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I don't often get jealous of an inanimate object, but my rolling suitcase got to enjoy an extra day in Paris while I waited at baggage claim at the airport in Seattle. As everyone else watched for their bags to appear on the carousel, I already knew mine wouldn't come around. How? I could see it on my iPhone thanks to a highly sophisticated tracking device I swear by that is also currently on sale in a four-pack for $73 in Black Friday deals.
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Until just a few years ago, this would have seemed straight out of a spy movie. The Apple AirTag in my suitcase uses an ingenious method of tracking itself, detecting its location from nearby iPhones and using them to anonymously piggyback the coordinates to a secure server where I could look it up on my iPhone.
Instead of wondering if my belongings were strewn across a tarmac or stuck on an abandoned luggage cart, I could see in almost real time that my suitcase was actually still chilling at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. I was able to calmly tell the airline my bag didn't make the flight, and it made arrangements to have it delivered to me a few days later.
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Apple AirTags are all about peace of mind
By itself, an AirTag isn't much. A 1.26-inch smooth round puck that looks like a glossy white breath mint, it sinks to the bottom of a bag or dangles from a key chain (with a compatible key ring, sold separately). It's meant to disappear.
Activating the AirTag was a simple process of pairing with my iPhone. And then, because it obviously doesn't really do anything out of the box, I forgot about it.
But the next time I couldn't find my keys? Sorcery. My iPhone didn't just tell me they were somewhere nearby -- it walked me directly to them, thanks to the AirTag's built-in Ultra Wideband chip. Suddenly all that time I'd spent retracing my steps and overturning couch cushions in the past felt like ancient history.
Now I have AirTags in or attached to every significant item I'd want to keep track of: My everyday laptop bag, my camera backpack, the suitcase I use most when traveling, my key chain, my car and a smaller sling bag I take on walks. I can pull up the Find My app on any of my Apple devices (or sign in to iCloud on any web browser) and see where my items are and the last time the AirTags registered their locations.
Clip an AirTag onto a bag or bury it in the depths.
AirTags aren't just for my everyday items. People I know in the movie business tell me that AirTags are tossed into nearly every bag and Pelican crate -- not solely to ensure that the valuable equipment inside doesn't walk away but to quickly differentiate equipment amid similar looking containers. Some of my friends also attach AirTags to their pets' collars (though some experts say there are better ways to track pets).
AirTags are also useful for things that you want to keep close by
Being able to detect my luggage a continent away provided a sense of relief, to be sure. But at the local level, my AirTags will also trigger an alert when I get too far away from them. For example, if I accidentally forget my camera bag in the car when I stop somewhere for lunch, a Find My notification appears telling me I've left it behind. It works the same for newer AirPods models as well.
Sharing is now a big part of AirTag tracking
My family has two cars, but it turned out to be inconvenient to pair the AirTag in the car my wife drives to her iPhone (and the one in my car to my iPhone).
To guard against unwanted tracking, an AirTag will notify nearby iPhones of its existence -- which means that whenever I drove my wife's car without her in it, I got a notification that an AirTag was traveling with me. (If the owner is near the AirTag, the alert does not appear.)
As of iOS 17, AirTags are shareable, though. I shared my AirTag with her, and she with me, so regardless which car I'm driving, I can find it more easily in a crowded parking lot.
Share an AirTag's location with someone you trust.
A new feature coming to AirTags with iOS 18.2, currently in beta, is the ability to temporarily share an AirTag's location with someone I trust. In my luggage example above, if the suitcase was in the airport with me, but the airport's staff hadn't yet been able to locate it (not uncommon during peak travel times), I could share its location with an attendant who could quickly retrieve it from areas inaccessible to the public.
The only minor annoyance about AirTags
An AirTag includes Bluetooth, the U1 Ultra Wideband chip and an NFC chip to share basic details when it's in Lost Mode. That's all powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery, which in my experience lasts roughly a year before I need to replace it.
I get notified when a battery is starting to get low, although there's no gauge to see how much is left until it goes into the red. And it's easy to change batteries. But my small fleet of AirTags means I need to swap multiple ones each year. I buy them in packs of 20 that I slowly work through.
The CR2032 battery in an AirTag can easily be replaced.
Why AirTags make great gifts
Apple AirTags consistently appear in our Best Gift Guides because you can always find another use for one -- they're often reduced in price when sold in packs of four. And there's an ever-growing ecosystem of ways to mount them, from sturdy vaults that adhere to a car to discrete fabric holders that will keep your favorite classic bomber jacket from flying away.
For even more Cyber Week sales, here are our favorite Black Friday deals under $50. In fact, I think it's time for me to peruse all of the best Black Friday deals for more items I can attach AirTags to, and CNET's picks for the best AirTag accessories of 2024.