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Apple‘s AirTags are the new craze in tiny accessories that can make a difference in your life. Just like the Tile tags before them and Samsung’s recently-released Galaxy SmartTags, AirTags can be attached to your stuff to help you track it and — hopefully — find it if lost.
You’ve probably already seen the cool demos of an iPhone showing you exactly where its owner’s keys are — the whole screen becomes this “find my lost item” compass and directs you straight to the respective AirTag. The tech required to achieve this is Apple’s U1 chip — it’s present inside the AirTags and you need one in your iPhone to get the precision item finder.
Precision finding with U1 chip
Which iPhones support AirTags?
So, pretty much, if you have used the Find My app to locate your iPad or your iPhone before — this is how it’s going to look when tracking your AirTag with a non-U1 iPhone. You just get a blip on the map. Not ideal, and you are definitely not getting your AirTag money’s worth, but hey — at least it’s something.
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Can I pair AirTags to an iPad?
Yes, you can use any iPad that supports iPadOS 14.5 and above to pair and find AirTags. However, keep in mind that no iPad has the U1 chip — not even the newest iPad Pros. This means that the iPads, too, lack precision finding. Which is kind of a shame — iPad Pros have a LiDAR sensor, which people are still struggling to find a use for, but not U1.
Can I use Apple Watch to find an AirTag?
Can I use a Mac to pair with and find AirTags?
Not at all. Despite the fact that your AirTag gets registered to your iCloud account, you can’t do it through a Mac computer. You need an iOS or iPadOS device. The same goes for actually looking for your AirTag — the web-based version of Find My does not support AirTags. This means that — if you are out in the wild — you can’t borrow a friend’s phone to look for your own AirTag, too. You need to have your iPhone or iPad on you.
