GPS is the first thing that comes to mind when people think of location tracking or an AirTag. It’s no wonder since GPS is associated with location tracking.
Many people wonder if their AirTag has GPS and If it doesn’t, how else the AirTag works.
In this article, you will find if your AirTag has GPS, how an AirTag can share its precise location, and what kind of tech it uses.
Does An AirTag Have GPS Tracking?
No. An AirTag does not have GPS, and it doesn’t have any GPS tracking system capabilities. An AirTag uses Bluetooth LE and a vast Find My network with over a billion Apple devices to share its location precisely.
GPS stands for Global Positioning System, and it is one of the most commonly used techs for tracking the location of any item using a GPS tracker or apps such as Google Maps or Apple Maps.
GPS inside the tracker uses satellite, cell towers, or Wi-Fi networks to send their location, and the GPS tracker itself can send the location details without depending on any phone. But that’s not the case when it comes to the AirTag side of things.
The Apple AirTag does not have a GPS module inside. So the AirTag does not use GPS. AirTag only has Bluetooth (Low Energy Bluetooth), and it works by connecting to nearby Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch to transmit its precise location.
How Far Can You Track An AirTag?
A GPS tracker can be tracked from anywhere in the world, and since the AirTag does not have GPS, you might wonder how far away you can track an AirTag from.
An AirTag can be tracked from miles away, even from the other part of the world, as long as it is within the Bluetooth range of any Apple device connected to the Find My network.
If the AirTag is within the Bluetooth range of your iPhone and does not have access to the Find My network, you can locate it at a maximum distance of 50 to 60 m.
On the other hand, if the AirTag is outside the Bluetooth coverage, you can track the AirTag from anywhere in the world as long as it is within the Bluetooth range of any Apple device such as iPhone, iPad, or MacBook.
If you want to know more about how an AirTag works, continue reading.
How Does An AirTag Work?
An AirTag sends Bluetooth signals to nearby Apple devices connected to the Find My network and connects directly to your iPhone if it is within the Bluetooth range.
There are two ways one can find the precise location and track an in two ways AirTag.
The first is if it is within the Bluetooth range of your iPhone, and the second is if it is far away from your iPhone’s Bluetooth range.
If the AirTag is near your iPhone, it uses Bluetooth to directly find the precise location without the need to connect to the Find My network or the Internet.
On the other hand, if your AirTag is far away from your iPhone, it uses the find my network to be discoverable.
As mentioned earlier, an AirTag comes with Bluetooth LE. The AirTag sends Bluetooth signals and connects to nearby Apple devices to share its location in the Find My network.
Then you can log in to the Find My app on your iPhone and tracks its real-time location directly.
The only catch here is that the AirTag should be near an Apple device connected to the Internet and part of the Find My network.
Since there are more than 1.8 billion Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watch, and more, you wouldn’t find it challenging to track your AirTag unless it is lost in a deep forest or ocean.
It is also to be noted that if no Apple devices come with the Bluetooth range of the AirTag, you won’t be able to track the same.
How To Track An AirTag?
Now that you know what tech an AirTag uses and how it works let’s see how to easily track it using the Find My app on your iPhone.
Open the Find My app on your iPhone.
Tap the Items icon on the options towards the bottom of the screen.
Tap the AirTag that you want to track.
Tap the Directions button.
Now a map will appear showing you the exact location of the AirTag.
You may tap the ‘Directions’ button to get directions to the exact location of the AirTag as well.
You can set up multiple AirTags and track all of them in the ‘Items’ section in the Find My app.
If your AirTag does not update its location, see how to refresh the location and how to fix AirTag unreachable error.
What’s Next?
An AirTag does not use GPS. It uses Bluetooth to be discoverable. An AirTag connects to the Find My network through an Apple device such as iPhone, iPad, MacBook, or Apple Watch.
If the AirTag is near any 1.8 billion Apple device, you can open the Find My app on your iPhone and track it’s precise location easily.