Keys vanish between couch cushions with a regularity that feels personal. Wallets slide into jacket pockets that later get hung in the wrong closet. Backpacks get set down at a coffee shop and stay there. AirTag 2, priced at $89 for the 4-pack (was $99), the second-generation tracker Apple released earlier this year, is built for those ordinary losses, and for the larger ones that start at an airport counter.
The same old silver disk, 31.9 millimeters across and 8 millimeters thick, still weighs 11.8 grams. It still works on a replaceable CR2032 coin cell that should last more than a year, and it has an IP 67 classification for dust and a fast plunge underwater. It also includes a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip that improves Precision Finding by 50% (drawing an arrow and a distance on screen and pulsing as you get closer) over the original, as well as an upgraded Bluetooth radio that allows you to find the tag from a greater distance. The speaker has also been amplified by 50%, and Apple claims the chime can now be heard twice as far away.
- FIND YOUR ITEMS ON FIND MY — AirTag (2nd generation) helps you keep track of what matters. Attach one to an item you want to keep track of using the...
- EXPANDED PRECISION FINDING ON IPHONE AND APPLE WATCH — Get step-by-step directions to your lost item on iPhone and, now, Apple Watch.*
- ENHANCED SPEAKER — With a 50% louder speaker and a new, distinctive chime, it’s easier than ever to hear and find AirTag.*
However, the real-world impact is far more than the technical specifications suggest. On a regular Tuesday, that louder chime can make a significant difference. For example, if you’ve got a tag stuck on a keyring or inside a wallet, you can use the Find My app to play it from across the room, even if there’s a cushion or bag in the way. When that happened, the old tags would often become silent, but this one stands out. Precision Finding is now available on Apple Watch Series 9 and later, as well as the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, allowing you to glance at your watch to find that rucksack lying under the desk without having to take your phone out of your pocket. The separation alerts are still in place to alert you if you’ve stepped away from something important.
Traveling with the AirTag is a completely different ballgame; the same hardware, but with a new type of anxiety-relieving feature. A tag in your checked luggage or carry-on travels across the Find My network (which is simply a collection of neighboring Apple devices that can transmit a location back), even if it’s in a different terminal or already on a truck. That last known location is typically enough to inform an airline desk where your suitcase is, and once you’re in the same building, Precision Finding and the louder speaker take over. Bag claim is loud, and airplane hotels hide bags behind chairs, but with the AirTag, you don’t have to spend as much time hunting for your bag because the chime travels further and the arrow begins operating from a wider distance.
Battery changes are still quite simple: simply twist the rear, insert a new coin cell, and you’re back on the network. And, at checkout, you can get your AirTag engraved for free, so a set of four won’t get mixed up at home among family members. The design hasn’t altered, so all of your previous holders and loops will still fit, saving you from having to dig out a new holster for your keys, wallet, work bag, or the luggage that always seems to be left behind. It’s the same old tag, but it now responds more quickly when something goes missing.
