APPLE AIRTAG

Apple was late to the tag game but its billion-strong network of iPhones makes these an instant market leader

The AirTag is exactly what you would expect from Apple’s first foray into dedicated tracking tech. A slick solid circle of Cupertino design, resolutely allergic to the idea of having an ugly hole for attaching to anything. But buy yourself an AirTag holder – no, you don’t need to go for the Hermès option – and the AirTag is very good at exactly what you want it to do.

AirTag makes the most of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) tech alongside Apple’s Find My network to make sure you know exactly where your items or even pets are. At home this means the Find My app shows just how far away from your AirTag you are at all times, and lets you ring it for even speedier finding.

If you lose something in the outside world, though, that’s when the AirTag really gets to flex its tracking muscles. Thanks to the prevalence of iPhones, there’s a ready-made network of fellow Find My app users. Piggybacking off other iPhones means your lost things will never stay lost and you can track them on a map.

This, the year-long easily replaceable battery, and a built-in NFC chip for easy scanning to obtain owner details, all make up for the fact that you can’t ping your iPhone from the tag itself.

Vitally too, Apple has improved its safety options. Not only can you set a separation alert to let you know when you have left items behind, but AirTags belonging to other people will make a noise after a number of hours so that we can be aware of their potentially unwanted presence. It’s also possible to scan for AirTags if you are concerned. £29/£99 pack of four, apple.com

BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS

+ Slick design • Uses iPhone network • Replaceable battery - iPhone only • No ping iPhone option • Needs holder