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For all of the privacy concerns surrounding Apple’s AirTags, they have turned out to be quite useful. People are using them to keep track of everything from pets to luggage.
They’ve been out for over a year and a half now… which means if you have some, the batteries might need replacing.
First, open the Find My App on iPhone and look for a low battery symbol.
To replace it, pick up the AirTag, and with the Apple logo facing you, press and twist.
The device takes a CR 2032 battery, those with bitter coatings might not work. (Bitter coatings make the batteries less appealing to kids who might put them in their mouth – the coating tastes so bad they are more likely to spit it out immediately.)
Once you’ve replaced the battery, twist the back on again.
If you hear a confirmation beep, that means you did it right.
For a similar device that’s half the price, check out Walmart’s onn Item Locator.
I picked one up at Walmart for about $15 dollars, which is half the price of an AirTag.
The neat thing is that it uses Apple’s same vast Find My network as the AirTag.
The battery is user replaceable and there’s a speaker to help you find it.
You can see the onn Item Locator’s last known location on a map, but unlike an AirTag, it doesn’t have precision finding, which means you can’t use special sensors in your iPhone to direct you to it when it’s close.
There is a built-in loop for a keyring, which is nice.
Finally, if you want a tracker that fits in your wallet, check out the Chipolo Card Spot.
It sells for $35 dollars and is about the size of a credit card. It also uses Apple’s Find My network.
Slip it in your wallet and you might never lose it again!
The Card Spot lets you see the last known location on a map and plays a sound to help you find it.
The downside is that you can’t replace the battery yourself. It will last for about 2 years and after that you can send the device back in to Chipolo to exchange for a new card at half the price.
Just beware, there is an earlier version called the Chipolo Card. This item does not use the Find My network, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
There are trackers for Android, too. Tile and Samsung Smart Tags are two of the most popular and it’s rumored that Google is coming out with a tracker of its own. Google I/O is just around the corner so perhaps they’ll announce it then.
