AirTag Uses: What to use AirTags for

You might think you’d like an AirTag, or maybe consider giving one as a gift, but before you buy one, you’ll probably wonder what you’ll use the AirTag for.

There are obvious things like attaching one to your car keys so you don’t misplace them, or sticking one in your car so you can find it in a parking lot. You can also attach them to your luggage so you can quickly find them when they come off the carousel, although this won’t make them appear any faster. But what other uses are there?

Here are thirteen different scenarios in which you might want to use an AirTag.

Read our AirTag review for more information on how they actually work.

Install an AirTag on your dog’s collar

As long as you can find a collar that fits an AirTag, you should be able to attach one to your dog.

Since Apple introduced AirTags, manufacturers have seized the opportunity to design pet collars that can fit an AirTag. There are many AirTag dog collars on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Alternatively, any AirTag keychain attachment could work if you attach it to the collar. If your dog likes to jump into dirty water, you can rest assured that the AirTag is IP67 water resistant (so it should survive in a meter of water for half an hour), but for added protection, the OtterBox Rugged Series Passport Case ($19.95) from Apple US and £17.95 from Apple UK) might be a good option.

Install an AirTag on your cat’s collar

Likewise, you can install an AirTag on your cat if you’re curious about where it goes day or night. Maybe this will show where his true loyalties lie (your neighbor’s house).

There are many cat collars with an AirTag case on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Attach an AirTag to your child

It’s understandable that some parents might consider an AirTag as a way to keep tabs on their children. You can slip one into a bag or coat pocket and have peace of mind knowing where your child is (or at least they won’t lose their coat a third time!)

Please note, it may happen that the AirTag signal is not picked up, which could cause unnecessary worry. The AirTag relies on a network of Bluetooth devices, including iPhones and Macs, but in schools where there shouldn’t be as many devices, the AirTag may be far from the Find My network . We also suggest that you ask for your child’s consent to be monitored.

Your child’s teacher may also find that their iPhone indicates that an unknown AirTag is moving with them, raising AirTag tracking issues. This is the main reason why we don’t suggest using an AirTag to track your child.

(Do not) Attach an AirTag to your spouse

Attaching an AirTag to someone – your husband, your wife, your partner or your friend – would clearly be an invasion of their privacy (unless of course you asked their permission, and perhaps they also identifies).

A better solution would be to use the Find My app, which allows you to track people through their iPhone – provided they give consent.

If you open the Find My app and click People, you can choose to share my location with any of your contacts. You can choose to share for an hour, share until the end of the day, or share indefinitely. This person will receive an alert that you are sharing your location with them and they can choose to approve it or not.

Another easy way to follow someone, with their permission, is to use the Messages app. To make your own iPhone trackable, follow these steps:

Go to Messages and tap a conversation with the person you want to follow.
Tap their information at the top of the chat.
Tap Share my location.
Choose either For 1 hour, Until the end of the day or Indefinitely.

Now, just ask them to return the favor by completing these steps on their device. You will always know where they are. See: How to share your location on your iPhone.

If you’re worried about your spouse using an AirTag to track you, you’ll be happy to know that any AirTag that isn’t registered to you should see an “AirTag found moving with you” message on your iPhone (if you have one). A) . Additionally, as long as the owner of the AirTag doesn’t live in the house you return to each night, the AirTag should also eventually emit a sound.

Use an AirTag to track a person with special needs or an elderly parent

This is similar to the cases above. You obviously need to ask their permission, or if they are unable to give it, someone who has that authority. It’s understandable that people would want to keep up with an elderly parent with dementia or anyone who might be confused when away from home. Like the example above, if they own an iPhone, they’ll get a notification that an AirTag is with them, and if they’re away from you for more than three days, the tag will start to work. noise. The latter would make it an unsuitable solution if the person you are trying to protect does not live with you.

Just like the example above, but you don’t need an AirTag to track them. If they have an iPhone with them, you can follow up through the Messages app or use Find My.

However, you may not be considering just following people. The most obvious reason to buy a tracker like the AirTag is to track the things you keep misplacing, like your car keys, your bag, or the TV remote. Here are some of our suggestions:

AirTag the remote control

If you regularly lose the TV remote, you can get an AirTag and stick it to the bottom of the remote. Sure, it won’t look great, but it’s better than turning the house upside down looking for it. This could also apply to game controllers or even the Switch itself.

To find the missing device, you can use Precision Finding if you have an iPhone 11 or later. Precision Finding will give you directions to the AirTag to help you locate it. This should help you find the device, but there are limitations: the maximum range of Bluetooth is around 100 meters and the range of Ultra Wideband technology, also present in the AirTag, is around 80 meters .

A colleague said their AirTag was only picked up for a precision search via their iPhone when they were about ten feet away. With this in mind, we recommend that you obtain the AirTag to play a sound rather than trying to locate it that way, but the technology is improving.

Insert an AirTag into your wallet or bag

As long as your wallet isn’t really slim, you should be able to fit an AirTag inside, either where you keep your coins or in one of the card sections. You will never lose your wallet again!

Having an AirTag in your bag and wallet might be overkill, but if your wallet tends to live in your bag, you might as well stick an AirTag in the bag. Not only will you never lose your bag again, but your bag will be tracked if it is stolen, although we will discourage you from searching for it if it is stolen.

Add an AirTag to your luggage

Avoid losing your luggage at the airport by carrying an AirTag. There may be a pile of bags at baggage claim, but you will be able to find yours easily. And also, if your bag goes for a walk, you will be able to find it (with a little luck, it will be in the same country as you).

We separately explain what you need to know about how to track bags and luggage with AirTags.

Attach an AirTag to your favorite toys (with care)

There’s nothing worse than losing your favorite teddy bear if you’re four years old, or any age for that matter. While you should be aware that AirTag can pose a choking hazard, if you can hide an AirTag somewhere inside the toy, it could prevent a tragedy. Don’t forget that there is an AirTag inside the teddy bear before putting it in the washing machine!

Attach an AirTag to your keys

This is arguably the most obvious use for an AirTag. Luckily, there are plenty of AirTag key fobs available – check out our roundup of the best AirTag key fobs and cases for our recommendations. If you have an AirTag on your keychain, you’ll never lose your keys or the bag or coat they’re in.

Leave an AirTag in your car

If you’re like us, finding your car in a parking lot can be a challenge. This isn’t required: just place an AirTag inside your car and you should be able to use your iPhone to locate it. The Find My app should show you a map that gives you a rough idea of where the AirTag is and if you want to get directions it will launch you into the Maps app to help you locate it. For more precise instructions, you can use precision search to locate your AirTag. Precision Search probably won’t work as well for you in a parking lot due to range limitations (Bluetooth range is around 100 meters, Ultra Wideband range is around 80 meters). So this may not help you find your car if you’re not already nearby.

Keep an AirTag on your bike

Adding an AirTag to your bike can be beneficial for the same reason – even better if the presence of the AirTag deters thieves from stealing it.

Track a thief with an AirTag

Putting an AirTag in any valuable item that you would like to recover if it were stolen is a good idea, as long as you exercise some caution and don’t rush to confront the thieves. Having an AirTag in your car or purse can let you know if it’s been stolen, and the location information would certainly be helpful to police when trying to track down the attacker, but we don’t suggest to pursue it yourself! Don’t put yourself in danger!