Apple’s AirTags have been around for a few years now which is plenty of time to discover lots of practical uses for them – here’s 10 of our favorites
Apple’s AirTags are now official. Priced at $29 each (or $99 for four), Apple’s product is aggressively priced and will no doubt have set off alarm bells at companies like Tile.
Apple has also drilled-down on security too inside AirTag. Bluetooth is NOT a secure protocol (like at all), so Apple has developed a special chip that handles and processes all Bluetooth communication, ensuring it is encrypted.
“We’re excited to bring this incredible new capability to iPhone users with the introduction of AirTag, leveraging the vast Find My network, to help them keep track of and find the important items in their lives. With its design, unparalleled finding experience, and built-in privacy and security features, AirTag will provide customers with another way to leverage the power of the Apple ecosystem and enhance the versatility of iPhone.”
Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing
The concept of AirTags isn’t original; you can already get Bluetooth-powered tracking tiles – you have inexpensive options like Tile which work with both iPhone and Android.
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But AirTags USP will be that they deeply integrate with iPhone inside the Find My app.
You can even use AirTags to monitor and keep track of your dog.
If you’re new to the concept of bluetooth tracking tiles, here’s a breakdown of 10 things you can do with Apple’s AirTags…
Things You Can Do With AirTags
#1 – Find Lost Pets
Have you ever lost a pet? It sucks. With AirTags, however, you’ll never have to worry about this again because you can attach an AirTag your dog or cat’s collar and this will keep you up to date on their location at all times.
So, if they do disappear one day, or are gone for longer than usual, you can quickly open the Find My app and check where they are. As someone that owns both cats and dogs and lives in the middle of nowhere, this feature alone is one of the main reasons I’d buy an AirTag.
#2 – Never Lose Luggage Again
Who’s had their luggage lost by an airline? It sucks, right? Well, with AirTags, you can simply place one inside your luggage and then, in the event that it gets lost, quickly find its location and share it with the airline, saving you potentially hours (or days) of waiting around.
If you’re a frequent traveller, placing an AirTag in your luggage might be one of the best travel hacks you can do. No one likes flying 13 hours around the world to discover they then have to go shopping to buy an entirely new set of clothes.
#3 – Find Your Car Keys
If you’re prone to losing or misplacing your car keys – or even your house keys – with AirTags, you will be able to quickly find them. Because AirTags will have a built in speaker that emits a sound, all you’ll have to do to locate lost keys is open Find My, select the keys you want to find, and tap Make A Chime to locate them.
#4 – Tag Your Kids
If you have young kids and you’re worried about losing them in shopping malls or elsewhere, you could make them a necklace or something similar with an AirTag attached to it.
Alternatively, if you know you’re going somewhere big with plenty of opportunities for a little one to run off, you could place one in their pocket or backpack.
Either way, with AirTags, you will be able to keep track of your kids – providing they don’t take off or lose the AirTag.
#5 – Set Boundary Alarms / Alerts
This AirTags feature is really cool, and it has loads of commercial applications (particularly in farming). You can set up boundaries for each AirTag, say, a 100 meter boundary around your home, and if the AirTag leaves this area, you’ll get an alert on your iPhone.
This feature is great for loads of things. If you have a really expensive guitar, for instance, or something similar, and you definitely do not want it leaving your home or office, you can set up an alarm that will fire if it does. Again, this feature would also work great on pets too.
#6 – Track & Locate Dangerous Items
Plenty of people own guns in America. If you do own a gun, you’re likely storing it in a safe manner, someplace where no one but you can access it. With AirTags, you can add an extra layer of protection by being able to track or set an alert up if it is moved.
If someone does move your firearm, this would trigger and alarm, alerting you that it has been moved. And with things like this, you’ll definitely want to know if the security of your storage location has been compromised.
#7 – Red Balloons & Augmented Reality
Apple is said to be working on an Augmented Reality feature for AirTags, whereby when looking for a lost object, a Red Ballon will float above its location.
In practice, this would work by holding you iPhone up and using it as a viewfinder. You’d scan the area in front of you and look for a red ballon which indicates the exact location of your lost item.
#8 – Find Lost Treasure In The Ocean
AirTags will be completely waterproof, so this means that you will be able to locate items even if they’re lost underwater – like in the sea.
If you surf or regularly spend time in water, and you lose your iPhone, or something else, with AirTags, you’ll be able to find its exact location. And then you can go diving in search of some Red Balloons.
#9 – Find Your Car In Airport Carparks
Have you ever parked in a massive airport carpark, gone on holiday, and come back two weeks later only to realise you have no idea where you parked? Well, with AirTags, this problem is no longer something you need to worry about.
Simply having an AirTag in your car will allow you to find it easily using the Find My app. This applies to any setting too – from theme parks to your local supermarket. If your car has an AirTag in it, you’ll be able to find it.
Having an AirTag in your car is also handy if it gets stolen too, as you can quickly locate it in the Find My app and then share the location with the police. Just make sure you stash the AirTag someplace a criminal wouldn’t find it.
#10 – Find Out Where You Cat Goes
Because you can use AirTags to find things on a map, you can also use it to find out where things go. In this context, you could use an AirTag to see what your cat gets up to and where it goes at night and in the day.
Once AirTags become popular, they’ll be available in all shapes and sizes. The pet market is HUGE, so Apple will almost certain create – or allow third-party companies – to design and release pet-specific tiles that leverage its AirTags technology.
