Apple increasingly wants to contribute more to the safety of the users of its products, and in this regard, AirTags take on special importance.
This device has been designed to minimize the probability of losing your personal items, as well as to avoid spending hours and hours looking for a certain product that you have lost at home.
Review Apple Airtag | The Accessory Created So You Don’t Lose Anything
In this post we want to tell you everything you need to know about this Apple product that can be very useful on some occasions.
What are AirTags for?
The first thing you have to know about AirTags is that they are not the typical technological product that you take out of the box and start messing with it for hours.
It is a device designed to be used rarely, and the fewer times the better, since its function is to give users the possibility to find lost objects.
Despite the expectations placed on this product, the reality is that AirTags are not GPS locators, their operation, which we will explain later in this post, is designed more to be used inside the home than outside, although of course.
It also offers many solutions when it comes to being used abroad in certain situations in which it can be very useful to the consolation of many absent-minded people.
AirTag design: strengths and weaknesses
Whenever we talk about an Apple device, we must do it about its design. The Cupertino company takes maximum care of the aesthetics of its products, and obviously the AirTag were not going to be an exception.
The design is really simple, but its construction gives us the feeling of having a product that has been developed with great dedication in which every detail matters.
They are made of polished stainless steel in which on the one hand the white color stands out on which you can engrave from emoticons up to 4 letters, and on the other you find the Apple logo on a surface that is almost like a mirror.
It is also worth mentioning its IP67 certification, so it is resistant to water and dust. Regarding the dimensions, it is necessary to highlight its tiny size, it has a weight of 11 grams, 31.9mm in diameter and 8mm thick.
One of the perhaps not so positive points of the AirTag is the need, almost certainly, to also acquire an accessory that allows it to be attached to the product that you want to always have located, be it a key, a backpack or a suitcase.
For the vast majority of uses you will need an accessory that allows the use of the AirTag with ease and security that it will always be attached to the object you want to have located.
Use other Apple devices to send signals
One of the points that has raised the doubts of many users is the way in which the AirTags send the location signals to their owners, since the privacy of the users could be in danger.
Apple is a company that is truly committed to the privacy of the users of its products, and of course, the way AirTags work fully guarantees the privacy of all users.
These devices are not GPS locators, that is, you will not be able to know exactly the location of your or your AirTags every second.
The way the AirTag works is based on the connection with other Apple devices that have the location activated, that is, the AirTag will use the devices of the Cupertino company that surround it to send you the signal so that you can find it and therefore also find the lost object to which you have attached your AirTag.
The operation is as follows, your AirTag will send a secure signal via Bluetooth, this signal will be detected by other nearby devices on the Search network.
At that very moment, the location is sent to iCloud and from there, you can see the location of your AirTag on the map through the Find app.
The data is completely anonymous and is encrypted so Apple users do not have to worry about their privacy since it is guaranteed. In addition, it is also an ultra-efficient process, so in terms of autonomy there is no need to worry either.
They do not prevent theft or serve to track people or pets
Perhaps one of the disappointments of many users comes when they learn that, really, AirTags do not arrive to prevent theft of objects.
It is true that on some occasions it can help to recover the stolen object, but really, if the thief notices the presence of the AirTag, he can easily deactivate it, since he only has to remove the battery from the device and the AirTag will stop function.
In addition, given the operation of the AirTag, which when separated from its owner, begins to beep, it further facilitates the fact that the thief can warn of the presence of this device.
Another of the doubts that the AirTags generated was the possible use that some people could make to track other people. Apple has also thought about that since it has established a series of protocols to be able to avoid it.
First, if you have an iPhone and someone inserts an AirTag to track you, as soon as the Search network detects that there is an AirTag that has the same location on a recurring basis as an iPhone to which it is not associated, a notification will be sent to you to warn you of it.
In addition, if after a while from this location, you have not been able to find the AirTag, it will begin to emit a sound that will facilitate its search. In addition, once you have found it, the Search app will provide you with the entire route that this AirTag has been with you.
Another function to which many users wanted to use the AirTag was to have their pets well located. This can be useful inside the home, however, if what you want is that in case you lose your pet in the countryside or in the city, you can know its location, the AirTag will not be of much help.
In the first place, the AirTag needs other devices to be close to it to be able to issue its location, in the field it will be strange to find a sufficient number of devices to be able to make use of said location.
On the other hand, usually your pet, be it a dog or a cat, will be on the move all the time, so the location that the AirTag may emit will not be very representative since after a few minutes it will surely have changed.
How to configure the AirTag from the iPhone
The configuration is really simple, you just have to bring the AirTag closer to your iPhone and it will automatically detect it. Once it is detected, the steps you have to follow to start using it will be displayed on the screen.
- First you have to connect the AirTag, once connected give it a name and later also an emoji that will be what will be shown on the map to reflect the location of the AirTag.
- After these steps, Apple will ask you to register the AirTag in your Apple ID, after accepting the AirTag it will be configured.
With these simple steps you will configure your AirTag to start using it in just a few seconds.
This is how you can know the location of an AirTag
Once you have configured your AirTag, if you want to find it, you just have to go to the Search app and go to the Objects tab.
In this way you will be able to view a map where your AirTag will be located, if you click on it you will be able to start searching for the device by clicking on Search.
If the AirTag is in a range of 10 meters, the precision search will be activated, which is only available on certain iPhone models, which will give you directions on where you have to go and the length that separates you from your AirTag which It makes finding the device much easier since the indications it makes are really precise.
You can also click Play to make the AirTag start making sounds and give you another stimulus so you can find your lost item as soon as possible.
Precision Search Compatible Devices
The AirTags are fully functional with any iPhone on the market, however, the Precision Search can only be used if you have a specific iPhone model.
Something that will certainly not be very funny to buyers of this accessory who have an iPhone that is not compatible with This function. Here is the list of iPhone compatible with Precision Search.
- iPhone 11.
- iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
- iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
- iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Have you lost the AirTag? Use Order Mode
If you have lost your AirTag and above all, you have lost the object to which you had your AirTag attached, what you have to do is use the Lost Mode.
This operating mode is similar to the one you can activate when you lose any other Apple device, once you use Lost Mode with your AirTag it will send you a signal the moment it is detected by another device on the network.
It is even possible to configure it so that if someone finds the AirTag if they have a device with NFC and touch the AirTag with it, they will see the way to contact you to return your lost object.
What to do if you find an AirTag that is not yours
Obviously, just like you can lose an object and recover it thanks to the AirTag, you can help other users to recover their object.
The moment you find an AirTag that is not yours, you just have to bring your iPhone to the device and you will get the contact information of that person so that you can return both their AirTag and the object with which it is attached.
What battery does this accessory have?
The AirTag battery has been one of the most controversial points of this device since it has a standard battery that provides a year of autonomy.
As soon as the battery wears out and is nearing the end of its useful life, the iPhone will notify you to change it. We commented that it has been one of the most controversial points because this type of battery is highly polluting, and it is strange that a company like Apple, which is so aware of the environment, launches in 2021 a device that needs a battery to work.
On the other hand, he has removed the power adapters from the iPhone case to avoid polluting the environment. Without a doubt it has been a controversial decision and for which, surely, some leaders of Apple will have to explain.
AirTag price and savings pack
Finally we have to talk about the price of this device and how you can save money if you buy up to 4 AirTags together. The price of the AirTag individually, in Spain, is 35 euros.
On the other hand, as we mentioned, you can save some money on each of the AirTags if you buy the pack of 4, which has a price of 119 euros, that is, you save practically 5 euros for each AirTag if you buy this pack.
However, as we mentioned before, you will almost certainly need to purchase an accessory to facilitate the attachment of the AirTag to the object that you want to always have well controlled.
In this aspect you have several options within Apple’s own website, from the cheapest Belkin, to luxury options from the Hermès brand.