What is Apple AirTag and how does it work?

Apple has expanded its ‘Find My ecosystem’ initiative with the latest offering – AirTag. The new iPhone accessory that provides private and secure way to easily locate items that matter most was launched in a virtual event called Spring Loaded on April 20.

So, what are AirTags?

If you clip one of these tags to an item you don’t want to lose, it’ll track it from an Apple device using ‘Find My App’.

Apple’s AirTag tracker, which will be available for pre order from April 23, is listed at a price of Rs 3,190 for single piece and Rs 10,900 for four-pack.

“We’re excited to bring this incredible new capability to iPhone users with the introduction of AirTag, leveraging the vast Find My network, to help them keep track of and find the important items in their lives,” Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing was quoted in an official statement.

Small and lightweight, each AirTag features precision-etched polished stainless steel and is IP67 water and dust resistant. There is a built-in speaker fixed within these tags which helps in locating it later.

“Users can assign AirTag to an item and name it with a default like “Keys” or “Jacket,” or provide a custom name of their choosing,” the company said.

While buying the device from Apple store, one can personalise the AirTags with free engraving “including text and selection of 31 emojis”.

How does it work?

After setting up the AirTag on your device, it will be visible in the new items tab on Find My Device. One can easily locate the current or last known location of these tags on the map.

“Each AirTag is equipped with the Apple-designed U1 chip using Ultra Wideband technology, enabling Precision Finding for iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 users. This advanced technology can more accurately determine the distance and direction to a lost AirTag when it is in range,” Apple explained further.

Siri can also help here! You can ask the virtual assistant to locate an item and AirTag will play a sound if it’s nearby.

Privacy

Apple keeps data security and privacy on a pedestal irrespective of the product type. AirTag, as per the company claims, is designed to keep the location data private and secure. No data is physically stored within the device.

“Communication with the Find My network is end-to-end encrypted so that only the owner of a device has access to its location data, and no one, including Apple, knows the identity or location of any device that helped find it,” it stated.

The device includes certain proactive features which discourages unwanted tracking.