Apple leaker has shared more information today regarding the upcoming AirTags.
The first thing Fudge shared was that the AirTags will be able to connect to iPhones, iPads, and iPods that do not have the U1 chip inside. The U1 chip was added to the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro series last year, but has yet to appear in any other devices.
Apple claims that the iPhone uses the U1 chip for spacial awareness. Apple says that the U1 chip enables the iPhone 11 to calculate the phone’s position in the room and be able to calculate the distance between your phone and another U1-enabled device.
But, it would now seem that Apple will be making the AirTags compatible with all recent iPhones, and not just the most recent 11 series. However, Fudge does mention that the U1-chip will still probably be needed for the AR location feature.
Fudge also confirmed that the AirTags will have Activation Lock, a feature that makes sure that no one other than you can use your Apple devices if they are lost or stolen. Activation Lock is on iOS, Macs with a T2 chip, Apple Watches, and more. Fudge is suggesting that Apple will be bringing Activation Lock to AirTags, meaning that only you can use it.
Fudge also talks about how AirTags will have a built-in-speaker (of sorts) that will play sounds and noises. This is probably similar to the ‘Play A Sound’ feature on the ‘Find My’ app, and will emit a sound to help you find you AirTags.
Alongside the speaker, Fudge also says that the AirTags will come with an accelerometer, which detects motion. Fudge does not elaborate on this, so we don’t know entirely what it is for.
The most recent thing Fudge announced was that the AirTags may come in multiple different colours, which could be really cool. However, if AirTags are anything like AirPods, colours might not ever arrive.
At the moment, that is all Fudge shared regarding the upcoming AirTags, but he is still sharing information on Twitter at the moment, so if he posts anything else, this article will be updated!