AirTag 2nd Gen: Everything you need to know about Apple's latest tracking device

Apple AirTag 2nd Gen retains the compact form factor and comes with several new upgrades over the predecessor.

Apple launched the first-ever AirTag accessory in early 2021. It is one of the most secure gadgets to track household items such as house keys, vehicle keys, travel bags and wallets, which are prone to getting stolen or misplaced.

Two of the main reasons for people loving the AirTag were-- 1) most accurate and precise tracking of misplaced objects, and 2) firmware updates by Apple ensured AirTag offered the best user privacy security and curbed illegal human tracking.

Now, the company has introduced the AirTag 2nd gen in India. It retains the compact form factor and comes with several new upgrades over the predecessor.

Apple AirTag 2nd Gen: Here's everything you need to know

1) Like the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, Air models and Watch Series 11, Ultra 3 series, the AirTag 2 boasts of second generation Ultra Wideband chip, which promises more accurate and precise tracking of lost items. Thanks to the new update, users with iPhone/iPad/Watches will be able experience haptic, visual, and audio feedback while using the Find My app. When the users get closer to the misplaced item, the app's UI brightens the screen with visually pleasing animations, and the phone will offer haptic feedback.

The most important aspect is that the AirTag 2 will be able find lost articles from up to 50 per cent farther away than the previous iteration

Articles tagged with Apple AirTag 2 can trackable than before.

2) Thanks to an innovative internal design upgrade, the new AirTag is 50 per cent louder than the previous generation. This enables users to hear their AirTag from up to 2x farther than before. Paired with its enhanced Precision Finding capabilities and distinctive new chime, AirTag now makes it easier for users to find their keys even if they are deep inside the crevice of the sofa.

3) Despite the new internal design and louder speaker, AirTag 2 will be able to run for one full year, the same as the predecessor.

4) AirTag can also allow users to securely share its location with trusted third parties, such as airlines. It is now supported on more than 50 Airlines worlwide. With the AirTag 2, people will be able to locate the misplaced baggage at Airports faster than before.

Users can share their luggage-linked with AirTag 2 details to locate the misplaced baggage at Airports faster than before.

5) AirTag is developed with user privacy at its core. Apple AirTag doesn’t physically store location data or history on-device. It supports end-to-end encryption to protect all communication with the Find My network, ensuring that only the owner of a device can access its location data. No one, including Apple, knows the identity or location of any device that helped find it. Apple specifically notes that AirTag is designed exclusively for tracking objects, and not people or pets. The new AirTag comes incorporated with a suite of industry-first protections against unwanted tracking, including cross-platform alerts and unique Bluetooth identifiers that change frequently.

Even if the AirTag is misused to track a person with an Android phone, the latter will be notified that an unidentified tracker is following them. Thanks to Apple-Google collaboration, Android phone users will also be able ring the unidentified AirTag to locate it. Even Apple's Find My app on iPhone/Watch can detect Android-based and other third-party Bluetooth trackers and disable them. If needed, they can be destroyed or used as evidence to file a criminal case against the culprit.

Users can detect and disable un-identified AirTags and even third-party Bluetooth-based trackers using Find My app.

6) Like all Apple devices, the new AirTag 2 is eco-friendly too. 85 per cent of plastic used in the enclosure is recycled. All the rare earth elements and magnets, 100 per cent of them, are repurposed. And, even the gold-plated printed circuit board is 100 per cent recycled. The paper packaging is 100 per cent fibre-based and can be easily recycled.

7) The new AirTag requires a compatible iPhone with iOS 26 or later, or an iPad with iPadOS 26 or later. Customers must have an Apple Account and be signed into their iCloud account. Certain features require Find My to be enabled in iCloud settings.

Precision Finding on Apple Watch requires Apple Watch Series 9 or later, or Apple Ultra 2 or later, with watchOS 26.2.1.

Apple AirTag 2.

8) Apple AirTag 2 can also be customised with engravings with a mix of emojis, initials, and numbers

Apple AirTag 2 is available in one- and four-packs for Rs 3,790 and Rs 12.900 respectively. And, the company is offering AirTag FineWoven Key Ring in fox orange, midnight purple, navy, moss, and black for Rs 3,900. The new version is compatible with older accessories as well.

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