag and it reports back to the FindMy network. It does not care if it’s an AirTag, third party device, or homemade tag.

github.com

GitHub - seemoo-lab/openhaystack: Build your own 'AirTags' 🏷 today! Framework for tracking personal Bluetooth devices via Apple's massive Find My network.

Build your own 'AirTags' 🏷 today! Framework for tracking personal Bluetooth devices via Apple's massive Find My network. - seemoo-lab/openhaystack
github.com github.com
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So wondering why sometimes you can’t find the AirTag at all if they are sitting next to a “client”. Mostly on airports where there are thousands and thousands of “clients” sometimes one or two of my AirTags can’t be found. They later work so not sure why.
 
MN7119 said:
So wondering why sometimes you can’t find the AirTag at all if they are sitting next to a “client”. Mostly on airports where there are thousands and thousands of “clients” sometimes one or two of my AirTags can’t be found. They later work so not sure why.
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The AirTag won’t constantly beacon, and the clients have also some frequency for how often they will report a tag they see.
 
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erihp said:
The AirTag won’t constantly beacon, and the clients have also some frequency for how often they will report a tag they see.
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Thank you. Very helpful. So will I see any improvement with the new AirTag version in terms of finding it quickly?
 
I bought a bunch of the new ones. Since I'm doing a bit more traveling lately, I'm looking forward to the improvements.
 
Makosuke said:
I think the original AirTag is in relative terms the best product Apple has ever made--it really does "just work", does exactly what it says on the tin exactly as well as promised, and basically feels like magic when you need it.

Everything here is unsurprising but solid improvements, particularly the watch find. I personally would have traded holder-backward-compatibility for even a slightly smaller form factor, but I can accept for most uses the current size is sufficiently small and people would rather not have to get new keychains or whatnot.


I remain mildly curious why Apple continues to call this out, since there's nothing as far as I can tell that would pose any risk to a pet that's greater than if it weren't attached to their collar. People put tags and bells on their pet collars all the time, how is a similar-sized AirTag that emits a minuscule amount of radiation any different? [Edit: Looking at official documentation, they actually don't--as quoted above, they just say it's "designed for tracking objects". Not that it won't work for people and pets, not suggesting you don't use it that way, just that it's not designed for it, which is no doubt true--it works better when the AirTag isn't moving at all.]

Yes, a dog could swallow it, but I'd guess they're far less likely to eat something on their collar than they are something that isn't on their collar--I've never once heard of a dog eating its own tags.

Fear that the battery could hypothetically leak and cause skin burns? The new one is IP 67, so I'd think even if it DID somehow leak (which I've never seen a coin cell do), it wouldn't escape the case.

In any case, they're incredibly useful for keeping track of an outdoor cat. I recently adopted a stray (or maybe feral) cat (or maybe more accurately it adopted me), and prior to it deciding to move into my house one of the folks feeding it put a collar with an AirTag on; being able to figure out where that little critter was was incredibly valuable, not to mention interesting. That cat, it turned out, would do a circuit to places a half-mile away on a nighty basis.
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As a veterinarian I see many pets come in with AirTags on. I advise them that they are very limited in usefulness for pets (which is why Apple says that). Pets often run away into the woods or away from people. An AirTag is NOT helpful in those situations other than possibly telling you last place seen before entering woods. AirTags have to be within fairly close range of an iPhone to be detected. They aren't useless, but very limited.

GPS trackers made for pets are a better solution for people concerned about that. Microchipping (RFID tech) is also a good solution if pet is found and lost its collar, as most vets and animal control offices have scanners to help find owners.

Just my 2 cents
 
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PixelPanics said:
it has better range and sound, what exactly do you expect from a GPS tracker? You want it to make you a sandwich?
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Spot on.

Five years ago ChatGPT and Gemini didn’t exist. Congratulations to Apple for accelerating their R&D to add a speaker and five first-downs in range over five years. 😂
 
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MN7119 said:
So wondering why sometimes you can’t find the AirTag at all if they are sitting next to a “client”. Mostly on airports where there are thousands and thousands of “clients” sometimes one or two of my AirTags can’t be found. They later work so not sure why.
Click to expand...
Notice this issue at the Cairo airport. Didn’t have my bags location reported until it appeared in the terminal. Assumed that was because most airport workers didn’t use iphones.
 
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Makosuke said:
I think the original AirTag is in relative terms the best product Apple has ever made--it really does "just work", does exactly what it says on the tin exactly as well as promised, and basically feels like magic when you need it.

Everything here is unsurprising but solid improvements, particularly the watch find. I personally would have traded holder-backward-compatibility for even a slightly smaller form factor, but I can accept for most uses the current size is sufficiently small and people would rather not have to get new keychains or whatnot.


I remain mildly curious why Apple continues to call this out, since there's nothing as far as I can tell that would pose any risk to a pet that's greater than if it weren't attached to their collar. People put tags and bells on their pet collars all the time, how is a similar-sized AirTag that emits a minuscule amount of radiation any different? [Edit: Looking at official documentation, they actually don't--as quoted above, they just say it's "designed for tracking objects". Not that it won't work for people and pets, not suggesting you don't use it that way, just that it's not designed for it, which is no doubt true--it works better when the AirTag isn't moving at all.]

Yes, a dog could swallow it, but I'd guess they're far less likely to eat something on their collar than they are something that isn't on their collar--I've never once heard of a dog eating its own tags.

Fear that the battery could hypothetically leak and cause skin burns? The new one is IP 67, so I'd think even if it DID somehow leak (which I've never seen a coin cell do), it wouldn't escape the case.

In any case, they're incredibly useful for keeping track of an outdoor cat. I recently adopted a stray (or maybe feral) cat (or maybe more accurately it adopted me), and prior to it deciding to move into my house one of the folks feeding it put a collar with an AirTag on; being able to figure out where that little critter was was incredibly valuable, not to mention interesting. That cat, it turned out, would do a circuit to places a half-mile away on a nighty basis.
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I have experienced a coin cell leaking - and it was a duracell. It had been in the device for quite awhile. Had not been subject to adverse weather or other adverse conditions, just time.
 
I’m happy that Apple is still supporting phones like the older ones. Just updated my Iphons 8. Even though it isn’t connected to any service It still connects to the internet wifi and the bluetooth works as well as the GPS for flying drones and has a bigger screen than my 13Pro.
 
MNJohn said:
Spot on.

Five years ago ChatGPT and Gemini didn’t exist. Congratulations to Apple for accelerating their R&D to add a speaker and five first-downs in range over five years. 😂
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What are you implying exactly? Should apple add an AI assistant in your AirTag? Hmm, or should they add an OLEd display that shows you the weather? How are the competitors of the AirTag evolving in comparison to the AirTag? You left me with so many questions with this beautiful statement you made
 
The AirTags (both 1 and 2) are too fat for a wallet. Yes, you can force the issue, which I did, but the bulbous nature of the design wears out whatever clasp is holding the AirTag in place. I wish Apple would make a flat disposable version with a 2-year battery for wallets and such.
 
MacRumors said:
...
9. Still Not For Pets - Apple's AirTag 2 announcement and product page specifically state that the device is for tracking objects, and not people or pets. Despite this, many people use AirTags for tracking their animals.
...
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Can someone provide clarification - what is still missing that disqualifies this for tracking animals?
 
gatorvet96 said:
As a veterinarian I see many pets come in with AirTags on. I advise them that they are very limited in usefulness for pets (which is why Apple says that). Pets often run away into the woods or away from people. An AirTag is NOT helpful in those situations other than possibly telling you last place seen before entering woods. AirTags have to be within fairly close range of an iPhone to be detected. They aren't useless, but very limited.

GPS trackers made for pets are a better solution for people concerned about that. Microchipping (RFID tech) is also a good solution if pet is found and lost its collar, as most vets and animal control offices have scanners to help find owners.

Just my 2 cents
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Sure, but one is $20 and one is Hundreds and recurring service charges requiring recharging.

Better to think of the AirTag in this application as more of a ‘smart’ ID collar. People can scan the tag and it will show a message and owner info. And before that even happens, since that implies they are around people, owner will have a lead on where they might be. I live in a city and see lots of people posting about ‘found’ dogs.

Is it going to help on a hike? Probably not.
 
erihp said:
Sure, but one is $20 and one is Hundreds and recurring service charges requiring recharging.

Better to think of the AirTag in this application as more of a ‘smart’ ID collar. People can scan the tag and it will show a message and owner info. And before that even happens, since that implies they are around people, owner will have a lead on where they might be. I live in a city and see lots of people posting about ‘found’ dogs.

Is it going to help on a hike? Probably not.
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True. Where I live and practice, most are lost in woods. But yes, if pets are lost in a urban environment, an AirTag could be sufficient. I would recommend a microchip as relatively cheap and doesn't require anything once registered with the national database; as many pets lose their collars when escaped/lost.
 
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