SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 6, 2026, 01:39 PST
- iFixit found Apple’s AirTag 2 keeps a familiar design but can still be altered to disable its audible chime
- Early reviews say the practical gain is range: Precision Finding kicks in from farther away, though full benefits need newer iPhones
- A separate tip circulating online highlights Apple Watch tracking from the wrist, but setup can be clunky
A teardown of Apple’s second-generation AirTag has raised fresh questions about how hard it is to defeat the tracker’s audible alert, even as Apple sells the new model on a louder speaker and longer-range tracking.
The detail matters now because AirTag 2 only hit the market last month, and the first wave of teardowns and reviews is helping buyers decide whether the upgrade is real-world useful or just a spec bump.
It also lands in a touchy spot for the category. Item trackers are pitched for keys, bags and luggage, but the devices have faced scrutiny when misused, pushing makers to add warnings and alerts that flag unknown trackers nearby.
Repair site iFixit said it opened the AirTag 2 and found a redesigned speaker and a new Ultra Wideband chip. Even so, iFixit was still able to disable the speaker’s chime, MacRumors reported, after earlier teardowns suggested the speaker was harder to remove than on the first AirTag. Macrumors
Ultra Wideband, or UWB, is a short-range radio used for more precise direction and distance. On Apple devices it powers “Precision Finding,” the feature that can guide a user toward a misplaced item with a pointer and distance readout rather than a rough location.
In a review, Engadget’s Mat Smith said the range gains were the most noticeable change. “The 50 percent increase in Precision Finding range is a conservative estimate,” he wrote, saying the “getting closer” prompt appeared at about 80 feet in his testing versus roughly 30 to 40 feet for an older AirTag; he also noted that the bigger boost requires an iPhone 15 or newer. Smith was less impressed by Apple’s accessories pricing: “A $35 keyring for a $29 tracker is a very tough sell, Apple.” Aivanet
Separately, Supercar Blondie highlighted a tip from U.S. tech YouTuber HotshotTek that points to wrist-based tracking: users with an Apple Watch Series 9 or newer can add a “Find Items” shortcut to the watch’s Control Center to start Precision Finding without pulling out an iPhone. The outlet reported HotshotTek said setup could be buggy and crash during configuration. Supercarblondie
Apple’s pitch for AirTag 2 is straightforward: it works the same way, but from farther away and with a chime that cuts through noise. That is aimed squarely at the most common complaint about the first AirTag — not whether it could find an item, but how quickly it could get you into the last few steps.
AirTag still sits in a crowded tracker market that includes Tile and Samsung’s SmartTag line. Apple’s edge remains its Find My network — the crowdsourced location system that uses nearby Apple devices to relay the tag’s approximate location while keeping the owner’s identity private.
The risk for Apple is that any evidence the chime can be neutralized, even if it takes more effort than before, keeps the safety debate alive. A louder speaker helps people find their own keys faster, but the same hardware is part of how others might notice a tracker that does not belong to them.
For buyers, the decision may come down to hardware they already own. The strongest upgrades lean on newer iPhones and recent Apple Watches, while older devices still get basic tracking but may not see the full jump in Precision Finding performance.
