AirTag 2026
Apple (Hacker News, MacRumors):
Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband chip — the same chip found in the iPhone 17 lineup, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch Series 11 — powers the new AirTag, making it easier to locate than ever before. Using haptic, visual, and audio feedback, Precision Finding guides users to their lost items from up to 50 percent farther away than the previous generation. And an upgraded Bluetooth chip expands the range at which items can be located.
[…]
With its updated internal design, the new AirTag is 50 percent louder than the previous generation, enabling users to hear their AirTag from up to 2x farther than before.
Works better, same price, sounds good.
Update (2026-01-27): Unfortunately, the new AirTags require iOS 26.2.1 or later.
Apple offers a Share Item Location feature in the Find My app that allows you to temporarily share the location of an AirTag-equipped item with others, including employees at participating airlines.
[…]
Below, we have listed most of the airlines that support the feature[…]
Have AirTags made a difference in your life? Do you plan to replace existing ones with these new models?
Update (2026-02-04): Pierre Igot:
It seems obvious to me that the new AirTags still rely on the whole network of existing iPhones, regardless of which version of iOS those phones run. So why did they choose to require iOS 26 for actually using these new AirTags?
Update (2026-02-05): Andrew Abernathy:
Anyone know what exactly “requires iOS 26" means for the new AirTags?
You can’t pair it without iOS 26? What if you pair it on an iOS 26 phone but have an iPad on the same Apple account but still running iOS 18 — can the iPad find the AirTag? Can you use “share an AirTag” with someone who isn’t running iOS 26? And AirTags are registered and reported by random devices — surely that capability remains?
iFixit’s AirTag 2 teardown video that afternoon went under our radar until now.
Update (2026-02-10): Glenn Fleishman:
But if your iPhone or iPad isn’t running version 26.2.1, released a few days ago, you can’t add one of these new AirTags to it. And your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch won’t be able to locate it.
[…]
Because there’s no explicit labeling, it will be very difficult to tell the original and revised AirTag apart. 9to5Mac published an article on this very topic[…]
Update (2026-03-03): Glenn Fleishman:
Fortunately, the ability to pair and track a 2nd-generation AirTag is distinct from participating in Apple’s crowdsourced Find My network, allowing its encrypted, privacy-protecting broadcasts to be recognized by all generations of Apple hardware. And the new AirTag doesn’t create an accidental loophole in deterring and detecting unwanted tracking—in fact, it might even be a better “citizen” due to its ability to emit a louder noise and its longer Bluetooth range.
[…]
Since my last column, I’ve updated my book Take Control of Find My and AirTags to incorporate all the details related to the 2nd-generation AirTag and the new availability of Precision Finding for certain Apple Watch models.
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No mention anywhere of battery life, so probably not improved; that's a shame. And needs iOS 26.2.1, and the improved precision only works with iPhone 15 or later (minus the 16e).
@ED More battery life would always be welcome, but it seems reasonable now. I think I’ve been getting about a year.
Requiring iOS 26.2.1 or later is not good. I wonder what the reason for that is. Presumably this is only for viewing/controlling it, and older versions can still help it participate in the Find My network. I had missed this detail because Apple also mentioned that it required watchOS 26.2.1 for Precision Finding, which seemed reasonable; it didn’t occur to me that the iOS 26.2.1 requirement was to work at all.
Not a product for me, but I do notice Apple is explicit in their press release about AirTag encryption:
"AirTag doesn’t physically store location data or history on device, and end-to-end encryption protects all communication with the Find My network, ensuring that only the owner of a device can access its location data. No one, including Apple, knows the identity or location of any device that helped find it.
That's a distinction from what was discussed here previously, such as last month:
@Tsai It's probably my bargain-bin CR2032s but I get about half a year. Maaaaybe power use is higher in areas with few iOS devices?Which the EU certainly is compared to the US.
50% louder still seems bad considering how low the previous version is as soon as it’s put inside one of the cases designed for it.
"It's probably my bargain-bin CR2032s but I get about half a year"
That's why I use rechargeable trackers. I just plug them in once or twice a year, and they are always ready.
Ordered. New kitten on the scene, requiring a new tracker so he can finally go outside. Great timing, Apple. Obviously there are better third-party cases, though, like splashproof rubber inserts suitable for pets. And I for one am grateful they use replaceable batteries—unusual, for today's Apple!
Yes, it's fscking irritating that Apple keeps insisting on the latest software, for absolutely no reason; even the new USB-C keyboard accessories did when they came out. I'd argue that any new accessory that has no new software-related functionality compared to its predecessor should maintain compatibility with earlier software, and that includes AirPods and AirTags. Why does Apple not do it? Do they just not care? I do, though, look forward to using my watch for tracking—that'll make it much easier to spontaneously look for Pamuk (the kitten's name is Pamuk, which is Turkish for cotton) and be sure the feedback corresponds better to his actual location. There are probably better trackers for this, like the Tabcat/Loc8r based on RF and using a dedicated handheld tracker, but there's no denying the convenience of Bluetooth trackers.
