Here’s how they work.
What Are Apple AirTags?
They allow you to track your personal belongings using Apple’s Find My internet.
Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | Apple
AirTags are splash, water, and dust resistant.
An IP67 rating ensures AirTags can be submerged to about one meter deep for up to 30 minutes.
To pair an AirTag with your iPhone or iPad, you need at least iOS or iPadOS 15.4.
Christian Zibreg / How-To Geek
Each registered AirTag is associated with your Apple ID.
The Find My app supports 32 items in total.
Each connected AirTag counts as a single item.
If you’ve ever paired AirPods, you know the drill.
When your AirTag is ready for use, it shows up under Items in the Find My app.
Are AirTags Right for You?
We’ve seen othercreative uses for AirTags.
One example involved taping an AirTag inside electronic items like portable speakers or laptops as an anti-theft measure.
How do AirTags Work?
Range, Battery Life, etc.
AirTags incorporate Bluetooth, Ultra Wideband, and NFC.
This how AirTags can be located without on-board GPS or Wi-Fi.
The system uses rotating anonymous identifiers and end-to-end encryption to protect your privacy.
This all works on auto-pilot, with no intervention on your part whatsoever.
AirTags have a user-replaceable battery thatcannot be chargedandlasts about a yearbefore needing replacing.
Youll see a notification and hear a chime when your AirTag battery is running low.
If you dont see the button, your AirTag isnt nearby.
Put your AirTag in Lost Mode so anyone who stumbles upon it can contact you.
Christian Zibreg / How-To Geek
pick the AirTag under Items, then swipe down and choose Enable below Lost Mode.
Now hit Continue and put in your contact details, then select Next and hit Activate.
To get notified when your AirTag is found, be sure to select Notify When Found below Notifications.
Can AirTags Be Used to Track Me?
Beware of potential AirTag dangers and misuse.
What Anti-Stalking Features Do AirTags Support?
The notification shows up regardless of whether the tracker is paired with an Apple or Android phone.
Android users can download Apple’s Tracker Detect app from Google Play Store toscan for AirTags around them.
However, check with the manufacturer if theyll make existing devices compatible by releasing a firmware update.
Received a Found Moving With You Privacy Alert?
Seeing this alert on your iPhone can mean one of two things.
So what should you do if aFound Moving With You privacy alert pops upon your iPhone?
First try beeping the AirTag by expanding the notification to choose Continue and then Play Sound.
No sound means the AirTag is close to its owner or its identifier has changed.
Next, choose Find Nearby in the alert or the Find My app to use the Precision Finding feature.
If you see the owners contact information on a webpage, the AirTag is in Lost Mode.
But if you only see the last four digits of the phone number, the AirTag is active.
In that case, stop it from sending further location updates to the owner by selecting Instructions to Disable.
Tracking someones location without consent is a crime in many countries.
If you suspect youre being secretly tracked via devices like AirTag, get in touch with the police immediately.
How to Replace an AirTag Battery
AirTags use CR2032 coin batteries that last about a year.
Push the back metallic cover with two fingers, turn it counter-clockwise, and remove it.
Can You Remove an AirTag From Your Apple ID?
Select an AirTag under Items, choose Remove Item, and then Remove.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
Keep in mind that unpairing AirTags via the Find My app on a Mac is unsupported.
Can an AirTag be Reset to Factory parameters?
Resetting an AirTag returns it to its factory parameters.
Repeat this four more times; a fifth chime should sound different from the previous ones.
Thats it, you’ve reset this AirTag to factory defaults.
Can I Use AirTags on Android?
AirTags can be paired with Android 6.0 or later and tracked in Googles Find My gadget app.
you’re free to also use Apples Tracker Detect app toscan for nearby AirTags on Android.
All my precious belongings have AirTag slapped on them in inconspicuous places.
Christian Zibreg / How-To Geek
Christian Zibreg / How-To Geek
Christian Zibreg / How-To Geek
