Apple is refreshing one of its smallest but most influential gadgets, introducing a new AirTag that can be found from farther away and is much harder to ignore when it starts making noise. The tracker keeps the familiar coin-style design but focuses on practical upgrades, especially a longer finding range and a significantly louder alert tone. After years of incremental software tweaks, this is the first full hardware rethink of Apple’s item tracker since the original launched.
The new model arrives as tracking accessories have become a quiet staple of everyday life, riding along in luggage, backpacks, and car glove boxes. With this update, Apple is trying to make AirTag more reliable when you misplace something and more responsible when it ends up somewhere it should not be, tightening the balance between convenience and safety.
What is actually new in AirTag 2
The core pitch of the new AirTag is simple: it can be found from farther away and it is much easier to hear once it starts chirping. Apple describes an expanded finding range that builds on the original Ultra Wideband approach, which relied on nearby devices to help locate a tag through the Find My network. The company says the new hardware improves how quickly and accurately an iPhone can zero in on a tag, especially indoors where walls and furniture can interfere with signals, and it frames the update as a way to help people who misplace their belongings every single day, a routine that has quietly made trackers indispensable for many households.
Alongside the improved radio performance, the speaker inside the new tracker has been reworked so that the alert tone cuts through background noise more effectively. Apple highlights the louder sound as a key part of the redesign, not just for finding keys under a couch but also for surfacing a tag that might be hidden in a bag or vehicle without the owner’s knowledge. The new AirTag is available to order on the company’s website and in the Apple Store app, with retail availability at Apple Store locations following shortly after the announcement, and the company positions it as a straightforward upgrade path for anyone already invested in the Find My ecosystem, including those who rely on Apple Store pickup.
Design, battery, and everyday usability
On the outside, the new AirTag sticks closely to the original formula, which means the same small disc that still expects you to add your own key ring or accessory if you want to attach it directly to keys or a bag. That decision has already drawn some criticism from people who hoped Apple would finally drill a simple hole into the casing, and early hands-on impressions describe a product that is not much different in appearance from the first version, even though it is louder and more capable once you start using it. The continuity is deliberate, since it keeps compatibility with the wide range of existing holders and straps that have sprung up around the original design, including third-party accessories surfaced through product listings.
Inside, Apple has reworked the layout to improve efficiency and durability, with reporting pointing to an updated internal design that helps the tracker maintain its connection and stretch battery life. The company continues to use a user-replaceable coin cell, which means owners can still swap batteries themselves instead of treating the device as disposable, but the new radio hardware and speaker are tuned to draw less power when idle and to ramp up only when needed. Coverage notes that Apple’s new AirTag makes it easier to stay on top of your stuff by pairing these under-the-hood changes with the same simple setup flow, where you bring the tag near an iPhone and follow a few on-screen prompts, and that the updated internal design is a quiet but important part of the upgrade described in Apple’s new AirTag coverage.
Precision Finding and Apple Watch integration
The most visible software-side change is how the new AirTag works with Precision Finding, the feature that overlays directional arrows and distance readouts on your screen as you walk around looking for a tag. Apple is extending that experience beyond the iPhone, so for the first time users can use Precision Finding on Apple Watch Series 9 or later, or Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, to track down a missing item directly from their wrist. That means if you misplace your keys at home, you can glance at your watch, follow the on-screen guidance, and walk straight to the tag without pulling out your phone, a small but meaningful shift in how the ecosystem fits into daily routines.
Under the hood, the expanded range and tighter integration with the Find My network are designed to make that wrist-based experience feel just as responsive as it does on a recent iPhone. The watch can tap into the same Ultra Wideband cues and haptic feedback, nudging your wrist as you move closer to the tag, which is especially useful if you are juggling groceries or trying to find a bag in a crowded train station. Apple also continues to emphasize that hundreds of millions of devices participate in the Find My network, which helps locate items even when they are far from the owner, and the company is leaning on that scale as it rolls out Precision Finding support on Apple Watch Series and Apple Watch Ultra hardware.
Price, availability, and how it compares to the original
Apple is keeping pricing familiar, which is a strategic choice in a category where low-cost competitors are easy to find. The new AirTag is available for order on Apple.com starting immediately, with the same pricing as the original, $29 for one or $99 for a four-pack, a structure that makes it relatively affordable to outfit a family’s keys, backpacks, and luggage all at once. That bundle pricing also helps Apple compete with multi-pack deals from rival platforms, and it reinforces the idea that trackers work best when you scatter them across several high-value items instead of reserving them for a single suitcase.
Availability extends beyond Apple’s own storefronts, with the tracker expected to appear in the usual retail channels and accessory bundles that have grown up around the ecosystem. Over the past few years, AirTag-compatible key rings, luggage tags, and wallet sleeves have become a category of their own, and the decision to keep the physical design largely unchanged means those accessories should carry over cleanly. Reporting notes that after years of rumors, Apple has finally released a new AirTag that improves range and loudness without disrupting the basic buying experience, and that the new model slots into the same price tier as the original, including the $99 four-pack highlighted in $99 coverage.
Safety, stalking concerns, and the louder alert
Any update to AirTag has to grapple with the uncomfortable reality that item trackers can be misused, and Apple is clearly aware of that history. The louder speaker is not just about helping you find your own keys, it is also about making it harder for someone to hide a tag on a person or vehicle without being detected. Apple has already rolled out software alerts that warn iPhone and Android users when an unknown AirTag appears to be traveling with them, and the new hardware is meant to complement those warnings by making the physical tag easier to locate once you start searching for it. The company’s own description of the product emphasizes that people use AirTag to keep track of their belongings every single day, and that the network is designed around privacy protections that limit what any one device can see, a framing that appears in its explanation of how people search for lost items.
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