The $29 Apple Bluetooth Beacons are definitely inspired by the Tile line of trackers. But just because AirTags are designed in the same way as other smart trackers, 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 on 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 we think will come in handy in more than a few scenarios below:
1. NFC contact cards
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. In the Lost Mode section, 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.
2 Secret Message Caches
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.
3. 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.
4. Location trackers for pets
If you don’t want to have your pet microchipped, there’s a less invasive way to track your furry friend: AirTag. Apple Bluetooth trackers are the perfect companion for pets as they are IP67 waterproof, small enough for a cat collar and barely visible on a dog collar.
If you already have a collar for your pet, you can purchase an AirTag case with a loop, key ring, or small carabiner. If you’re not sure which will fit best: a keychain or a carabiner, Arae sells an AirTag case kit with both. There are also overhead options from Moogrou, Typecase, Caisateq, Dlenp, Swincho, and Pup Culture. You can even purchase a waterproof case that screws onto most collars.
If you want a collar with an integrated AirTag case, FollowPaw and AirCollar make leather ones. Feeyar and Taporse sell neoprene lined reflective nylon collars. And you can even find tactical collars for AirTag.
- Popular option: Moogrou AirTag collars for cats and dogs of all sizes
Image by Moogrou/ Amazon
5. 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.
For an easy way to keep track of kids who are not yet old enough for smartphones, consider pairing them with AirTag. You can just toss it in a backpack or pocket, but the case is less likely to stick around and protect the AirTag from damage (kids tend to mess things up).
The case with loop, key ring or carabiner can be attached to almost anything, the sliding case can be attached to any strap, and the screw case can be fixed to fabric and other materials. There are even AirTag-enabled nylon and silicone wristbands that you can put on your child.
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.
Images Typecase/ Amazon, Dlenp/ Amazon
6. 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. Emergency SOS may not be good enough, 911 on your Apple Watch can be easily stopped, customizable panic buttons in shortcuts may 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.
7. 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.
As with kids, you can attach a loop, key ring, or carabiner to just about anything, attach the case to most belts, attach the case to most fabrics, or give your child a nylon or silicone bracelet to wear. If they always have a wallet, you can even place a credit card holder along with their other cards.
8. Location trackers for your belongings
AirTag was designed to keep track of your belongings. Like other smart trackers, AirTag helps you find things you lose easily every day. But have you considered everything in your life that AirTag can help you keep track of?
- keys
- remote control (try the AirTag adhesive holder)
- AirPods (even better with a case)
- wallet (try a credit card-sized AirTag holder)
- wallet
- employee icon
- Student ID
- Laptop bag
- many other things
Image by The Verge/ YouTube
9. Hi-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 members 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
10. Lighthouses for the visually impaired
The Find My app supports a variety of accessibility settings built right into iPhone. These include VoiceOver, inverted colors, enlarged text, and compatibility with Braille displays. VoiceOver is arguably the best accessibility feature to use with AirTag, as an iPhone (with a U1 chip) can give turn-by-turn directions aloud with Precision Finding, which offers voice guidance to blind or visually impaired users such as “AirTag five feet away.”to your right.”This is definitely a faster way for visually impaired people to find items faster.
11. Locators of underwater objects
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 other activities 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 has better water penetration than Bluetooth.
If IP67 isn’t enough for you, some key cases and carabiners will make your AirTags even more waterproof. Temdan manufactures an IP68 rated enclosure; Mozoter, v-Golvin, Supfine and Sevrok have IPX8; and DDJ and Dovick have unrated versions. There are also waterproof AirTag cases for harnesses and collars.
Image by Dovick/ Amazon
12. Baggage locators (if the airline has 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. Of course, use this advice at your own discretion, as some airlines may not be too gracious of the requirement to listen to chirps in the luggage compartment. However, this is not the only time AirTag can help you with your luggage at the airport.
13. Baggage sensors (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.
Image via Apple
14. 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.
15. Anti-theft trackers for your bike
If you’re taking your bike around town, chances are you 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 someone steals it, all you have to do is track 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. Aimtel, Pelican, Elago, and Lizhi also sell adhesive-backed AirTag cases.
What’s more, some companies only make AirTag mounts for bikes. Touvren and Easy have covers that fit under your bike seat. TagLock, Tusita and Koqeiey sell AirTag bike mounts that look like reflectors so bike thieves won’t even notice anything wrong. Anmuka, Elevation Lab, Grapid, In-Cog-Neato, Royal Kit, Supmega, and Tentoku all have the ones you hide behind a water bottle holder. Dog River Tools, Efeall andNicedack sell stem mounts to disguise your AirTag. There’s even an AirTag case disguised as a bicycle handlebar bell.
- Popular option: TagLock AirTag bike mount disguised as a reflector
Images Efeall/ Amazon, In-Cog-Neato/ Amazon, Stouchi/ Amazon
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
16. 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 plenty of 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 got away with 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.
17. Locators of parked cars
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 to show parked spaces.
18. Reason to buy these coin cell 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. Completely incompatible with Apple, AirTag batteries 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.
- Amazon: Energizer CR2032 3V Lithium Coin Cell Batteries (x6) ($7.99)
Bonus Use: Grow your wealth
This is by no means a practical use, 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!
