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iPhones AirTags Will (and Won’t) Work With

Posted on by darion

Apple’s AirTags — tiny Bluetooth trackers that help you find your keys, bag, or anything else you attach them to — have been available worldwide since early 2021. The $29 drives make tracking your devices a lot easier, but there’s a catch: They don’t work with every iPhone.

What are AirTags?

Apple AirTags
AirTag is the size of a Mentos. Or a Checker.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

At their core, AirTags are incredibly simple. The Mentos-looking gadgets are functional tracking devices (albeit with features designed to prevent them from being used for tracking purposes) People).

Each AirTags drive contains a Bluetooth transmitter and one of Apple’s U1 chips, which are powered by a disposable CR2032 battery that keeps the AirTag running for about a year.

How do AirTags work?

Apple AirTags
Precision Finding allows you to locate your AirTag using your iPhone.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol
air tags
As you get closer to your AirTag, Precision Finding will show you its exact location.
Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

AirTags use Apple’s “Find My” app on your iPhone, which can find a wide variety of gadgets, including some not made by Apple, by using the network of Apple devices everyone owns to securely share their location with you. If you lose your AirTagged item, you can use the app to call out its location or trigger the AirTag to make a sound.