The Potential Value of Apple s AirTags
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Apple Misplacing a valuable item like your keys or wallet is stressful, especially when you don’t know if it’s gone for good or deep inside a couch cushion or gym bag a few feet away. Apple aims to ease that stress with AirTags, which help locate everyday items. Apple’s AirTag is the latest device tracker to hit the market, joining a range of styles from companies like Tile and Chipolo. The AirTag helps in finding your misplaced items, but also has a few cool features that iOS users will appreciate. AirTags use Apple’s Find My app on iPhones and Mac computers. However, one of AirTag’s most useful attributes is that it connects to Apple’s huge Find My network, which comprises nearly a billion devices that can detect Bluetooth signals from a lost AirTag and ping the owner with the location. "Crowdsourcing data like that is a brilliant solution to the problem," iOS developer and podcaster Guilherme Rambo told Lifewire in an email. He first reported that Apple was working on a Tile-like item tracker in 2019 for 9to5Mac. "Others have tried similar approaches, but the sheer amount of Apple devices around makes it much more likely that a lost AirTag will come into contact with a nearby device that’s able to report its location back to the owner.”
The Potential Value of Apple's AirTags
The Find My network means you don't have to be near the tags
By Kristin Majcher Kristin Majcher Freelance Technology Reporter Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Kristin Majcher is a freelance writer for Lifewire who enjoys writing about how people use apps and social media to form communities, learn new things, and make mundane tasks easier. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 26, 2021 10:41AM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Smart & Connected Life Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming GamingKey Takeaways
Apple recently introduced the AirTag, an item that emits Bluetooth signals and noises to help find nearby items and that can be detected by devices on Apple’s Find My network.Apple says it has built-in several privacy features to keep people from being tracked without knowing.AirTags cost $29 each or $99 for a four-pack. They will be available on April 30.Apple Misplacing a valuable item like your keys or wallet is stressful, especially when you don’t know if it’s gone for good or deep inside a couch cushion or gym bag a few feet away. Apple aims to ease that stress with AirTags, which help locate everyday items. Apple’s AirTag is the latest device tracker to hit the market, joining a range of styles from companies like Tile and Chipolo. The AirTag helps in finding your misplaced items, but also has a few cool features that iOS users will appreciate. AirTags use Apple’s Find My app on iPhones and Mac computers. However, one of AirTag’s most useful attributes is that it connects to Apple’s huge Find My network, which comprises nearly a billion devices that can detect Bluetooth signals from a lost AirTag and ping the owner with the location. "Crowdsourcing data like that is a brilliant solution to the problem," iOS developer and podcaster Guilherme Rambo told Lifewire in an email. He first reported that Apple was working on a Tile-like item tracker in 2019 for 9to5Mac. "Others have tried similar approaches, but the sheer amount of Apple devices around makes it much more likely that a lost AirTag will come into contact with a nearby device that’s able to report its location back to the owner.”