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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple's new AirTag item trackers are ideal for attaching to things like bags and luggage cases, which makes it likely they'll become popular with travelers and backpackers who want to keep tabs on their personal possessions abroad.

For this reason, it's worth remembering which AirTag features work wherever you are, which ones depend on you being nearby the AirTag, and which functions aren't supported in certain countries and regions.

Apple_airtag-accessories-bag-042021_big_carousel.jpg.large_.jpg

Locating AirTags Using Precision Finding

AirTags can be tracked in Apple's Find My app, which uses Bluetooth signals from a lost AirTag to relay its location back to its owner. Apart from Bluetooth, each AirTag is also equipped with a U1 Ultra Wideband chip, and on devices that also have U1 chips, there's a Precision Finding feature that enables you to more accurately determine the distance and direction of a lost AirTag when it's in range, when compared to Bluetooth alone.

airtag-precision-finding.jpg

If you're aiming to find a lost item and you have an ‌iPhone 11‌ or 12, Precision Finding will direct you to the exact location of your lost AirTag using input from the camera, accelerometer, and gyroscope, with guidance provided through sound, haptics, and visual feedback. However, Ultra Wideband isn't universally supported worldwide, therefore Precision Finding won't work in the following countries:
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Indonesia
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Paraguay
  • Russia
  • Solomon Islands
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Ukraine
  • Uzbekistan
Finding Nearby AirTags Using Bluetooth

In countries where Precision Finding isn't available, AirTag owners can still fall back on Bluetooth to locate a missing item if it is approximately 30-40 feet within range. There are built-in speakers to play a sound to find a lost AirTag, and you can either play a sound through the ‌Find My‌ app or ask Siri to find an AirTag with a sound.

Apple_iphone12-airtag-findmyapp_042021_carousel.jpg.large_.jpg

However, if your AirTag is out of that proximate range, then you won't be able to find it via your own device's Bluetooth signal. Instead, you'll have to rely on the wider Find My Network of Apple devices.

Finding AirTags using the Find My Network

You can still track the location of an out-of-range AirTag in Apple's Find My app, but you won't be relying on the Bluetooth signals of your own device. Instead, the ‌Find My‌ Network takes advantage of nearly a billion Apple devices out in the world to help you locate your AirTag, with the associated item showing up on the map when it's located by someone else's device.

However, if you're traveling in a remote region, be aware that if an AirTag isn't nearby and there are no Apple devices in the area in which it's located, Find My will only be able to tell you where it was last seen on the map.

Apple_airtag-accessories-luggage-042021_big_carousel.jpg.large_.jpg

AirTags are available to pre-order now and the first orders are estimated to arrive Friday, April 30. For more information about Apple's AirTag item trackers, be sure to check out our dedicated guide.

Article Link: What to Know if You Plan to Travel Abroad With AirTags
 

ariusbb

macrumors member
Sep 17, 2013
43
46
What does that mean for our 4G/5G usage?
Will our phone pick up airtags as we walk around and continuously send data back to Apple's servers?
 
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NMBob

macrumors 68000
Sep 18, 2007
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New Mexico
I just ordered a 4-pack with engraving, and I have to wonder... when I try to find one, will the engraving I ordered appear on the AirTag image in the Find My app...?
I wouldn't think so, but you may be able to assign an icon to the tag in the app. I haven't seen that, but maybe someday. That would be a good idea. I little kitty icon for one tag, a radiation hazard warning symbol for another tag... :)
 

NMBob

macrumors 68000
Sep 18, 2007
1,893
2,398
New Mexico
well there goes my trip to armenia with stops in azerbaijan, kazakhstan and kyrgyzstan :(
How about if you packed a phone in the bag with the AirTag. Then there would be at least one other iPhone in the area. I don't know how all of this phone-stuff works. :) I'd go to Kyrgyzstan anyway. Cool country. Different scenery at every turn.
 
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SBlue1

macrumors 68000
Oct 17, 2008
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More importantly, if I only travel with one bag and the other three big suitcases are at home will the home AirTags start beeping until I am back home?
 

icanhazmac

Contributor
Apr 11, 2018
2,470
9,022
Anyone figure out how a plane will work when there are 50 other iPhone's picking up your Air Tagged keys in your carryon as traveling with them? Will its proximity to your phone prevent others from being able to disable it?
 

unclemax

macrumors 6502
Sep 25, 2015
289
247
I am curious about a hypothetical case where I check in my luggage which has an air tag in it. First, does it make sense or is attenuation going to be too severe? Second, what if while on the coach / plane / train someone is sitting in relative vicinity of my tag? Are they going to receive notifications of a rogue airtag accompanying them?
 

Adapsys

macrumors member
Jun 19, 2009
77
17
Are these going to be allowed on planes given most still require airplane mode to be enabled? Not sure if this applies.
 
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