Apple AirTags Reviewed by Frequent Travelers
We’ve been traveling internationally since September 2021 and never considered purchasing a tool to track any of our luggage until mid 2022. We’d owned a Tile bluetooth item tracker in the past, and were underwhelmed with its performance.
As more travelers took to the seas and skies in 2022, we saw an increase in reports of delayed and lost luggage on travel forums and from fellow frequent travelers.
Having flown over a million miles in the past decade with a number of airlines, we’ve had very little issue with delayed bags, and have never lost a lost bag. Still, being semi-nomadic, we like to know where our bags are. This is especially true since we are using more private services that ship or transport our one piece of luggage during long thru-hikes.
Because I had some Chase Sapphire reward points to use, I purchased some Apple AirTags when Chase ran their Apple Rewards promotion. This blog shares our review.
About Us
Darren and I are early retirees who left corporate careers in our late 40s. We are nomadic except for three months a year, when we spend time in our tiny home in the Great Plains of the United States. We spend 40 - 120 days per year through-hiking in the EU and about 90 days per year in the Caribbean and Central America.
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What Are Apple AirTags
Apple AirTags are small devices / tags that can be attached to things like luggage and keys, or placed in your automobile or wallet. They utilize U1 technology and an app called FindMy for tracking and traceability of the items they are attached to.
How Big Are Apple AirTags?
The Apple AirTag is 1.26 inches in diameter (32 mm) and is 0.31 inches (8 mm) thick. The Apple AirTag weighs 0.39 ounces (11 grams). They are small enough to easily include in or attach to luggage, backpacks, and purses.
Are There Different Generations of Apple AirTags?
So far there is only one Apple AirTag—the version that was released in April 2021.
How Long Do Apple AirTags Last?
To our knowledge, the Apple AirTag does not have an expiration date. Unlike many other Apple devices, the AirTag has an easy-to-replace battery. These batteries have a long life. From online reviews, we expect the battery in each Apple AirTag to last about a year.
The replaceable CR2032 battery is fairly easy to find online and at large retailers. This is a popular battery size for items like small kitchen and luggage scales. For similar devices using CR2032 batteries, we like to get the Energizer batteries instead of generic batteries, since they last a long time in storage. Since they’re so small, we’re able to keep 4-6 of these batteries with us when we travel.
One word of caution though, if you are going to be keeping an AirTag in an automobile, remember that a car in the hot sun can easily exceed 120 F. You may want to consider getting a BR2032 battery for an AirTag to be placed in an automobile.
How Do Apple AirTags Work?
If your item containing the Apple AirTag is lost or stolen, the Find My network—which utilizes the millions of Apple devices like iPhone, MacBook, and iPad with U1 chip technology—will allow you to locate your Apple AirTag when you trigger it as “Lost.” The U1 chip is a very small radio transmitter (Ultrawide Band) that pinpoints its location. It is recognized by another user’s device. All of this is enabled with Apple’s U1 chip which is powered by a replaceable CR2032 battery inside the AirTag.
If your lost item makes a sound, and it is picked up by a nearby Apple or Android user, the nearby user will get a notification so that you can work with them to get your item back. The nearby user can leave your item at a police station, hotel, or coffee shop while you arrange recovery of the item.
The Apple AirTag will not work if your item is, let’s say, in the middle of the ocean where there is no signal. It also won’t work in remote wilderness where people and their devices may not be located.
Check out this video to learn more about how the device works.
Do I Need An iPhone to Use Apple AirTags?
No, you do not need an iPhone to use Apple AirTags. You may use an iPad, iPod touch, MacBook, or any device that has an AppleID, has the FindMy App enabled on it, and is utilizing iOS 14.5 or newer.
In a nutshell, you do need a managed AppleID to track your items. If you do use an iPhone, it needs to be an iPhone 6s or newer.
Can other people track my stuff with AirTags?
When you set up your AirTag, you associate the AirTag with your Apple ID. So no, other people cannot track stuff that you’ve attached your AirTag to. The only exception to this, of course, is if someone steals one of your Apple devices or has access to your AppleID. Then yes, the person in possession of your unlocked Apple device may be able to track the items with your attached AirTags.
Apple’s AirTags do utilize end-to-end encryption. This means that rotating identifiers are used to keep your information scrambled (and private). We’ve even heard that Apple cannot track your activity through their own AirTags.
Where Do You Attach Apple AirTags?
You attach Apple AirTags to the item that you want to track. Typically on a keychain (auto or dog) or a holder inside a zippered pouch (handbag, backpack).
Who Are Apple AirTags For?
Apple AirTags are for people who want to track specific items for a number of purposes. The usual items people wish to track are luggage, a handbag or briefcase, a backpack, a pet, keys, an automobile, an RV, or a boat.
Apple AirTags are a good gift for frequent travelers, people who misplace their things or pets frequently, busy households, and in a communal space like a dorm or hostel where items can easily be misplaced by others by accident.
Do I Need Apple AirTag Accessories?
Like many other Apple products, the AirTag does not come with a keychain or any other accessory. You will need to buy those separately.
The accessories you’ll need to purchase will vary depending on which items you need to track. Take into consideration where your item will be traveling, and in what conditions. For example, some AirTag keychains or holders are waterproof or shockproof.
We’ve been using the Spidercase waterproof keychain and holders and they still look new after 500+ miles of thru-hiking.
What Are the Competitors For Apple AirTags?
There are two main competitors for Apple AirTags: Tile and Cube. We’ve used Tile in the past but did not like that the Tile we purchased stopped working after the battery died. We also weren’t too keen on Tile’s weak security features, the extent of which was a vague “we will not sell your data.” We did not repurchase a new Tile device when our old one died.
However, if you simply don’t want to use an Apple product, we would recommend the Tile bluetooth tracker, available in different attachment options like 3M adhesive and a key ring.
They are not as precise as an AirTag, but they do have a better sound than the AirTag.
Is the Apple AirTag Worth It?
When our previous Tile blue-tooth tracking device died, we did not replace it for several years. Now that our lifestyle has totally changed (we’re now nomadic), knowing where our things are is more important to us.
We’re frequent travelers traveling with limited luggage. While each item in the luggage is carefully curated, it is all replaceable. We simply prefer to know where our things are, especially during customs luggage handling that is common with thru-hiking situations.
If we had a pet, we’d also consider getting an additional AirTag.
Are you a frequent traveler or pet owner with an interesting AirTag experience to share? If so, let us know in the comments below!
