AirTag review, the complete guide: features, doubts and privacy

tracker

All questions and answers on the Apple accessory that helps to find lost objects.What technologies do you use?Can you use for DIY espionage?

by Paolo Ottolina

Airtag is the latest novelty of Apple, presented during the recent event of the Californian company but which was spoken of rumors for a couple of years.What is that?An iphone accessory that falls within the category of "trackers", objects capable of reporting the position through an app or website.Airtag in itself has a very simple operation but raises a number of questions, both as it is done and for the repercussions on privacy.It is easy to imagine that Apple Airtag can be used for "DIY espionage" operations.But is it really the case?It's possible to do it?And what are the limits, potential and dangers of this accessory?We are trying preview Airtag: let's try to answer all the questions.

How is Airtag? We start from the object.Airtag is a disk on top as a coin.The diameter is 3.19 centimeters, it is often 0.8 cm and weighs 11 grams.It is easy to understand that Airtag can be slipped almost everywhere.Above is of shiny stainless steel (probable scratches on the horizon) such as the back of the old iPods or the edge of the iPhone X. Below is white plastic material: at the time of purchase (if carried out by the Apple website), it can be customizedWith letters (up to 4) and/or emojis.On Airtag there is a speaker, not visible because it uses the entire surface of the device to spread the sound.A fundamental detail for the operation, on which we return later.

What if it falls into the water? Airtag is resistant to water, liquids and dust.It is IP67 certified (resistance up to 1 meter under water for 30 minutes).So if the keys with Airtag end up in a puddle the tracker will work the same.

Ok, but what does Airtag do? It's a "tag", an electronic label that communicates through radio frequency and indicates his own position.And therefore the position of the object to which it is attacked.It can be stuck in a wallet or in the internal pocket of a bag.Or by taking advantage of keychain or laces accessories, it can be attached to a bouquet of keys, a backpack, suitcase, an umbrella or any other object you are interested in avoiding losing.

Do you need an app?Do you need a specific iPhone model? Yes, Airtag uses the "where it is" app, developed by Apple and already installed on its devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac).Airtag is compatible with all the iPhones updated to iOS 14.5 and subsequent, as well as the iPads updated to iPados 14.5 and later.The 14.5 versions are rich in news and were released a few days ago by Apple (here you will find all the news).

How does it work, with the GPS? No, it does not use GPS or other satellite tracking systems.There are many GPS trackers on the market but they have several problems.Generous dimensions, certainly not like a coin.Batteries that don't last long, because the GPS connection consumes.The GPS then has localization problems: it is not precise enough to identify very small objects such as keys or doors, and above all it does not work inside the buildings.Finally there are privacy problems.

So what technologies uses Airtag? The first is Bluetooth, which has a radius of a few tens of meters and needs it to give us the first indication, that is, if the lost object is distant from us or rather close.All Apple devices contribute to the "where it is" ("Find My"): let's talk about it after when we enter the privacy theme.The second is the UWB, Ultra Wideband, which serves the real "magic" of Airtag, called Precision Finding (precise position).

What is the UWB and how it works? Ultra Wideband, UWB, is an identification technology based on radio frequencies.It does a specific thing and does it very well: it manages to calculate the positions, in any environment, with extreme precision.An accuracy of about 1 centimeter, obtained by measuring how long they take to travel between two devices of the impulses of energy with a radio frequency of extremely reduced temporal duration and therefore with very large spectral occupation (hence the ultra Wide of the name).In the most recent iPhones, iPhone 11 and iPhone 12, there is a chip called U1 that deals with all this: only these models are compatible with Precision Finding.Acuri, summarizing: all iPhone/iPad with iOS/iPados 14.5 are compatibleWith Airtag.But if they are older and do not have the U1 chip they are not or will be compatible with the precise position search.

Having clarified what this UWB is, what is Precision Finding? The app has been existed for some time. Maybe you will have used it to track down an iPhone, iPad or Mac forgotten somewhere. Or maybe stolen. You go to where it is, you choose the device to find, you can see it on the map and you can use the maps to get to one point, more or less precise, where it is located. This system has many limits. For example, if the device is no longer connected to the network, we don't know where it is. And even if it is connected, it is not precise enough to tell us what height is: if my iPhone has been stolen and has not yet been turned off, I can understand in which building it finished but I will not have the slightest idea of ​​what the plan is in which it is located, what is the apartment to play (place that playing the bell of those who stole the iPhone is a good idea, but that is another problem). The extreme precision of UWB technology wanders these limits. With the latest updates, where there is a new category: next to devices, there is now also objects. Our Airtag are there, with the name assigned ("keys", "red suitcase", etc.). Caking on the object I will see the item "Find nearby", with a green arrow. The arrow will be blue and I will have a generic "indications" for devices such as the iPhone or if I use the function on an iPhone without U1 chips or even if I have not given precise location permit to the app where it is (in the settings of iOS). By touching "finds nearby", the iPhone will identify its position and then a play like "water ... fire ... fire" will begin. A circle of dots will materialize that will tell me first at what distance we are from the object to be found ("10 meters", "9.7 meters", "8 meters" ...), then it will become a green arrow. Thanks to the accelerometer and the gyroscope, the smartphone will guide me step by step. "2.8 meters on the right", "2 meters forward" and so on, until we say "here" when the Airtag is under our nose. A video can make the matter understand better than many words:

Precision Finding guided me on the spot but I just can't find the keys with the attacked Airtag.How do I do? Airtag has a speaker: from the "where it is" it can be played and will emit a sound for about 10 seconds.The speaker has limited power.We did a test with an Airtag hidden in a drawer inside a wardrobe: the sound is not audible from an adjacent room.However, if you approach with Precision Finding and the environment it is silent you will be able to hear it.The sound works with any iPhone and iPad (regardless of Precision Finding) and is the most practical function to find something lost in the house or nearby.

How can I recharge Airtag and how long does the battery last? Airtag is the only Apple object with non -integrated and replaceable battery.Use a normal flat watches battery, CR2032 type.Apple estimates the duration in about 1 year.Residual autonomy is visible in the app where it is.

We arrive at privacy. Apple will use Airtag to know in real time where do I find myself? Among the technological giants, Apple is the company that most of all has insisted and insists on the protection of privacy, which is leading to an open clash with other companies that have a different Business model and which are more casual theme, like Facebook. It is clear that on Airtag, Apple has made a profound reflection and this is one of the probable reasons why the release on the market, which has been talked about for 2 years, has only happened now. As with other evolutions of its technologies, Apple does a long preparatory work. When all the pieces of the puzzle are fine, launches its product, which at that point has all the characteristics to work at its best. The first piece was the "Find My" network, the one used by "where it is" and which uses Bluetooth by leaning on the billion Apple devices around the world. Implementing a location function from device to device preserving privacy was not trivial. To simplify, there is a robust encryption system that prevents you from abusing the function to trace other people. Find My requires the presence of at least two devices: each emits a public key constantly changing that the neighboring devices are collecting, encourage in turn and load with your geolocation data. To decipher that localization signal, you need a second Apple device connected to the credentials of your Apple ID. Thanks to this double key system nobody, not even Apple itself, can access the positions. Only those who own the two devices.

I understood how it works, but let's do an example. Put you forget the keys with the Airtag on a plane. What happens? In this situation, in the meantime, I will see on the maps the last position known to my iPhone, the last time the Airtag has connected to my phone. But then a flight attendant or a worker at the airport with an iPhone in his pocket could enter the Airtag. The latter would connect to the iPhone of the flight attendant, collecting my public key. The iPhone of the flight assistant would charge the encrypted position of my lost object and a "hash" of my public key (an identification) on Apple servers. I, through my iPhone, can see where it is, even if it has been moved. This system is valid for a lost device (an iPhone or iPad) that has gone offline, because it is off or because the battery is over. And it is also valid for an object without its own connectivity like Airtag.

Therefore, an Apple device is needed near the lost object.Certo, if we lose the keys in the Gobi desert and nobody passes over for years, or if none of those who pass by there has an iPhone, then we will not be able to know the locationcorrect.Or rather, we will know the last position known and loaded on the Apple servers, but which could be useless if the object has been moved, voluntarily or accidentally.However, if there is a company that can make this idea winning is Apple: it already has 1 billion of its devices scattered around the world and constantly places its iPhones among the 10 best -selling smartphones of the year.

Let's go back to Airtag's privacy.How does it work? The position of the location and the chronology of the locations are never stored on the Airtag himself.The devices of the Find My network that transmit the position of your Airtag also remain anonymous, and the data on the position are encrypted, as explained before, at every stage of the process.If we lose something we will not be able to ask Apple to find him for us: not even she knows the position of the Airtag or any device that helps to find him.

I have the impression of being stalked: what if someone has slipped an airtag into my bag and is using it to follow me? Airtag is designed to discourage unwanted traces, which are - it is good to remember it - illegal.If another person's airtag ends up, by mistake or deliberately, among your things, your iPhone realizes that there is an "alien" airtag that is moving with you and warns you with a silent notification onceBack home.If you can't find the tracker, after a while the Airtag separated from his "master" will start playing to be heard.It happens after 3 days: this therefore also applies to a "stapled" that does not have an iPhone but an Android.Apple has communicated that this period (3 days) may be varied "over the air" based on assessments that the Cupertino company will soon.

I took the keys to the car, to whom my partner has attacked one of his Airtags: will he start playing like crazy?If the Airtag is associated with an object that you have taken "on loan", you can touch "pause the safety notices" to deactivate the notifications "Airtag detected" for a day.If you borrowed an Airtag from a member of your "family" group, you can deactivate the safety notices for a day or permanent.

I lost the keys with an attacked Airtag.What do I have to do? Your Airtag in lost mode from the app where you can, exactly as you can have been doing for an iPhone or iPad or a mac. In this way, if the Airtag is detected by a network device"Find My" (in the manner we have told), you receive an automatic notification.When activating the lost mode, you can also choose to set a phrase and a telephone number: they can be viewed by anyone who finds the Airtag, simply by placing the back of any smartphone with NFC technology (the same that is used forpay with the phone).In this case there is no iPhone, an Android phone is also fine, as long as the NFC has.On an Android a web.ah page will be opened, if you find a lost Airtag you cannot reuse it: only the owner can cancel the association with his account, without this step he cannot work.

Can I use it as a anti -theft? It is not an anti -theft.It is an anti-match.Anyone, if the Airtag is placed well in sight, can open it, detach the battery and make it useless.If you want to place it in a bag, it must be hidden in an internal pocket.On a bike under the saddle.And so on.But it is not an anti -theft.

Can I use it to trace my dog?Or my son? Is not designed for these uses.Airtag emits a localization "ping" only every now and then, not at a continuous pace.The tracking of an animal that moves quickly would not be effective.For these uses there are GPS trackers with connection to the mobile network. For the Apple children, it recommends Piel Apple Watch on which to activate family configuration.

Airtag is easy to configure? He does everything by himself.It has a plastic tongue that must be pulled and activates the clock battery inside.From that moment, as soon as you approach an iPhone, the association starts from your Apple ID, you give it a name and you are ready to use it. They can associate up to a maximum of 16 Airtag (S) for each Apple account.

Are there any accessories? Apple has thought of a series of accessories to hook the disks in keys, bags or other objects.They are called Airtag Leather Key Ring, Airtag Leather Loop and Airtag Loop (prices of 39 euros).But several other companies are already available, even at moderate prices, and it is likely that an avalanche arrives in the next few days.If you are very rich or fashion addicted there are those of Hermès, from 299 euros upwards.

How much does an airtag cost? 35 euros.The 4 Airtag package costs 119 euros.

Do you have competitors? As often happens, Apple hardly introduces a technology. First, as mentioned, it does a long preparatory work. For several years there have been Bluetooth trackers. The most famous is Tile, who has sold several million pieces. A model compatible with UWB technology is coming from Chipolo: it is called One Spot and will be compatible with Apple's "where it's". To tell the truth, Apple has opened its tracking network to third companies. In addition to Chipolo One Spot, the S3 and X3 electric bikes of Vanmoof, the Wireless SoundForm Freedom wireless earphones of Belkin are already compatible. Apple has created the "Find My Network Accessory Program", designed for developers and developers of accessories that want to insert an existing or developing product in the network of where it is. Compatible objects have the "" Works with Apple Find My "certification: easy to imagine that several will arrive in the coming years, enormously expanding the network of traceable objects.

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