Cupertino based tech giant Apple Inc recently held its spring event, which saw the company go on stage to unveil the new iMacs, a refreshed iPad Pro lineup and the hotly anticipated AirTags.
You might have seen them surface on social media or during the event and wondered as to what the purpose of an AirTag is.
If you were wondering about this, worry not, as we will go in-depth on who needs an AirTag, what exactly an AirTag is and how one can use it.
What Are Apple AirTags?
The Apple AirTags resemble tiles that one puts on an item that they are likely to lose, for example, your keys or purse. These tiles can help the user track the items that are not visible to the user or lost.
Apple’s official website states that AirTags are a super-easy way to keep track of your stuff; this basically sums up the use case of the AirTags. The key competitors to Apple’s AirTags are Tile and Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag.
Thankfully, Apple has not locked the AirTags to their coveted ecosystem, with the product functioning both with iOS and Android-based devices. Apple mentions that the best use case can be achieved with an iOS device, which was evident from the start.
The application with which AirTags are synced is the Find My app on Apple devices. This application has gone through improvements so as to easily accommodate the new tracking method.
Apple has mentioned that this update will be released next week as part of the iOS 14.5 update.
How Do AirTags Function?
You might think that the AirTags will have a very sophisticated method of functioning, but, in reality, it is quite simple. First, you need to attach an AirTag to an item or place it inside a bag that you feel you could misplace.
When you are unable to find this specific object, you need to go to the Find My app on either your Mac, iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch so as to locate it.
Now, you can ask Siri to locate this specific item with the keyword “Hey Siri, where is my ….” with the name of the object that you have lost.
The AirTags will make a sound that will allow you to locate the desired item with ease.
Inside, the AirTags send out Bluetooth based signals so that your iPhone or device can sport them easily via the nearby devices option. As the user has location enabled in his/her iCloud account, the Find My app tells the user where the AirTag and the product that the user needs.
As per Apple, the entire process is anonymous and safely encrypted, meaning that the user’s location is not shared with anybody else. Battery life or mobile data consumption is another issue that will not be plaguing users since the AirTags make use of low-energy Bluetooth.
Do note that to use the AirTags, they are required to be paired with the user’s account. This can be done post purchasing an AirTag and turning it on. Once it is activated, the iPhone or other device can immediately search for it and find the AirTag.
Can AirTags Do Anything Else?
The AirTags have another functionality, which is of Lost Mode. When this mode is activated, the AirTag will always keep searching for a device to send a signal to. When it eventually detects a device, the user receives a notification on their phone.
If some other person finds it, the person can make use of their NFC based device to get your details and contact you, which is quite useful if you left it someplace far.
When an item is detected, the user sees exact directions with arrow based navigation on the screen to get the precise location of the AirTag.
This precision finding as of now will only be available on iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11. The reason for this is the use of ultra-wideband tech that Apple uses on the company’s latest devices.
How Expensive are the Apple AirTags?
With the functionality offered by Apple and the image held by the company, one would expect AirTags to be ridiculously expensive. In reality, they are not very expensive, with a price of Rs 3,190 for a single AirTag and Rs 10,900 for a pack of four Tags.
Pre-order begins starting at 5:30 PM on 23rd April via the Apple Store. Users can customise the AirTags with either emojis or their initials for free via the site for some exciting changes on a simple looking product.
