• Presentation Apple steps on the accelerator: launches new iPad Pro, color iMacs and, finally, the rumored AirTags

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This week's

Apple event

has released several novelties, but one of the most anticipated is undoubtedly the

AirTags

, small button-shaped locators that can be added to all kinds of objects to find them using the Search app on the

iPhone

.

The AirTags work with the Bluetooth LE range

(about 20 or 50 meters depending on the location) and if the phone has the U1 chip (present in the last two generations of iPhone) it is not only possible to obtain an approximate location of the object (or ask it to make a sound), but also receive precise instructions on the phone screen on how to find it.

One of the advantages of AirTags is that when these locators are out of reach of our phone, any

other iPhone acts as a sensor to find it

.

As someone passes by, the locator will be able to send its location signal to the owner.

Apple says that thanks to this system, there is a network of more than one billion devices in the world that can act as sensors but, this is important, that figure is only potential.

Phones must be updated to

version 14.5 of the iOS operating system

, which launches this week.

At first, the number of "sensors" will be less.

This communication, in any case, is always encrypted and secure.

Not even Apple knows what objects are missing or their location.

Neither is the phone number of the person who passes near them.

The sensors are cryptographically paired with the user's iCloud account.

Still, there are some safeguards to prevent them from being used as tracking devices.

If an AirTag detects that it is in motion for a long time without approaching its owner, it will make a small sound

.

If you spend too much time, even on the move, near a non-owned iPhone, it will also display a notice on the phone screen.

INTERCHANGEABLE BATTERY

Setting up an AirTag is very simple.

Apple sells them individually for 35 euros or in a pack of 4 for 119 euros

.

They can be ordered with icons, emojis or initials on the front, but otherwise they are a white circle the size of a coat button.

Once opened, you just have to remove the practical protector to activate the battery and bring it close to an iPhone to begin the pairing process.

Once paired, the

AirTag will appear within the Objects tab

within the search app.

At any time you can ask it to make a sound to locate it.

The sound is sharp and loud enough

to be heard indoors when we are in the same room, something more difficult to hear outdoors.

The

Precise Search

function

is perhaps the most surprising because it guides the user to the object very well, both visually and with vibration and sound (important for users with a degree of visual impairment).

It's like having some kind of digital dowsing rod.

In Search you can also activate the "lost object" mode, this allows you to

add a message to the AirTag with a telephone number or contact information if you want

.

In such a way that if someone finds our object and brings his phone closer to him, he will be able to see the information necessary to return it to us.

This mode also allows you to activate the option to block the pairing,

to prevent someone from stealing the AirTag and reusing it

.

The AirTag is the only Apple device, I think, with a swappable battery

.

It uses button batteries, which are quite common, although they do not really need to be changed very often.

For typical use, a battery has sufficient autonomy for a whole year.

It is important to note that right out of the box it does not include any system to adhere it to a surface or use it as a keychain.

Apple sells straps and keychains as accessories

and we will likely see cheaper third-party options soon (as has happened with the Apple Watch straps).

DOES NOT AVOID THEFT OR FORGETTING

You can put an AirTag on your dog's collar

The function of AirTags is to find lost items.

Keys, bags, umbrellas ... that kind of thing.

It can also be used for pets, although when it is in motion the Search application cannot give very precise information of the location for obvious reasons, it will only give warnings that the AirTag is within the coverage radius and is in motion.

But

AirTags do not completely prevent theft, because it is very easy to deactivate them

if

whoever

finds the object wants it (just remove the battery, for example).

Maybe hiding them very well in a bag could be used in this scenario, but as I said before sooner or later it will start emitting a sound to prevent it from being used as a tracking device.

They are also not useful for not forgetting the keys at home or the umbrella in a restaurant

. This is perhaps the strangest omission because technically it shouldn't be difficult for the phone to receive a notification when losing contact with a nearby AirTag. Given the range of Bluetooth, it is possible that this type of notification generated several false positives, but it is a function that could be useful on some occasions.

Otherwise, AirTags are what is expected of them.

Their price is low and they can be useful to put on the dog's keychain, bag or collar.

They are not very different from the Tile or Chipolo keychains that were already on sale

, but they have the advantage of having a much larger search network for third-party devices and, as usual, a better integration within the ecosystem of products and devices. from Apple.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Apple Inc.

  • iPhone

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