How to use Apple AirTags
The $29 Apple Bluetooth Beacons are definitely inspired by the Tile line of trackers. But just because AirTags are designed like existing smart trackers, that doesn’t mean you can’t find other useful ways to use these little self-targeted tags. In fact, we’ve come up with over a dozen fun ways to get the most out of AirTags.
Apple is selling these new smart trackers individually ($29) or in packs of four ($99). The latter is the best deal if you think you’ll need more than one, as it drops the cost of individual AirTags to $24.75 each. You may only need one, but remember – there are at least 18 ways to use Apple’s new smart trackers, so you can stock up on them!
- Buy at Amazon: Apple AirTag – Individual ($29)
- Buy at Amazon: Apple AirTags – Pack of 4 ($99)
How does AirTag work?
To be clear, AirTag is not an iPhone, so it cannot communicate with the Find My app or the network, or on its own. Instead, it connects to other devices on the Find My network using Bluetooth. To access Find My, the connected device must be within Bluetooth range of the missing AirTag.
But that’s the beauty of AirTag. Unlike, say, AirPods, AirTags don’t just connect with your devices. Any device running iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, or macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later can connect to your AirTag. This means that all AirTag has to do to update its Find My location is connect to a nearby device that is also on the Find My network. Think about how many millions of iPhones, iPads and Macs can do this.
You can even put the AirTag in Lost Mode so that if someone finds it, all they have to do is press and hold the top of their smartphone on the AirTag and wait for a notification that will redirect them to a web page with your phone number. and other data. Information. This works for both iPhone and NFC-enabled Android devices, so pretty much the entire smartphone community will help you out.
Image by Marquez Brownlee/ YouTube
Apple does all this with a focus on privacy. All communication between your AirTag and the stranger’s products is fully encrypted and anonymous. Location data is not stored in AirTag. Bluetooth AirTag signal IDs change frequently to prevent unwanted tracking. Thus, there is no risk that a hacker will compromise your security.
If you’re looking for your AirTag yourself, it’s like tracking an item in Find My, unless you have an iPhone with a U1 chip (iPhone 11 and later) with Ultra Wideband technology. These devices support Precision Finding with AirTag; you’ll actually see an arrow on your iPhone’s display letting you know exactly how close you are to that AirTag and in which direction it’s facing. This feature, in our opinion, will come in handy in more than a few scenarios below:
NFC contact card
You don’t have to lose your AirTag so they can help strangers. AirTag can act like an NFC contact card, sharing your phone number and any other information you want to share with whoever interacts with it.
They tapped the top of their NFC smartphone (iPhone or Android) on the white side of the AirTag and then held until a notification popped up. Open it and they will be redirected to a web page that displays the information you added. It’s not exactly the same as the NFC business contact card, which can help you import contact information, but it’s fun to play with.
To set it up, your AirTag must be in Lost Mode. Open the Find My app, tap the Elements tab, and select the desired AirTag. Under Lost Mode, click Enable, then click Continue on the splash screen. Enter your phone number, click Next, then enter your message, which may include your email address, business, etc. Continue to follow the prompts and click Activate to enable Lost Mode.
Caches with secret messages
Espionage uses hiding places to transfer information between two people without the need for the two people to meet. One person hides the stash in a secret place and the other picks it up. In the digital age, hiding places can take the form of an anonymous stand-alone Wi-Fi communication server, where people can secretly communicate locally and even send files to each other.
For an AirTag, you can use the same Lost Mode concept mentioned above to broadcast secret messages to anyone who might know the location of the AirTag. Ask a friend to place an AirTag in the same area and you can both scan each other’s AirTag to see any message updates that have been added in Lost Mode.
rescue beacons
If you or a loved one has a severe allergy to something, wear the AirTag along with the EpiPens. The same goes for any other life-saving medicines you may need to take at any time. If someone else needs to find a cure for you (or vice versa), they can use your Find Me app (or their own if they’re part of your Family Sharing group ) instead of frantically flipping the house.
location tracker for pets
If you don’t want to go through the process of microchipping your pet, there is now a much less invasive way to track it: AirTag. Apple Bluetooth trackers are the perfect companion for pets as they are IP67 waterproof and small enough for a cat collar and barely visible on a dog collar. The AirTag doesn’t have the ability to attach it to a collar, so you’ll have to buy a case with a key ring, loop, or small carabiner. Some companies, such as FollowPaw, make pet collars specifically for the AirTag.
location trackers for kids
Like pets, children have their own minds and can run away at any moment. Shift your attention for half a second to another place and you will spend half a day looking for your children.
If you want an easy way to keep track of your kids who aren’t old enough for smartphones yet, consider pairing them with AirTag. You can ask them to keep it in a backpack or pocket, perhaps with a key chain or key ring to secure it.
Your kids have to get home every day, so the built-in anti-stalking feature doesn’t activate because it only plays sound when the AirTag is away from your iPhone for three days and starts moving. However, you should definitely let your kids know that they have an AirTag tracker. Just be sure to get a protective case as kids tend to ruin things.
Image via Apple
location trackers for yourself
You may have listened to too many true crime podcasts and want a little more security in your life. You can take an AirTag to your bag or trouser pocket to keep yourself in the eye of other people, whether they’re in Family Sharing with you, sharing an Apple ID account, or set up AirTag from their device.
An extra layer of security never hurts if you think you might be in a dangerous situation. An emergency SOS might not be good enough, 911 on an Apple Watch can be easily stopped, customizable panic buttons in shortcuts might not be used in time, and your iPhone can be turned off to disable tracking. But an intruder or attacker might not even know you have an AirTag, and their own Apple devices might even help track you down.
location trackers for people with dementia
People with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia may lose the ability to recognize familiar places, so they often wander, get lost, and confused. There are GPS trackers for people with special needs and dementia, but they cost more than AirTag, so why not try AirTag and save money? Just make sure they know they have an AirTag like you should with kids.
location trackers for your belongings
AirTag was designed specifically to keep track of your belongings. Like other smart trackers before it, AirTag helps you find things you easily lose every day. But have you considered everything in your life that AirTag can track?
- keys
- remote
- AirPods (even better with a case)
- wallet
- wallet
- employee icon
- Student ID
- Laptop bag
- many other things
Image by The Verge/ YouTube
high-tech scavenger hunt tips
Got some money to spend? Looking for high-tech entertainment? Consider taking four packets of AirTags and using them as clues to find trash. Your participants can use their iPhones – especially those with the U1 chip – to see if they get warm to the AirTag and then to the next clue. This is probably best for the first clue in a scavenger hunt, as players can get confused when they see multiple AirTags on the map.
Image by Marquez Brownlee/ YouTube
beacons for the visually impaired
The Find My app supports a variety of accessibility settings built right into iPhone. These include VoiceOver, color inversion, enlarged text, and compatibility with Braille displays. VoiceOver is arguably the best accessibility feature to use with AirTag, as the iPhone (with U1 chip) can give turn-by-turn directions aloud with Precision Finding, which gives blind or visually impaired users verbal directions such as “AirTag five.”meters to your right. This is definitely a faster way for visually impaired people to find items faster.
underwater object locators
AirTag has an IP67 waterproof rating. This doesn’t mean it’s waterproof, but it does give you some leeway when it comes to liquid contact, as the AirTag should continue to function at a maximum depth of one meter (about three feet) for up to 30 minutes.
With that in mind, consider attaching the AirTag to any items you fear losing in the water. If you’re going to be boating, swimming, or doing anything else that could cause your wallet, backpack, or other property to fall into shallow water, AirTag can help you get it back. You’ll need an iPhone with a U1 chip, as Ultra Wideband technology will penetrate water better than Bluetooth.
baggage locators (when the airline lost it)
If the airline can’t find your bag on their own, they may be able to find it by the AirTag beep inside. Use this advice at your own discretion, of course, as some airlines may not take too kindly to the requirement to listen to the chirping in the luggage compartment. However, this is not the only time AirTag can help you with your luggage at the airport….
baggage locators (when bypassing the carousel)
Endlessly watching your luggage on the airport carousel, wondering if this bag that looks like your bag is really your bag (spoiler alert: it probably isn’t).
Stop waiting and guessing by putting your AirTag in your bag before handing it over to the airline. When it’s time to pick up your luggage, you can use your iPhone with U1 and Precision Finding to know exactly when a bag has hit the rear area.
toy locators
No more flipping sofa cushions or diving under your bed for a lost soft toy, race car or safety blanket. If you can find a way to attach an AirTag to your kids’ favorite toys that always go missing, you should. Of course, make sure it is hidden and not removed by the child. An AirTag can pose a choking hazard depending on their age, but an AirTag sewn into a teddy bear or wubi won’t even be accessible to them.
anti-theft trackers for your bike
If you’re taking your bike around town, you probably have a lock or chain to keep it secure. However, if a lock or chain could stop all bike theft, we wouldn’t be here, would we?
To increase the safety of your bike while it is unattended, hide the AirTag somewhere inconspicuous. That way, if it ever gets stolen, all you have to do is track down the AirTag to find your bike – with or without the thief. Moment has adhesive-backed AirTag holders that can attach to flat and curved surfaces, so you can hide one under the sear or even on one of the bars.
Some bikes even have built-in tracking technology that works with the Find My network if you’re worried about AirTag getting noticed.
Image by VanMoof/ Apple
anti-theft trackers for your car
As with bikes, AirTag is perfect as a cheap anti-theft device for your car or truck. There are many places where you can hide an AirTag in your car so that an unsuspecting thief will never notice. Glove box under the seat, in the center console, with a spare tire in the boot, whatever. They think they just managed to commit the perfect crime, but little do they know that you can track their every move.
Of course, there are GPS trackers that can be bought specifically for vehicles, but they are expensive and usually require a monitoring subscription.
parked car locators
You don’t need a thief in the picture to make your vehicle go missing. You are quite capable of losing your car or truck on your own, thank you very much.
To avoid the Seinfeld parking situation, just trust your location to this hidden AirTag! Your U1-equipped iPhone with Precision Finding will guide you back to your car, so you no longer have to worry about remembering garage floor numbers, remembering intersection names, or trying to get Apple Maps’ “Show Parked Places”feature to work.
Reason to buy these flat batteries in the store
Batteries in AirTag last about a year, but when they run out, you do not need to buy a new AirTag. AirTag batteries, which are completely non-Apple compatible, are user-replaceable and run on a CR2032 coin-cell battery.
CR2032 batteries are essentially AA batteries. Every grocery and convenience store has them, but chances are most of the products in your life don’t carry them, except for your old-style Apple Remote, of course. With AirTags, you finally have a reason.
Bonus Use: Grow your wealth
This is by no means a practical application, but it is certainly something you can do with AirTag: show how much money you can spend. If you’re a real fighter, don’t buy a standard $35 leather keychain like a mere plebeian. Instead, forgo cash and get a status symbol from Hermés, which serves the same purpose but costs ten times more!