{"id":23859,"date":"2021-04-15T05:12:34","date_gmt":"2021-04-15T05:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rbsitsoftwaresolution.com\/blog\/airtags-in-2021-what-to-know-ahead-of-apples-april-20-event.html"},"modified":"2021-04-15T05:12:34","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T05:12:34","slug":"airtags-in-2021-what-to-know-ahead-of-apples-april-20-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rbsitsoftwaresolution.in\/blog\/airtags-in-2021-what-to-know-ahead-of-apples-april-20-event.html","title":{"rendered":"AirTags in 2021: What to know ahead of Apple’s April 20 event"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Could we really see AirTags next week?<\/p>\n

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\n Apple
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This story is part of Apple Event<\/span>, our full coverage of the latest news from Apple headquarters.<\/p>\n

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Siri spilled the beans<\/span> on Monday about Apple’s next event on April 20, dubbed “spring loaded.”<\/span>\u00a0While we’re expecting new software (namely iOS 14.5<\/span>) and hardware products (including\u00a0AirPods 3<\/span>), we’ve also got our eye out for — you guessed it — AirTags. Even though Samsung beat Apple to market with its SmartTag bluetooth trackers<\/span>, the April event could finally usher in Apple’s tracker tech after the gadgets remained elusive last year.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Apple\u00a0enabled third-party companies to locate lost items in its Find My app<\/span>, signaling the company’s growing interest in tracking tech outside of core Apple products.\u00a0<\/p>\n

iOS 15 rumors:<\/strong>\u00a0Release date, buzzy new features, device compatibility and more<\/span><\/p>\n

Apple unveiled plenty of devices over several events last fall, including a new line of Macs<\/span> that will run on the company’s\u00a0self-designed M1 chips<\/span>, along with the\u00a0iPhone 12<\/span>\u00a0line, the\u00a0Apple Watch 6<\/span>\u00a0and a slate of\u00a0new iPads<\/span>. In October, tech analyst John Prosser tweeted<\/a> suspicions that AirTags were pushed to 2021.<\/p>\n

The AirTag tech was hinted at in the code for iOS 13 in 2019<\/span>, but rumors were circulating even before that software arrived. When Apple debuted new ultrawideband, or UWB, technology<\/span> in its iPhone 11<\/span> models, speculation heated up that Apple could release a competitor to\u00a0Tile’s popular trackers<\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The rumored AirTags may seem similar to\u00a0iBeacon<\/a>, an implementation of Bluetooth low-energy wireless technology, which Apple first debuted in iOS 7 in 2014. The beacons were small, inexpensive Bluetooth transmitters<\/a> that aimed to provide location-based information and services to iPhones. For example, if a retailer has a beacon in its shop and you have the retailer’s app, when you pass the shop you might get an alert for a special offer. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stay up-to-date on the latest news, reviews and advice on iPhones, iPads, Macs, services and software.<\/p>\n

The new tracker tags could work a little differently, however. It’s likely that, as with\u00a0Tile’s tags<\/a>, you’ll be able to clip the AirTags onto your keys, a bag or a child’s toy or\u00a0slip them into your wallet or passport<\/span>. They could also be stuck on a device, remote control, outdoor gear or other small electronics to help you keep track of lots of different items. There’s also a potential leather keychain image that’s been circulating — similar to the design spotted in a patent<\/a> released last year — and resurfaced by Prosser earlier this month.<\/p>\n

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When I first showed the design for AirTags, the main question was \u201cso how do you attach them to things?\u201d<\/p>\n

I told you that Apple and others will have to sell separate keychain accessories. Because… Apple \ud83d\ude43<\/p>\n

Dis is dat \ud83d\udc47 https:\/\/t.co\/xbjtQ51PT7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) January 8, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Nothing has officially been confirmed to date, but CNET reached out to Apple for more information about what we can expect this year.<\/p>\n

Here are all the rumors we’ve heard so far about Apple’s possible tracker tag tech.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not really a rumor: They’ll be named AirTags
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The name AirTags appeared in an Apple support video<\/span> spotted by Appleosophy which surfaced last April, showing users how to erase their\u00a0iPhone<\/a>\u00a0and return it to the factory settings. In the video, now listed as private on YouTube, the demonstrator navigates to the\u00a0Find My iPhone<\/a>\u00a0page in the phone’s settings, and you can see an option for enabling offline finding for “this device and AirTags.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The name AirTags was previously spotted by\u00a09to5Mac<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0iOS 13.2<\/span>\u00a0release in October 2019. In the file system, a folder for Apple’s latest version of its mobile operating system was labeled “AirTag.” It would reportedly be paired with your iPhone, like the AirPods, and you could track items using the Find My app.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Battery life\u00a0
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Apple’s rumored tile tracker competitor could have a removable CR2032 coin cell battery like the Tile Pro, according to a\u00a0report last March from MacRumors<\/a>. CR2032s aren’t rechargeable and must be replaced. MacRumors suggested that the battery could be removed or replaced by unscrewing the back of the tile tracker.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A previous rumor pointed toward the tile tracker having an Apple Watch-style magnetic charging mechanism. This could mean we might see two different models of the tile trackers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A waterproof gadget<\/h2>\n

Last February, the\u00a0Japanese blog Macotakara<\/a> reported that the tags will be totally waterproof.<\/p>\n

How they might be set up<\/h2>\n

MacRumors reported that screenshots, which surfaced in October 2019, depict an updated version<\/a> of the Find My app. One of the screenshots published by MacRumors features an Apple logo. Underneath the logo, the screen reads “Set Up New Tag.” Other screenshots show instructions to pull the tab on your Tag and bring it near the iPhone to start the adding process. The screenshots refer to the Tags by their codename, B389.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the iPhone photography award goes to…<\/h2>\n

See all photos<\/span>
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+21 More<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n

What will the tags look like?<\/h2>\n

After Apple’s WWDC’s keynote presentation<\/span> in June 2019, “Tag 1.1” was spotted in the original iOS 13 code<\/span> by developer Steve Moser, and whispers began about the company developing its own alternative to the Tile trackers. Further examination of the original internal build showed that the tracker would likely be\u00a0small and circular, with the Apple logo in the center<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What the tag could track<\/h2>\n

If the tracker tags are going to mirror Tiles, it’s possible that they’ll be able to clip onto various items. The iOS 13 code suggested the tags will be battery-powered and able to attach to items like keys, a purse or a backpack, and could then be used to help you find them if the item is lost. The tracker tags can reportedly pair with your iCloud account by proximity to an iPhone or other Apple device.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You would reportedly get notifications when the device gets too far away from the tag, so you wouldn’t lose things. If the tagged item is in a location<\/span> that you’ve set as a safe place, you won’t be notified by the app. If you tap a button on the phone app, the tags could chime. If you put an item in “lost mode,” other iPhone users might be able to contact you if they find the lost item.<\/p>\n

The tags and app might also have an augmented reality feature to help find lost items. A red floating AR balloon might appear over the area when people are looking through the screen in the app to help them get a more precise location, according to the iOS 13 internal build, as reported by MacRumors<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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How the U1 chip prepares other Apple products for the tags
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When Apple debuted its new line of phones at the iPhone 11<\/span>\u00a0event in September 2019, it added a new chip to its phones. The U1 chip<\/span> takes advantage of ultrawideband technology, which will allow increased precision when locating other U1-equipped Apple devices by offering “GPS at the scale of your living room<\/a>,” MacRumors reported. This isn’t confirmation of the tracker tags, but it appears like Apple is laying the groundwork in its new devices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since older iPhones don’t have the U1 chip, it appears likely that Apple would give its trackers both Bluetooth and UWB technology so that it would work with non-iPhone 11 models. However, the newer models will likely pinpoint tracked devices much more accurately. While Bluetooth can track items to within about 5 meters, UWB can track items up to a distance of 5 to 10 centimeters<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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