Technologies

AirTag 2 Rumors: The Most Recent Leaks and What They Mean

Recently reported rumors and leaks point to Apple’s AirTag smart tracker finally getting an upgrade.

It’s been more than four years since Apple launched the original AirTag. In Apple years, that’s practically a lifetime. While the little tracker has become a go-to for finding lost keys, wallets and luggage, it is severely overdue for an update.

That sort of delay is unusual for Apple, which tends to refresh most of its product lines every couple of years. Now, as we head into summer travel season, when item trackers are more useful than ever, rumors and hints are heating up that a second-gen AirTag might finally be on the way.

Competitors like Tile, Samsung and Google have all made moves to expand or improve their tracking tech since AirTags first hit the scene. Meanwhile, Apple has stayed quiet, which is typical for the brand, but industry whispers suggest we could see the AirTag 2 announced later this year.

From design tweaks to Find My network upgrades, there’s a lot of speculation around what Apple could be planning. Here’s what we know so far about the possibilities of an AirTag 2.

AirTag 2 design

There have been no rumors that the AirTag 2 will look too different from the original. It will likely have the same tiny circular shape that can fit easily into a pocket or a compatible keychain loop. Some consumers have asked for physical changes like a built-in key hole or a flatter design — which we’ve seen in rivals made by Tile and Chipolo — but there’s no indication that Apple will follow these suggestions.

Similarly, the AirTag 2 will likely continue to use a replaceable CR2032 3-volt coin battery instead of transitioning to a rechargeable model. However, there have been reports that the current AirTag isn’t always compatible with coin batteries that have a bitterant coating, so the company might alter it somewhat so that it will be.

AirTag 2 features

Macworld has reportedly taken a look at code in the upcoming iOS 26 and found evidence that Apple has changed how it manages AirTags. Bluetooth communications between Apple devices and the trackers will be improved, making it more reliable, and there are new battery-related features too. iOS 26 also apparently utilizes Extended Precision Finding more, which would enable longer range tracking for up to 60 meters. Current versions of the AirTag only have Precision Finding of up to 15 meters.

More importantly, however, the new AirTag 2 might be more tamper-proof. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the second-generation AirTag will be more difficult for wannabe stalkers to hack. The AirTag has come under fire as a potential tool for stalkers, so Apple introduced safety features like sound alerts when it’s not around its registered owner. However, the speaker is apparently fairly easy to remove, which negates this effort. The idea is that the newer AirTag will have a speaker that is far more difficult to fiddle with.

Another important upgrade is that the new AirTag could have a longer tracking range thanks to the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, which is the technology that the AirTag uses to locate your stuff. (This chip is already in existing iPhones — it was introduced with the iPhone 15.) The longer tracking range of the new chip means you can keep track of your belongings at an even greater distance since it has three times the range of the original. This backs up the earlier leak from MacWorld that it would have Extended Precision Finding enabled. This, along with a new onboard wireless chip, would certainly make finding items easier.

Last but not least, there are rumors that the new AirTag will integrate with Apple’s Vision Pro augmented reality headset. It’s not entirely clear what this means, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has theorized that the location-tracking capabilities of the AirTag could be part of a spatial computing concept.

AirTag 2 price

So far, little has been said about the pricing of the second-gen AirTags. Currently, a single AirTag is $29 while a four-pack is $99(though a four-park can often be found for $75 or less at Amazon). The AirTag 2 could retain the same price, but with the current on-and-off tariff situation, the cost of the AirTag 2 is currently unclear.

AirTag 2 release date

It’s widely rumored that the AirTag 2 will be released in the middle of 2025. Since Apple’s annual WWDC event will take place June 9, that date seems highly likely for the announcement of the AirTag 2.

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Technologies

British Comedy Caper Deep Cover is the Perfect Film to Kick Off Cozy-Crime Summer

This hilarious movie on Prime Video should be at the top of everyone’s weekend watch list.

You can’t move for hit British crime shows right now. Whether it’s Dept. Q or Adolescence on Netflix; MobLand on Paramount Plus; or Slow Horses on Apple TV Plus (even if that one’s technically more of a spy show), gritty and binge-worthy content is showing up on the best streaming services, all delivered in a vibrant array of British accents.

But a shift is happening. We’re about to enter cozy-crime summer, when the genre will get an injection of lighthearted comedy, largely thanks to the much-anticipated adaptation of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club book series, set to land on Netflix this August.

In the meantime, Prime Video is getting in there first with Deep Cover — an action-comedy that flips the British crime script from serious to silly in the best possible way.

In the film, which arrives on Prime Video on June 12, an unlikely trio of improv actors, all of differing skill levels, is recruited as undercover police officers and infiltrates London’s underworld, theoretically to bust a drug ring. Needless to say, am-dram chaos ensues.

Bryce Dallas Howard plays a failed stand-up comic turned improv teacher who ropes her two most hapless students into the gang: a method actor with delusions of grandeur, played by Orlando Bloom, and a nervy IT office nerd, played by Nick Mohammed. Together the three, nicknaming themselves Bonnie, Roach and the Squire, fudge their way through meetings with gangland bosses, each more intimidating than the next, and somehow manage to find friendship and romance along the way.

I went to the film’s premiere at SXSW London last week and came away convinced that Deep Cover should be at the top of everyone’s watch list this weekend. The combination of comedy and action lands it squarely in crowd-pleaser territory, somewhere between Hot Fuzz and The Fall Guy.

Of Deep Cover’s three stars, it’s Mohammed who has the most established comedy chops and gets the biggest laughs (you’ll likely know him best as Nathan Shelley in Ted Lasso — the kit man who defects to become a rival coach). That’s not to say Bloom, who steps somewhat out of his comfort zone in this role, and Howard don’t also deliver. The chemistry between the three lead characters keeps you rooting for them long after their «yes, and…» improv approach to undercover work seems to be failing them.

The film’s director, Tom Kingsley, has also worked on the Bafta-winning TV show Stath Lets Flats (available on Max), which is simultaneously the most Greek and most British piece of television you could ever hope to watch, and which I’ve long been convinced is a work of significant comic genius. Deep Cover has the same echoes of awkward, almost farcical humor, but with an Amazon-size budget behind it.

Still, as Kingsley explained during a Q&A following the premiere, the budget was far smaller than anyone might expect for such a production. Bringing in bona fide Hollywood stars Bloom and Johnson attracted more funding, as did Amazon hopping on board. But the film was reportedly made on something of a shoestring by Hollywood standards.

Still, it’s easy to see where the injection of cash ended up. Deep Cover’s action scenes are sometimes outlandishly slapstick, perfectly befitting of the three clowns at their center, and at times so graphic or high octane that they don’t always jell with the overall tenor of the film. It’s a minor niggle in the scheme of things, and one that shouldn’t deter you.

For all its silliness and stunts, Deep Cover is ultimately a heartwarming tale about developing adult friendships at that stage in life when you might feel like the moments for such opportunities have passed.

If you’re looking for something easy and fun to watch this weekend, then look no further.