Apple introduces new AirTag with greater range

Samuel Buchmann

26/1/2026

Translation: machine translated

Five years after its launch, Apple's tracker is getting an update. The new version is compatible with existing accessories and should be easier to find.

The AirTag is the most popular tracker in the world. It can be used to track items in the «Where is?» app. Apple has now introduced a revised version. The new edition still looks like the original and has the same dimensions. It is therefore compatible with existing accessories.

The same ultra-wideband chip now works inside as in the iPhone 17. According to Apple, this makes it even easier and more precise to locate the AirTag than before: the function «Precise search» is said to work from a 50 per cent greater distance than its predecessor. It now also runs on an Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 or newer. A new Bluetooth chip also increases the range at which the AirTag is recognised by devices. Apple does not provide an exact distance.

The new AirTag can make itself heard louder than the old one via an acoustic signal. Here too, Apple claims an improvement of 50 per cent. This should be useful if, for example, you have lost your keys in the depths of a sofa. The price remains the same: 29 francs or 35 euros for a single pack, 99 francs or 119 euros for a pack of four. The new AirTag is now available from Apple - and will soon be available from us too.

Apple has not changed the basic concept of the AirTag: The tracker does not store any location data on the device. Instead, it sends an encrypted Bluetooth signal to nearby Apple devices. This signal is then forwarded (still encrypted) to Apple's server and finally to the owner of the AirTag. Only then can the approximate position of the tracker be displayed. As soon as you are within range with your own device, you can locate your item to within a few centimetres using «Precise search» and play a signal tone.

Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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