20 Surprisingly Practical Uses for Apple AirTags « iOS & iPhone :: Gadget Hacks - Gadget Hacks

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Apple AirTags are ace adjuvant for keeping way of your keys, backpack, and different often misplaced items, but determination are immoderate beauteous clever things you tin bash with them beyond uncovering your stuff.

Apple's $29 Bluetooth beacons decidedly drew immoderate inspiration from Tile's lineup of trackers. But conscionable due to the fact that AirTags are designed similar different astute trackers doesn't mean you can't find antithetic invaluable ways to usage these small homing tags. As you tin spot beneath (and successful the headline), we've thought of 19 amusive ways to get the astir retired of AirTags.

Apple sells these caller astute trackers standalone ($29) oregon successful packs of four ($99). The second is the amended woody if you deliberation you'll request a clump of these, arsenic it brings the idiosyncratic AirTag outgo down to $24.75 a pop. Maybe you lone request one, but retrieve — determination are astatine slightest 18 ways to usage Apple's caller astute trackers, truthful you mightiness privation to banal up!

Buy connected Amazon: Apple AirTag - Individual ($29)
Buy connected Amazon: Apple AirTags - Four-Pack ($99)

How AirTag Works

To beryllium clear, an AirTag is not an iPhone, truthful it cannot pass with the Find My app oregon web oregon connected its own. Instead, it connects to different devices connected the Find My web utilizing Bluetooth. To get a deed connected Find My, a connected instrumentality needs to beryllium wrong Bluetooth scope of the missing AirTag.

But that's the quality of AirTag. Unlike AirPods, it's not conscionable your devices AirTags pass with. Any instrumentality moving astatine slightest iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, oregon macOS Big Sur 11.1 tin link to your AirTag. That means each an AirTag needs to bash to refresh its determination connected Find My is link to a close-by instrumentality connected the Find My network. Think astir however galore millions of iPhones, iPads, and Macs tin bash that.

You tin adjacent spot the AirTag successful Lost Mode truthful that if idiosyncratic finds it, each they person to bash is pat and clasp the apical of their smartphone to the AirTag and hold for a notification that takes them to a webpage with your telephone fig and different information. That works for iPhone and Android devices that enactment NFC, truthful you'll person the assistance of virtually the entire smartphone community.

20 Surprisingly Practical Uses for Apple AirTags

Apple does each of this with a absorption connected privacy, arsenic well. All connection betwixt your AirTag and a stranger's products is wholly encrypted and anonymous. No determination information is stored successful the AirTag. The AirTag's Bluetooth awesome identifiers often rotate to forestall unwanted tracking. So there's nary hazard that a hacker volition compromise your security.

If you're looking for your AirTag connected your own, it's a akin acquisition to tracking down an point connected Find My, unless you person an iPhone with the U1 spot (iPhone 11 and newer) with Ultra Wideband technology. These devices enactment Precision Finding with AirTag; you'll spot an arrow connected your iPhone's display, letting you cognize precisely however adjacent you are to that AirTag and what absorption it's in. That's a diagnostic we deliberation volition travel successful useful successful much than a mates of the scenarios below.

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1. Expose Government Secrets

In January 2022, information researcher and activistic Lilith Wittmann uncovered a beforehand enactment for a German quality agency, and she utilized an AirTag to bash it.

After discovering Germany's mysterious Federal Telecommunications Service (BST), a national authorization Wittmann was unfamiliar with, she tried locating it. Through extended research, Wittman concluded that it was really a concealed camouflage authorization for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), a German home quality service. The nail successful the coffin was the AirTag she mailed to the BST's address, which was routed and tracked to the BfV's address.

If an AirTag tin exposure a concealed authorities beforehand organization, what different authorities secrets tin it reveal? Maybe you tin find out.

2. NFC Contact Cards

You don't request to suffer an AirTag for them to beryllium adjuvant to strangers. AirTag tin enactment arsenic an NFC interaction card, sharing your telephone fig and immoderate different accusation you privation to supply with whoever interacts with it.

They would pat the apical of their NFC-equipped smartphone (iPhone oregon Android) connected the achromatic broadside of the AirTag, past clasp until a notification appears. Open that, and they'll beryllium redirected to a webpage that displays the accusation you added. It's not rather the aforesaid arsenic an NFC concern interaction card that tin assistance import interaction details, but it's amusive to play with.

To acceptable it up, your AirTag indispensable beryllium successful Lost Mode. Open the Find My app, pat the "Items" tab, and prime the AirTag. In the Lost Mode section, pat "Enable," past deed "Continue" connected the splash page. Enter your telephone number, deed "Next," past participate your message, which tin incorporate your email, business, etc. Continue with the directions and deed "Activate" to crook connected Lost Mode.

3. Secret Message Dead Drops

Espionage tradecraft utilizes dormant drops to walk accusation betwixt 2 radical without those 2 radical having to meet. One idiosyncratic hides the dormant driblet successful a concealed location, and the different picks it up. In the integer age, dormant drops tin instrumentality the signifier of an anonymous offline communications server implicit Wi-Fi, wherever radical tin chat locally successful concealed and even driblet files to each other.

For AirTag, you tin utilize the aforesaid Lost Mode conception mentioned supra to driblet concealed messages to whoever mightiness cognize the determination of the AirTag. Have a person enactment an AirTag successful the aforesaid area, and you tin some scan each other's AirTag to spot immoderate connection updates that person been added successful Lost Mode.

4. Lifesaver Beacons

If you oregon a loved 1 is severely allergic to anything, enactment an AirTag with your EpiPens. The aforesaid goes for immoderate different life-saving medicine you whitethorn request to instrumentality astatine a moment's notice. If idiosyncratic other needs to find the medicine for you (or vice versa), they tin usage your Find My app (or their ain if they are a portion of your Family Sharing group) alternatively of frantically upending the house.

Don't Miss: The Best Cases & Covers for Apple's New AirTag Trackers

5. Location Trackers for Pets

If you don't privation to spell done the process of microchipping your pet, there's a little invasive enactment to support way of your furry friend: AirTag. Apple's Bluetooth trackers are a cleanable favored companion since they're IP67 water-resistant, tiny capable for a cat's collar, and hardly noticeable connected a dog's.

When you already person a collar for your pet, you tin get an AirTag lawsuit with a loop, keyring, oregon small carabiner. If you don't cognize whether a keyring oregon carabiner would enactment best, Arae sells a battalion of AirTag cases with both. There are besides slide-on options from Moogrou, Typecase, Caisateq, Dlenp, Swincho, and Pup Culture. You tin adjacent get a waterproof lawsuit that screws onto astir collars.

If you privation a collar with a built-in lawsuit for AirTag, FollowPaw and AirCollar marque leather ones. Feeyar and Taporse merchantability reflective nylon collars with neoprene lining. And you tin adjacent find tactical collars for AirTag.

Popular Option: Moogrou AirTag Pet Collars for Cats and Dogs of All Sizes

6. Location Trackers for Children

Like pets, children person a caput of their ain and tin tally disconnected astatine a moment's notice. Put your attraction elsewhere for fractional a second, and you'll walk fractional your day looking for your kids.

For an casual mode to support way of kids that aren't aged capable for smartphones yet, deliberation astir pairing them with an AirTag. You tin simply propulsion 1 successful their backpack oregon pocket, but a lawsuit is little apt to beryllium near down and volition support the AirTag from harm (kids bash thin to destruct things).

A lawsuit with a loop, keyring, oregon carabiner tin connect to beauteous overmuch anything, a slide-on case tin beryllium secured to immoderate strap, and a screw-on case oregon pin-on case tin latch onto fabrics and different materials. There are adjacent nylon and silicone wristbands that enactment AirTag you could person your kid wear, arsenic good arsenic necklaces.

Your children should instrumentality location each day, truthful the built-in anti-stalking diagnostic won't activate since it lone plays a dependable erstwhile the AirTag is distant from your iPhone for 3 days and starts to move. However, you should decidedly fto your young ones cognize they person an AirTag tracker.

Popular Option: Typecase Nylon Wristband with AirTag Protective Cover

7. Location Trackers for Yourself

Maybe you've listened to 1 excessively galore existent transgression podcasts and privation a small other information successful your life. You tin prime up an AirTag for your container oregon pants pouch to support yourself connected different people's radar, whether they are connected Family Sharing with you, stock an Apple ID account, oregon person your AirTag acceptable up from their device.

Another furniture of information ne'er hurts erstwhile you deliberation you mightiness beryllium walking into a unsafe situation. Emergency SOS mightiness not beryllium bully enough, 911 connected your Apple Watch tin easy beryllium stopped, custom panic buttons successful Shortcuts mightiness not beryllium usable successful time, and your iPhone can beryllium unopen off to disable tracking. But an attacker oregon assailant mightiness not adjacent recognize you person an AirTag connected you, and their ain Apple devices mightiness adjacent assistance way you down.

8. Location Trackers for People with Dementia

People with Alzheimer's oregon different signifier of dementia tin suffer their quality to admit acquainted places, truthful it's not uncommon for them to rotation disconnected and get mislaid and confused. There are GPS trackers for radical with peculiar needs and dementia, but they outgo much than AirTag, truthful wherefore not effort an AirTag and prevention money? Just guarantee they cognize they person an AirTag, conscionable similar you should bash with kids.

As with children, you tin connect a loop, keyring, oregon carabiner to astir anything, unafraid a slide-on case to astir straps, fasten a screw-on case oregon pin-on case to astir fabrics, oregon springiness them a nylon oregon silicone wristband to wear. If they ever person their wallet connected them, you tin adjacent spot a holder shaped similar a recognition card successful with their different cards.

9. Location Trackers for Your Stuff

AirTag was designed to way your belongings. Like different astute trackers, AirTag helps you find things you easy misplace daily. But person you considered everything successful your beingness that an AirTag tin assistance you support tabs on?

keys
remote (try an adhesive AirTag holder)
AirPods (even amended with a case)
wallet (try a recognition card-size AirTag holder)
purse
employee badge
student ID
laptop bag
many different things

10. High-Tech Scavenger Hunt Clues

Have immoderate currency to spend? Looking for immoderate high-tech fun? Consider picking up a four-pack of AirTags and utilizing them arsenic scavenger hunt clues. Your contestants tin usage their iPhones — particularly ones with the U1 spot — to archer if they're getting warmer to an AirTag, and, subsequently, to the adjacent clue. This astir apt works champion for the archetypal hint successful a scavenger hunt, arsenic the players mightiness get confused seeing aggregate AirTags connected the map.

11. Beacons for the Visually Impaired

The Find My app supports various accessibility settings built close into the iPhone. These see VoiceOver, inverted colors, larger text, and compatibility with braille displays. VoiceOver is perchance the champion accessibility diagnostic to usage with AirTag since an iPhone (with a U1 chip) tin springiness step-by-step instructions retired large with Precision Finding, which offers unsighted oregon low-vision users spoken directions similar "AirTag is 5 feet distant connected your right." It's decidedly a faster mode for radical with ocular impairments to find items faster.

12. Underwater Item Locators

AirTag is IP67-rated for h2o resistance. That doesn't mean it's waterproof, but it does springiness you immoderate leeway erstwhile it comes to a liquid brushwood since AirTag should proceed to relation astatine a maximum extent of 1 metre (about 3 feet) for up to 30 minutes.

Given that, see attaching an AirTag to immoderate items you're acrophobic astir losing erstwhile successful water. If you're going boating, swimming, oregon immoderate different enactment that could effect successful a wallet, backpack, oregon different possession falling into shallow water, an AirTag mightiness beryllium what gets it backmost to you. You'll request an iPhone with a U1 spot since Ultra Wideband exertion volition amended penetrate h2o than Bluetooth.

If IP67 isn't bully capable for you, immoderate keyring and carabiner cases volition marque your AirTags adjacent much waterproof. Temdan makes an IP68-rated case; Mozoter, v-Golvin, Supfine, and Sevrok person IPX8 ones; and DDJ and Dovick person unrated versions. There are besides waterproof AirTag cases for straps and collars.

13. Luggage Locators (When the Airline Loses It)

If the hose can't find your container connected its own, possibly it tin find it with a beeping AirTag wrong it. Use this extremity astatine your ain discretion, of course, since immoderate airlines mightiness not instrumentality excessively kindly to demands to perceive for a chirping sound wrong their luggage area. That said, it isn't the lone clip an AirTag tin assistance you with your luggage astatine the airport.

14. Luggage Locators (When Coming Around the Carousel)

It's a cosmopolitan conflict to ticker endlessly for your luggage connected the airdrome carousel, wondering if that container that looks similar your container truly is your container (spoiler: it astir apt isn't).

Stop waiting and guessing by popping an AirTag successful your container earlier you manus it disconnected to the airline. When it comes clip to prime up your luggage, you tin usage your U1-equipped iPhone and Precision Finding to cognize precisely erstwhile the container has entered the country from the back.

15. Toy Locators

No much flipping implicit sofa cushions oregon ducking underneath the furniture looking for that mislaid stuffed animal, contention car, oregon information blanket. If you tin find a mode to connect an AirTag to your kids' favourite toys that ever spell missing, you should. Of course, marque definite it's hidden and not removable by the kid. An AirTag could airs a choking hazard depending connected their age, but an AirTag sewed into a teddy carnivore oregon wooby won't adjacent beryllium accessible to them.

16. Anti-Theft Trackers for Your Bike

If you instrumentality your motorcycle retired and astir town, you apt person a fastener oregon concatenation to support it safe. That said, if a fastener oregon concatenation were capable to halt each motorcycle thefts, we wouldn't beryllium here, would we?

Don't Miss: How to Crack Any Master Combination Lock successful 8 Tries oregon Less Using This Calculator

To adhd other information to your bicycle portion near unattended, fell an AirTag determination inconspicuous. That way, if idiosyncratic steals it, each you request to bash is way the AirTag to find your motorcycle — with oregon without the thief. Moment has AirTag holders with adhesive backs that tin equine to level and curved surfaces, truthful you tin fell 1 nether the sear oregon adjacent connected 1 of the bars. Aimtel, Pelican, Elago, and Lizhi besides merchantability adhesive-backed AirTag cases.

Even better, immoderate companies marque AirTag mounts conscionable for bikes. Toovren and Izi person cases that strap nether your bike's seat, portion Laut makes a saddle mount. TagLock, Tusita, and Koqeiey merchantability AirTag motorcycle mounts that look similar reflectors, truthful motorcycle thieves won't adjacent announcement thing wrong. Anmuka, Elevation Lab, Grapid, In-Cog-Neato, Royal Kit, Supmega, and Tentoku person ones you conceal down your h2o vessel holder. Dog River Tools, Efeall, and Nicedack merchantability stem mounts to camouflage your AirTag. There's adjacent an AirTag lawsuit disguised arsenic a bicycle bell for your handlebars.

Popular Option: TagLock AirTag Bike Mount Disguised arsenic Reflector

Some bikes adjacent person tracking exertion built-in that works with the Find My network, if you're disquieted astir an AirTag being seen.

17. Anti-Theft Trackers for Your Car

As with bikes, AirTag is cleanable arsenic a inexpensive anti-theft instrumentality for your car oregon truck. There are plentifulness of places you could sneak an AirTag into your conveyance truthful an unsuspecting thief would ne'er notice. Glove box, nether a seat, successful the halfway console, with the spare tyre successful the trunk, you sanction it. They deliberation they conscionable got distant with the cleanable crime, but small bash they cognize you tin way their each move.

Of course, determination are GPS trackers you tin bargain specifically for vehicles, but they're costly and usually necessitate a monitoring subscription.

18. Parked Car Locators

You don't request a thief successful the representation for your conveyance to spell missing. You're perfectly susceptible of misplacing your car oregon motortruck each connected your own, convey you precise much.

To debar a Seinfeld parking situation, conscionable entrust your determination to that hidden AirTag! Your U1-equipped iPhone with Precision Finding volition pb you close backmost to your car, truthful you nary longer request to interest astir memorizing store level numbers, remembering transverse thoroughfare names, oregon trying to get "Show Parked Location" successful Apple Maps to work.

Popular Option: In-Cog-Neato's AirTag Cover with Neodymium Magnet for Vehicles

19. A Reason to Buy Those Flat Batteries from the Store

The batteries successful AirTag past astir 1 afloat year, but erstwhile they're dead, you don't request to bargain a full caller AirTag. In a precise un-Apple move, AirTag batteries are user-replaceable, moving connected the CR2032 coin compartment battery.

CR2032 batteries are fundamentally the AA artillery of coin batteries. They're successful each market and convenience store, but the chances are that astir of the products successful your beingness don't instrumentality them, speech from your old-style Apple Remote, of course. With AirTags, you yet person a crushed to.

Amazon: Energizer CR2032 Lithium 3V Coin Cell Batteries (6 Count) ($7.99)

20. Flex Your Wealth

This isn't a applicable usage by immoderate means, but it's surely thing you tin bash with an AirTag: amusement disconnected however overmuch wealth you person to blow. If you're a existent baller, don't get the modular $35 leather keychain holder similar a pleb. Instead, driblet the currency and get a presumption awesome from Hermés that serves the aforesaid intent but costs ten times more!

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Cover representation via Moogrou, Efeall, Kofair connected Amazon

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