Apple AirTag 2 review: what changes for travel

If you carry an iPhone, the AirTag is the obvious one to look at first. If you don't, skip it. That's most of this review.

What changed

Apple's AirTag page describes the new one as a "next generation" with a speaker that is 50% louder and up to a 1.5x greater Precision Finding range. Apple says that makes the tag audible from up to twice as far away. It also lists a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip. All of those are Apple's claims. I have no measurements from a lab, so treat "twice as far" as a maker's number.

What stayed: the user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell, listed as installed in the box. Apple says the tag works "for more than a year" on it. The tag weighs 11.8 g and carries a water rating of IP67, which Apple defines as a maximum depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.

What it costs

Apple lists it at $29 for a single tag on its US store, checked November 2, 2026. Apple also sells a 4 pack.

On a trip

Travel is where the network matters. Apple says Find My can use more than a billion iPhone, iPad and Mac devices to report a lost item's location. You can also share an item's location with more than 50 airlines, including Delta, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and United. The share ends when you recover the item or after seven days.

For checked bags, the FAA's page on baggage trackers (updated April 13, 2026) allows lithium metal batteries with up to 0.3 g of lithium in a checked bag. Whether this AirTag's CR2032 meets it, and what your airline says, is covered in our checked-luggage guide.

The iPhone problem

The system requirements on Apple's page are an Apple Account and an iPhone with iOS 26.0 or later, or an iPad with iPadOS 26.0 or later. Android isn't on the list. Apple does say that an Android phone will alert you when someone else's AirTag is traveling with you, so the privacy side isn't iPhone-only. The tracking side is.

Chipolo's POP is the obvious workaround. Its page says it works with Apple Find My on iPhones or Google's Find Hub on Android, has a replaceable battery, and is rated IP55. Chipolo says it works with one network at a time. Its Bluetooth range is up to 90 m on the page. See the roundup of bag trackers.

Small annoyances

Apple's page mentions no attachment hole. It sends you to a separate accessories shop for key rings, which is an extra cost for something a luggage tag needs. Apple's support page (published May 29, 2026) lists AirTag firmware updates up to 3.0.49, for AirTags in general rather than this model alone. Apple says updates are delivered while the tag is in Bluetooth range of your iPhone.

Verdict

I'd buy one per bag if I owned an iPhone, and I'd score it 8. Nobody here has used it, so the score weighs price, Apple's stated limits and how plainly the page reads. A louder speaker helps most when the bag is buried under other bags, if Apple's number holds up. I'd lose the points for the accessory shop and the iPhone lock-in. See other options in the tracker catalog.