Apple just introduced its latest AirTag and it has better connectivity than ever

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Hermione Blandford's avatar
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an image of an apple phone and watch, a tag, and an iphone
(Image credit: Apple)

Technophobe or technofile, you’ll likely be a fan of the AirTag. Putting an end to the heat-stopping panic of where did I leave that?? It’s an invention almost all can get behind, thanks to the universal panic of losing things.

Unveiled today, Apple's new iteration boasts an expanded finding range and a louder speaker. Using its handy if omnipotent Find My network, the latest Apple AirTag uses an Ultra Wideband chip, the very same that’s found in its iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and more. Basically, it’s going to be harder than ever to lose your things (although I’m sure some of you will undoubtedly succeed).

Beyond the headline upgrades, Apple is clearly keen to remind people why AirTag became such a quiet modern essential in the first place. Since launching in 2021, users have shared countless stories of lost items making unlikely journeys home, from suitcases reunited mid-holiday to instruments tracked down just in time for a same-night performance. That everyday usefulness is now backed up by some serious infrastructure: Apple says it has partnered with more than 50 airlines worldwide to support Share Item Location, an iOS feature that lets users temporarily hand over their AirTag’s location to customer service teams when luggage goes missing.

According to airline IT firm SITA, the system has already reduced baggage delays by 26 per cent and cut truly lost luggage by a huge 90 per cent. Privacy remains a major focus, too. AirTag doesn’t store location history on the device itself, uses end-to-end encryption across the Find My network, and includes built-in protections against unwanted tracking, including cross-platform alerts and frequently changing Bluetooth identifiers.

Even the environmental box has been ticked: the new AirTag uses recycled plastics, rare earth elements and gold, comes in fully fibre-based packaging, and keeps the same form factor, meaning all existing AirTag accessories still work. All that, and Apple has kept the price exactly the same, which might be the most surprising update of all.

Apple Air Tag being held

(Image credit: Apple)

According to Apple, by using haptic visual and audio feedback, Precision Finding guides users to their lost items from up to fifty per cent further away than its predecessor, thanks to an upgraded Bluetooth chip. Also, for the first time, users can use Precision Finding on the Apple Watch (series 9 or later) to find their AirTag, keeping location a simple task and stopping that heart rate from shooting up.

In more good news, the new AirTag is designed to integrate smoothly with Share Item Location, which helps users recover misplaced items by securely (and temporarily) sharing their location with trusted third parties. This is particularly useful when tracking down items lost, for example, on flights or transport. But don’t worry, your data and location are just as private as ever.

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Hermione Blandford
Hermione Blandford
Content Editor

Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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