AirTag: what it is
Before getting to the heart of the tutorial and illustrating yourself how AirTags work Apple, it seems only right to explain to you, precisely, what is an AirTag.
As anticipated at the beginning of the tutorial, the AirTag is an accessory produced by Apple, having the shape of a coin, made of white plastic and metal and with rather small dimensions (31,9 mm in diameter, 8 mm thick and 11 grams weight), which aims to place an object next to it and help find it.
Put simply, it is one smart tracker, as well as those of other brands that have already been available on the market for some time, but which, unlike them, integrate deeply with Apple devices - as can easily be deduced - and which precisely for this reason allows locate objects to which it is coupled through theWhere is it app (the same used to find lost iPhones, just to be clear), showing them on the map, obtaining the relative indications and making them ring.
This is feasible thanks to the presence of the module on the device Bluetooth, which allows you to use the proximity localization, and that ofaccelerometer and U1 chip, which allow you to use the named function Precise location to get exact directions to where the tracker and technology are Ultra Wideband to display the direction to follow and the precise distance. The sounds, on the other hand, are emitted through the little one speaker integrated.
If you leave something in a distant place, for example in the park or in the gym, it is still possible to locate AirTag using the Where is network, which is made up of hundreds of millions of iPhones, iPads and Macs around the world, and is a system designed to keep privacy of users safe. Under these circumstances, AirTag sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by devices on the Where's closest network. These devices send the AirTag location to iCloud and by opening the Find My app you can view it on the map. The whole operation takes place anonymously and encrypted and without excessively burdening autonomy and data consumption.
In case of loss, like other Apple devices, AirTag allows you to activate the Lost mode. This way, if your AirTag is detected by a device on the network, you will be notified automatically. You can also decide to show your contact information when someone touches your AirTag with a smartphone equipped with NFC technology. Note that in this case there is also the pairing block, so AirTag remains associated with your Apple ID and cannot be used by anyone else.
Also note that AirTag is powered by a battery user replaceable (a CR2032 flat battery that provides autonomy for approximately 1 year) and is certified IP67 (so it is waterproof up to 1 meter and resistant to splashes, water and dust).
As regards the system requirements and compatibility, to use AirTag you must have an Apple ID to which the accessory must be associated and you must have a iPhone and / or a iPod touch with iOS 14.5 or later, a iPad with iPadOS 14.5 or later and / or a Mac. Keep in mind that the pairing and configuration procedure can only take place on iOS and iPadOS, while the Precise location it is usable only on iPhone 11 and later models.
AirTag: price
Ma how much does AirTag cost? I'll answer you immediately: the price it is not excessive and appears to be in line with that of many other object trackers, that is 35,00 euros for the pack of 1 AirTag e 119,00 euros for the pack of 4 AirTag. In the sales package you will also find the relevant documentation and the battery already installed.
You can buy them directly from Amazon and in the main electronics stores. Alternatively, they can be ordered on the Apple website, through which it is also possible to add an engraving with emoji, letters and / or numbers on the front of the device for free, in order to personalize it.
AirTag: accessories
There are also very many accessories for Airtag, which allow you to apply trackers more easily to objects to be tracked. There are both originals, produced by Apple, and from other manufacturers. Prices vary according to the model chosen: below I propose the most interesting solutions in my opinion.
Apple AirTag strap in polyurethane
This polyurethane strap produced directly by Apple it is undoubtedly an excellent solution to attach AirTag to your bag, backpack or anything else. It is lightweight and durable, and the case wraps the AirTag perfectly and holds it securely in place. It is available in various colors.
See offer on Amazon See offer on Amazon See offer on Amazon See offer on AmazonApple Leather AirTag Lanyard
This Apple leather strap it is essentially a more valuable variant of the polyurethane one. It is in fact made of leather tanned with special procedures, it hooks firmly and also allows you to hold the AirTag in place. It is available in the classic leather color, but not only.
See offer on Amazon See offer on AmazonApple AirTag keychain in leather
If you are looking for a key specific AirTag accessory, I highly recommend you consider this leather keychain, also made by the same Apple. It adheres perfectly to the AirTag, is very soft to the touch and features a stainless steel ring on the top for inserting keys. It is available in different colors.
See offer on Amazon See offer on Amazon See offer on Amazon
AirTag: how it works
At this point, I would say that we can finally take action and find out more in detail how AirTag works. Find everything explained in detail below.
Preliminary operation
If you want to find out how AirTags work, you need to do a few first preliminary operations. Nothing complicated, do not worry.
First, you need to activate the Bluetooth connectivity on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, by accessing the iOS / iPadOS home screen, selecting the icon of Settings (Quella with the ruota d'ingranaggio), then the voice Bluetooth attached to the new screen displayed and bringing up ON the appropriate switch.
Then proceed to activate the Wifi connection e / o la cellular connection. In the first case, select the item Wi-Fi that you find in the main screen of Settings of iOS / iPadOS, bring up ON the appropriate switch and, if necessary, select the wireless network you want to connect to and type the Password possibly required. In the second case, select the item Mobile phone always present in the main screen of Settings and move up ON l'interruttore accanto alla voce Cellular data.
Also make sure you have done so enable Where is on your device and if not, fix it. So, select the you don't know that you find at the top of the main screen of Settings of iOS / iPadOS, then the words Where is it, then touches the item Find My iPhone / Find My iPad and if the switches on the next screen are moved to OFF you bring them up ON. For more details, see my tutorial dedicated to the topic.
Another thing you need to do is check that the location services are active and, even in this case, remedy if not. To do this, select the item Privacy that you always find in the main screen of Settings iOS / iPadOS, touch the wording Location services and if the switch at the top is on OFF you move it up ON. Next, select the item Where is it in the list below and if the options are not set in the following screen While using the app e Exact location you provide. More info here.
Association and configuration
Once all the preliminary steps are done, you need to worry about associate and configure AirTag to your Apple ID.
To do this, take AirTag, remove the plastic tab from the latter, wait for the notification sound indicating that it has started and bring the tracker closer to the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. When you see automatically appear on the screen of your device theanimation with AirTag, fai tap sul pulsating Connect.
If the animation does not appear automatically on the screen of your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, manually start the procedure to pair and configure the accessory, by tapping on theWhere is app icon (Quella with il radar) that you find on the home screen and / or in the iOS / iPadOS App Library (it is "standard", but if removed you can download it again and for free from the relevant section of the App Store), by accessing the section items by touching the appropriate wording at the bottom, selecting the option Add new object and the button Add AirTag.
Next, choose from the proposed list the name that you want to assign to AirTag (eg. MY BAG, Keys, Headphones ecc.) e pre sul sul bottone Continue to confirm the choice made. If you prefer, you can also assign a custom name to the tracker, selecting the appropriate option and typing it in the appropriate text field that is shown to you. Then tap the button Continue to confirm your intention to register AirTags with your Apple ID
Once the above steps have been completed, the tracker will emit a new notification sound to indicate that the configuration has been completed, and you will be shown a final screen indicating the current position of AirTag and some features of the same: you tap on the item end And that's it.
In case you have second thoughts, you can remove one or more AirTags from your account and change their name. To do this, go to the section items Find My app on iOS / iPadOS, tap on name of the object you have associated AirTag you want to remove and select the option Remove object or that one Rename object that you find at the bottom of the new screen displayed, depending on the operation you intend to carry out.
Also from the screen that is shown to you after selecting an object, you can view the level of the battery of the AirTags you used and, by tapping on the relative icon (Quella with the pila), also the serial number and firmware version.
Location
You have lost or stolen an item to which you associated AirTag and would like to understand how to start the location? I'll immediately explain how to do it.
First, open theWhere is it app on iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, by tapping the relevant icon (Quella with il radar) that you find on the home screen and / or in the app Library, then go to the section items of the same and select the name of the object of your interest from the proposed list, in such a way as to be able to view its position on the map at the top of the screen displayed.
At this point, if the object with which AirTag is associated is nearby, you can make the tracker sound so as to help you locate it, by tapping the button Make it ring.
You can also get precise directions by tapping the button Find. Then start moving your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad until it comes within range of AirTag. Also make sure there is sufficient lighting and help if necessary by enabling torch, by tapping on the appropriate button. Even in this case, if you want, you can make it easier by making AirTag ring by pressing the button with thespeaker.
If, on the other hand, you have lost an AirTag, activate the Lost mode, tapping on the voice Enable, by pressing the button Continue and following the simple wizard that is proposed to you to finalize the operation.
Have you found an AirTag that doesn't belong to you and would like to know more? You can do this by tapping on the voice Identify the object found present under the list of objects in the section items Find My app by placing the top of your device over the AirTag and waiting for the notification with reference information to appear.
AirTag: Android
Possiedi one smartphone Android and are you wondering how AirTags work in conjunction with the mobile operating system of the "green robot"? If that's the case, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but let me tell you that the devices are among them incompatible. You can associate, configure and locate objects with AirTag only on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
But if you have an Android phone with technology support NFC, you can activate the latter on your device, as I explained to you in my guides on how to activate NFC on Samsung and how to activate NFC on Huawei, so that you can read an AirTag for which the rightful owner has possibly enabled the Lost mode, in order to view the Internet page with the serial number of the tracker and possibly also the telephone number of the owner to call to make the return.
How AirTags work
