AirTags were released in April 2021, and they’re tracking devices. They serve multiple purposes, but people mainly use them as key finders.
Apple benefits from having its own tracking network, the Find My Network. The Find My Network tracking service lets you locate your iPhone, iPad, AirPods, watchOS devices, and third parties.
You can share your GPS location via the Find My tool with others who use Apple devices. This network was launched in 2019 alongside iOS 13. Before this, separate apps like Find My iPhone and Find My App existed. The new app merges everything into one consistent application. On watchOS, some options say Find Devices, Find People, and Find Items.
AirTags plug into this very network, and it’s effective since the primary use of this network is to share GPS. You can choose to share your location with contacts for an hour, a day, or indefinitely. There’s an option to set notification alerts too. You can even see the exact location, pinpoint, on other devices. And this is what makes AirTags one of the best for tracking.
There are features like playing a sound at the maximum volume to try and find a device. You can mark it as Lost or choose to erase the entire device. The network is still very closed off, but some third-party Bluetooth accessories can access it. AirTags’s technology is Ultra Wide Band, which helps you find lost items.
There are several privacy issues with the Find My service. Potential privacy issues exist if someone can track your location without you knowing. Item tracking raises even more eyebrows. An AirTag is a tiny device; anyone can hide it among someone’s belongings and find their pinpoint location accurately. There’s no solution now, but the Air Tag sends you a notification alert if an unknown Air Tag follows you.
Apple’s AirTag 2 Launch: What’s the Expected Timeline?
- Apple may start mass production of the second-generation AirTag in the fourth quarter of 2024, which could be released to the public in 2025. While the exact release date of the AirTag 2 is still unknown, the leak provides us with a timeline to expect.
According to a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is working on a second-generation model of Air Tags. There are no exact details on the changes. However, the analyst expects it to have deeper connectivity with the Vision Pro. The Vision Pro is a headset from Apple that enables Spatial Computing, and it’s coming early next year.
If Air Tags’ popularity grew, Apple would launch a second generation soon. There were about 20 Million sales in 2021 and 35 Million in 2022. Earlier reports that said Air Tags would launch in June 2023 and June 2023 did not come true. Kuo now believes the AirTags 2 will enter mass production in Q4 2024. Apple is in the process of updating product lines for better integration with Vision Pro.
LeaksApplePro, a reliable leaker, has revealed that Apple is planning to launch the second generation of its AirTag tracker in 2025. The new tracker is rumored to have “tons of new features,” including “3D Precision Finding.”
The current Air Tags use the U1 chip for tracking and location finding. There aren’t any official reports about the development of a U2 chip. However, we can speculate that the upcoming AirTags 2 will feature the U2 chip.
The iPhone 15 lineup is getting an update to its ultrawide bands, so that’s perhaps to incorporate this new technology. We hope Apple addresses the severe security concerns with the Trojan Horse and typical stalking problems with the AirTags.
