Locating our belongings is much easier thanks to Apple’s AirTags. This small tracking device allows us to find any item with simply astonishing accuracy. Whether it’s about finding keys lost between sofa cushions or a suitcase on the other side of the world, AirTags turn any search into something quick and reliable.
What is an AirTag and how does it work
The AirTag is a tracking device that integrates with Apple’s ecosystem and, using the Find My network, offers us the best possible experience when it comes to locating lost items. Designed to be small and lightweight, AirTags can be attached to almost anything: keys, backpacks, wallets, luggage, vehicles and much more.
It works using low-energy Bluetooth and, at short distances, the U1 ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, which enables location accuracy to within just a few centimetres. When we are less than 10 metres away from our AirTag, the iPhone uses this chip to guide us to it with a simple on-screen arrow. If we’re out of Bluetooth range, AirTags rely on Apple’s vast global network of devices to send us their location —encrypted and with full privacy guaranteed— allowing us to locate our items anywhere on the planet.
How to locate items with AirTags
To locate any item with an AirTag, the first step is to open the Find My app on our iPhone—preferably—or iPad or Mac if we don’t have our phone at hand. Once inside, we tap on the Items tab at the bottom of the screen.
There we’ll see a list of the items we’ve assigned an AirTag to. We select the name of the object we want to locate and, if the AirTag is within Bluetooth range, its approximate location will appear. If it’s not nearby, the app will show us—if available—the last known location based on the Find My network. At this point, there are three possible scenarios.
If the object is too far away to go looking for it, we can activate Lost Mode, which allows other users to access the contact information we entered when setting up the AirTag, simply by scanning it. With Lost Mode on, the location depends on the Find My network, and we will receive a notification with its current location as soon as it’s detected.
Now, if we’re not close to it but can see its location on the map, the first thing we need to do is move towards that location. If, for example, we’ve left our keys at the office, we go there.
Then, once we are close to the AirTag, we can tap the Find button so the device physically guides us to it using the precision finding feature. Alternatively—or additionally—we can make the AirTag play a sound by tapping Play Sound.
Thanks to this, from global location all the way to seeing exactly which drawer our keys are in, we can pinpoint and recover any object anywhere in the world.
Initial setup and maintenance of AirTags
Setting up an AirTag for the first time takes just 15 seconds. It’s as easy as bringing it close to our iPhone. A notification appears and guides us step by step to link the device to our Apple account. Once paired, we enter our contact information—the same we mentioned a few paragraphs above—and we can customise its name and assign it an emoji to identify it more easily.
As for maintenance, AirTags have a replaceable battery that lasts around one year. Changing it is extremely easy: we simply twist the metal back cover, remove the depleted battery and insert a new one.
Why AirTags are the best tracking option
One of the standout features—one that many third-party trackers don’t offer—is that from the Find My app we can set up alerts to notify us immediately if we leave behind any item with an AirTag. An alert that prevents us from walking out of a restaurant without our wallet, or leaving home without our suitcase, briefcase or bag, and that makes a huge difference by allowing us to turn back straight away.
In addition to their integration with the Apple ecosystem, AirTags also stand out for their design: compact, water- and dust-resistant. With this, and a good case, we can use them in almost any everyday situation, from travelling with them inside our luggage to helping us find the smallest objects at home.
All of this, of course, comes with the privacy guarantees Apple provides in location tracking. AirTag location information is encrypted and only accessible from our Apple account, which means that no one but us can track our devices.
AirTags are a truly practical and highly reliable solution for keeping our belongings always within reach. A tiny device that relies on Apple’s massive network of devices around the world and that, with technology as seemingly simple as Bluetooth, can locate—for an entire year without a battery change—any item anywhere on the planet with centimetre-level accuracy.
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