Waiting for an Apple AirTag 2? It could land in 2025 with much better location tracking

A new AirTag is seemingly en route, but not for some time

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If you’ve been thinking about getting anApple AirTagbut are worried that a new version might land straight after you hit the ‘buy’ button, fear not – the latest rumors suggest that a sequel won’t arrive until at least mid-2025.

The current AirTag is over three years old, butBloombergis reporting that an AirTag 2 – with improved location tracking and a new chip isn’t expected to arrive until “around the middle of next year.”

Appleis apparently already doing test runs on its new tracker (which reportedly has the code-name B589) with manufacturing partners in Asia. But if you’ve been thinking of buying one of the little tracking discs, it looks like you’ll be safe to do so without it being immediately rendered obsolete by a successor.

It’s been an interesting year for trackers like the AirTag as well as third-party ones like those from Chipolo and Pebblebee.Googlestarted rolling out newFind My Devicenetwork in April, which gives Android phones an equivalent of Apple’s crowd-sourced Find My network for tracking down lost devices.

More recently,iOS 17.5delivered built-in detection for ‘unwanted location trackers’, which lets iPhone owners detect and locate third-party object trackers (alongside AirTags). This followedGoogle and Apple’s agreement back in May 2023to make a joint specification to “combat the misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking devices.”

This means tracking devices are making something of a comeback this year, following understandable fears over their misuse a few years ago – but it looks like we’ll need to wait until 2025 before we see a next-gen AirTag.

What might an AirTag 2 bring?

Given that Apple’s current AirTag already has a useful Precision Finding feature (based on Ultra Wideband tech) for accurate object-tracking, is there anything left for a successor to improve on?

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We have a few ideas. As ourApple AirTag reviewnotes, the design could be better. We found that the little disc can scuff easily, and it’s also annoying that you need to buy accessories to attach AirTags to keys and bags. It’d be good to see a more rugged design and a built-in keyring hole.

The AirTag’s rivals, like the newFind My Device-compatible options from Chipolo and Pebblebee, are also available in several different form factors, including flat versions that are suitable for wallets. We’d like to see an AirTag equivalent of the latter – after all, it’d slot in nicely next to the Apple Card.

We’d also like to see an improvement in battery life – the current AirTag’s CR2032 battery lasts about a year before it needs replacing – and a louder speaker for that audible beep you hear when you’re tracking it down. One other useful feature would be the option of using an AirTag to find your iPhone or Watch – there’s currently no option for doing that.

Still, this doesn’t mean the current Apple AirTag isn’t a decent buy at its $29 / £29 / AU$45 price tag. And with the AirTag 2 still seemingly a way off, we’ll be looking to pick up one or two extra ones for travels this year.

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Mark is TechRadar’s Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he’s contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph’s Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London’s Square Mile.

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