Apple introduced the AirTag on April 30, 2021 alongside the M1 iMac and iPad Pro. The coin‑shaped tracker sells for $29 singly or $99 in a four‑pack, has IP67 water resistance and a U1 Ultra Wideband chip that powers Precision Finding on iPhone 11 and later. When placed near an iPhone, it appears in the Find My app and uses nearby Apple devices to broadcast its location beyond Bluetooth range.

Within months, AirTags were repurposed for stalking and vehicle theft, prompting Apple to add anti‑tracking warnings in iOS 15.4 and issue a February 2022 statement calling each misuse incident “one too many.” A California class‑action filed late 2022 expanded to dozens of plaintiffs, and a March 2024 ruling let key claims proceed. Apple and Google later aligned alerts so Android phones now emit the same anti‑tracking sound as iPhones.

In January 2026 Apple rolled out the second-generation AirTag, boosting the Ultra Wideband range by roughly 50 percent, upgrading Bluetooth, and installing a speaker 50 percent louder; Precision Finding now works with Apple Watch Series 9. Despite controversy, Apple still touts the AirTag as its top‑selling item tracker.