It’s pretty safe to say that in the roughly five years since the Apple AirTag, finding things has changed a bit. You can still use your eyes to find things, and even that concept called a memory, but if you have a location tracker attached to something, you can use the power of radio and tech to find what was previously lost.
Apple’s AirTag wasn’t the first of its kind, but it has arguably been one of the most successful, harnessing the power of iPhones and background data to collectively track things and phones and AirPods and such, all using the Bluetooth and ultra-wideband radio.
Several competitors have sprung up in that time, and five years on, Apple is ready with its own update a model that keeps the same name, same design, and basically just updates hardware on the inside.
The new AirTag is more of a tech change for the “old” AirTag model you’ve probably seen and may already own. It’s a one-for-one replacement and will retain its $49 price in Australia, but sees a few changes including a louder speaker, upgrades to Bluetooth, and a second-generation Apple Ultra Wideband chip to find items using compatible iPhones, which is the same chip in the current iPhone range which includes the iPhone 17, and found in the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
Apple’s almost navigation styled approach to finding gear using an Apple Watch with Precision Finding now makes its way to owners of an Apple Watch Series 9 and up as well as the Watch Ultra 2, meaning if you keep an AirTag in your car’s console, you can turn an iPhone or Apple Watch into a sort of handheld GPS system for finding it in a carpark.
Security improvements are also a part of the package, with Apple noting the inclusion of protections against unwanted tracking, alerts, and Bluetooth identifiers that change regularly, all in an effort to stop people from using an AirTag in stalking and other criminal activities.
One thing you won’t find is a keyring loop, with Apple keeping the same design and its use of accessories to keep the AirTag attached to you. That includes its little holders, which now includes one made from recycled plastic in microtwill called “FineWoven”. Of course, that’s not the only type of holder Apple makes, and there are third-party accessories, but you’ll need one if you want to attach either the old or new AirTag to anything.
You also might want to keep a spare battery or two in the cupboard, because just like the old model, the new AirTag for 2026 still takes CR2032 batteries. The new AirTag replaces the old one, and is in stores now, though you might find older models circulating for a little longer.
