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.

Behind closed doors at Summer Game Fest, I sat down to play a new game published by Bandai Namco that’s tailor-made for Hades fans: Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, which has its own take on the roguelike hack-and-slash genre. And, yes, a playable hot hybrid fish-man.

Towa’s isometric combat looks a lot like Hades at first glance, and shares some of the same basic structure. Players start at a hub area and start runs going through a series of gated battlefields filled with enemies. After they’re defeated, you’re granted a boon — an upgrade to your skills, weapons, currency reward and so on. Hades players will be able to pick this up with ease when Towa launches on Sept. 18.

Towa, developed by studio Brownies, Inc., has its own anime style and diverse group of fighters that sets it apart from Hades. In it, the titular Towa, a priestess of the tranquil Shinju village, charges eight guardians with defeating the evil Magatsu and his minions. With different combat styles, players pick one of these heroes to control and another for spell-casting backup (which a second player can pick up and control, too) to send into battle.

Setting aside, it’s clear that Towa takes a lot of inspiration from Hades in its gameplay, which Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree director Shuhei Yamashita acknowledged.

«Of course, we have respect for Hades, and I had early access to that, and when I played it, the maneuverability was interesting, so that’s something that we referenced,» Yamashita said. «And the roguelike system, you have a unique maneuverability and you can really incorporate a unique element to it, so that’s something that we have put into our game.»

Towa is visually striking, with an anime look and vibrant colors — and even though players wield two swords like samurai, the game stands apart from the recent vogue of period titles like Assassins’ Creed Shadows and Ghost of Tsushima with its setting in a peaceful village. 

«Rather than going with samurai and historical days with a more realistic style, Brownies created this game that we wanted to be more fantastical — not necessarily Japanese, but the kind of Eastern fantasy-type artwork that would be more attractive,» said Yamashita.

Apart from the game’s aesthetics, Towa stands out for its different take on combat. The players’ two swords — a main-hand honzashi and off-hand wakizashi — wear down quickly with every slash, kind of like the durability meter in Monster Hunter World’s weapon system. You’ll need to swap between the two swords to sharpen them (a move that comes with a short dash), which adds a rhythm to combat as you switch back and forth.

But unlockable boons and upgrades will add variety to your play style. Some are straight damage, others add effects to your swords like knockback or trigger things like shockwaves when using a spell. The devs sitting alongside my demo hinted that you may even find boons that incentivize unorthodox strategies, like keeping your blades dull to unleash different attacks. There’s a depth to the combat that I didn’t scratch the surface of during my brief time with the game.

I also didn’t get a deep look at how the eight fighters differ — aside from the fish-man Nishiki, there’s a rotund Shiba Inu and six other anime-looking heroes to choose from. I chose the hunky fish-man as my main while selecting Origami, the fighter covered in folded paper armor, as my spellcaster and dove into a run.

With a mix of melee and ranged enemies, the latter of which show the path for their attacks, Towa has some overlap with Hades’ design. But the weapon switching mechanic is a notable difference, as are the spells — my sidekick Origami had one with an area of attack mechanic that I could splash groups of enemies with. 

In practice, remembering to switch between weapons when they dulled took time to learn, and I kept forgetting to use my spells. It also took me a while to sort out that my health bar at the bottom of the screen was split between my main fighter and backup spellcaster. But the game can get overwhelming with all the area attacks and flashy skill effects, so it’s easy to lose your hero in the fireworks.

After several rooms of enemies, I squared off against the mid-run boss and soundly defeated it, then moved into a merchant room where I could spend currency on upgrades — all familiar territory for Hades fans. But just before advancing on the main boss, I entered a calm room overlooking a vista with a campfire. Here is where your heroes will take a breath and chat to share their backstories and more details about the world, fleshing out the characters and the game’s lore.

«Towa is a very story-focused game, so you could find as much story as you would normally find with RPG games,» Yamashita said, noting that the characters you bring on runs with you deepen their relationships as you converse at these campfires.

Brimming with confidence — a little too much, sadly — I waltzed into the boss room and gave it everything I had, including Nishiki’s ultimate ability for massive AOE damage. These charge up with attacks, and certain upgrades can speed up their recharge rate. Despite some nimble dashing and damage, and whittling down the boss to a quarter of its health, I succumbed. (Later in the weekend, I was told that only seven players at Summer Game Fest had taken down the boss at the time.)

Players won’t have long to wait for their own chance to try out a unique spin on roguelike combat. Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree comes out Sept. 18 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch for $30.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

So, there’s kind of a dad joke in today’s NYT Mini Crossword. 4-Across is «dessert wine,» and 6-Across is «desert whine.» You can almost hear the rimshot from here. Thankfully, today’s puzzle is no joke, it’s pretty simple. But you could still get stumped. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue:  House and Doogie Howser, for short
Answer: MDS

4A clue: Dessert wine
Answer: PORT

5A clue: Mugful after a sledding excursion
Answer: COCOA

6A clue: Desert whine?
Answer: IMHOT

7A clue: «Like, yesterday!»
Answer: ASAP

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Chocolate-and-coffee drink
Answer: MOCHA

2D clue: Sag
Answer: DROOP

3D clue: Three-point percentage, e.g.
Answer: STAT

4D clue: Poofy toy dogs, familiarly
Answer: POMS

5D clue: Org. that employs Jack Ryan in Tom Clancy novels
Answer: CIA

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.