It has been greater than 4 years since Apple launched the unique AirTag. In Apple years, that is virtually a lifetime. Whereas the little tracker has grow to be a go-to for locating misplaced keys, wallets and baggage, it’s severely overdue for an replace.
That type of delay is uncommon for Apple, which tends to refresh most of its product traces each couple of years. Now, as we head into summer time journey season, when merchandise trackers are extra helpful than ever, rumors and hints are heating up {that a} second-gen AirTag may lastly be on the best way.
Rivals like Tile, Samsung and Google have all made strikes to develop or enhance their monitoring tech since AirTags first hit the scene. In the meantime, Apple has stayed quiet, which is typical for the model, however trade whispers counsel we might see the AirTag 2 introduced later this yr.
From design tweaks to Discover My community upgrades, there’s a whole lot of hypothesis round what Apple could possibly be planning. Here is what we all know to this point in regards to the potentialities of an AirTag 2.
AirTag 2 design
There have been no rumors that the AirTag 2 will look too totally different from the unique. It’s going to probably have the identical tiny round form that may match simply right into a pocket or a appropriate keychain loop. Some shoppers have requested for bodily modifications like a built-in key gap or a flatter design — which we have seen in rivals made by Tile and Chipolo — however there is not any indication that Apple will comply with these ideas.
Equally, the AirTag 2 will probably proceed to make use of a replaceable CR2032 3-volt coin battery as an alternative of transitioning to a chargeable mannequin. Nevertheless, there have been reports that the present AirTag is not all the time appropriate with coin batteries which have a bitterant coating, so the corporate may alter it considerably in order that will probably be.
Rival trackers like this one from Chipolo embody a built-in gap for attaching to keychains.
AirTag 2 options
Macworld has reportedly taken a have a look at code within the upcoming iOS 26 and located proof that Apple has modified the way it manages AirTags. Bluetooth communications between Apple units and the trackers can be improved, making it extra dependable, and there are new battery-related options too. iOS 26 additionally apparently makes use of Prolonged Precision Discovering extra, which might allow longer vary monitoring for as much as 60 meters. Present variations of the AirTag solely have Precision Discovering of as much as 15 meters.
Extra importantly, nonetheless, the brand new AirTag 2 could be extra tamper-proof. In accordance with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the second-generation AirTag can be harder for wannabe stalkers to hack. The AirTag has come underneath fireplace as a potential tool for stalkers, so Apple launched security options like sound alerts when it is not round its registered proprietor. Nevertheless, the speaker is outwardly pretty straightforward to take away, which negates this effort. The thought is that the newer AirTag can have a speaker that’s far harder to fiddle with.
One other essential improve is that the brand new AirTag might have an extended monitoring vary due to the second-generation Extremely Wideband chip, which is the know-how that the AirTag makes use of to find your stuff. (This chip is already in present iPhones — it was launched with the iPhone 15.) The longer monitoring vary of the brand new chip means you possibly can preserve monitor of your belongings at an excellent higher distance because it has 3 times the vary of the unique. This backs up the sooner leak from MacWorld that it might have Prolonged Precision Discovering enabled. This, together with a brand new onboard wi-fi chip, would definitely make discovering gadgets simpler.
Final however not least, there are rumors that the brand new AirTag will combine with Apple’s Imaginative and prescient Professional augmented actuality headset. It isn’t totally clear what this implies, however Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has theorized that the location-tracking capabilities of the AirTag could possibly be a part of a spatial computing idea.
Watch this: Apple’s Discover My vs. Android’s Discover My Gadget Community
AirTag 2 worth
Thus far, little has been mentioned in regards to the pricing of the second-gen AirTags. At present, a single AirTag is $29 while a four-pack is $99(although a four-park can typically be discovered for $75 or less at Amazon). The AirTag 2 might retain the identical worth, however with the present on-and-off tariff scenario, the price of the AirTag 2 is at present unclear.
AirTag 2 launch date
It is extensively rumored that the AirTag 2 can be launched in the middle of 2025. Since Apple’s annual WWDC event will take place June 9, that date appears extremely probably for the announcement of the AirTag 2.
