Apple is planning to release a second-generation AirTag in 2025, which will boast “considerably” longer item tracking range, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. Apple first released the AirTag in April 2021, meaning there will have been a four-year gap between AirTag generations.
Gurman’s comments from his most recent Power On newsletter, published on Sunday.
Apple’s new AirTag to be findable from longer range with new ultrawide-band chip. I’ve already reported a couple of times that Apple is preparing a new AirTag for next year, an upgrade that improves the onboard wireless chip and security features. Now I can share that the next AirTag will be getting a new ultrawide-band chip on par with the one introduced in the iPhone 15. That will considerably increase the range of the new AirTag, meaning it will be easier to find any items that you’ve attached it to. Right now, the AirTag can be located with Precision Finding from about 10 to 30 meters away, depending on conditions. The new model should triple that by using the next-generation ultrawide-band chip, I’m told.
Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband chip debuted last year in the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple said it offers up to three times the range as its first-generation Ultra Wideband chip in the current AirTag.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models offer a Precision Finding feature that allows users to find your friends in busy places, and it offers up to approximately 60 meters (around 200 feet) range. The new AirTag could offer similar range.
Last month, Gurman said the new AirTag will be released around mid-2025. He said the new AirTag’s built-in speaker will also be more difficult to remove, as a stalking-related safety measure. Other than that, the tracking tag won’t receive any major design changes.
