Also: Attention Apple AirTag users: Don’t ignore this warning AirTags are a small plastic disk with a built-in U1 chip for Ultra Wideband (UWB) location technology and a replaceable battery. Users attach them to items and keep track of them by using the Find My app from their Apple devices. The great thing about an AirTag is that, not only can it play a sound if it’s within range of your iPhone, but you can also see where it is on a map on the Find My app and get directions to it.

How to track an Apple AirTag

What is UWB?

Ultra wideband (UWB) is a radio technology that transmits information across a wide bandwidth, using a very low energy level, making it ideal for short-range precise location and tracking in real time. Also: 5 ways AirTags can simplify your life Once your iPhone connects to the AirTag nearby, it’ll display the distance and direction of it so you can follow the prompts on your screen to be reunited with it. Follow the same steps above, skipping step 4 and instead tapping on the AirTag in your Map, within the Find My app. You can then choose to get Directions to it from your current location. Just choose your AirTag in the Find My app and tap on Play Sound and you should hear your item.  The iPhone 11 is the first iPhone model to support UWB with its own U1 chip, also included within the AirTag.

Can you track an AirTag with an older iPhone?

If you have an iPhone 10 or older, it doesn’t support UWB, but you can still track an AirTag on the map from within the Find My app. Simply follow the steps above to find your AirTag and you should see it in the Maps and have the options to get directions to it.  Review: Tile trounced by the power of Apple’s Find My network

Does AirTag work at any distance?

The technology the AirTag uses is a double-edged sword. Since it has to be near other devices on the Find My network to track it, it’s great for tracking through cities and populated areas, especially with as many iPhone users as there are these days. This also means, however, that you can’t track an AirTag in rural areas where it isn’t within 30 feet of another device or within Bluetooth range of your iPhone.