Bag and wallet trackers

What bag and wallet trackers are

They are not GPS devices. A tag has no satellite receiver and no cellular plan; it sends a Bluetooth signal that nearby phones pick up and report to its owner.

• Item finders: Apple and Pebblebee call them item finders; older models were sold as key finders.
• Bag tags: Coin and fob shapes ride on a key ring or a bag strap, or sit inside a suitcase.
• Wallet cards: Card-size trackers slip into a wallet slot or a passport pouch; Chipolo’s CARD is 2.5 mm thin.
• Two big networks: Apple’s Find My counts more than a billion iPhones, iPads and Macs; Google’s Find Hub draws on over a billion Android devices.
• One network at a time: Chipolo and Pebblebee tags pair with either Find My or Find Hub; switching takes a reset.
• Who makes them: Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Tile, Chipolo, Pebblebee and eufy sell trackers; Google’s Pixel Tag ships in November 2026.

How they work

A tag broadcasts a secure Bluetooth signal. Phones on its network that pass by send its approximate location to the owner, encrypted end to end, so only the owner can see it.

• Bluetooth range: Close by, your phone talks to the tag directly; makers quote up to 300–500 ft in the open, and walls cut that.
• Play a sound: Within range you ring the tag from the Find My or Find Hub app; out of range you see its last reported location.
• Ultra Wideband: A UWB chip lets a compatible phone show the exact distance and direction to the tag; Apple calls it Precision Finding.
• Channel Sounding: A Bluetooth 6.0 feature that measures distance; the moto tag 2 uses it with supported phones on Android 16.
• Lost Mode: Mark an AirTag lost and anyone who taps it with an NFC phone sees your message and phone number.
• Find your phone: Many tags ring your phone when you double-press their button, even when it is set to silent.

Types

• Coin tags: Round discs on a replaceable CR2032 coin cell, such as the AirTag and the moto tag 2; the AirTag needs a holder to attach.
• Tags with a hook: Chipolo POP, Chipolo LOOP and Pebblebee Clip 5 attach straight to a key ring or bag strap.
• Rechargeable tags: Pebblebee Clip 5 and Chipolo LOOP charge over USB-C and last up to a year per charge.
• Wallet cards: Thin cards for a wallet or passport holder; Chipolo CARD charges on a Qi wireless pad.
• Single-brand tags: Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag2 works with Samsung phones only; the AirTag needs an iPhone or iPad.
• Built into luggage: Samsonite builds Find Hub technology into compatible suitcases that pair out of the box.

What to look for

• Your phone’s network: Find My needs an iPhone, iPad or Mac; Find Hub needs Android 9 or later with Google Play services.
• Precision finding: UWB gives distance and direction; the 2nd-generation AirTag’s longer range works with iPhone 15 or later, except the 16e and 17e.
• How loud it rings: Chipolo rates its tags at about 110–125 dB; Apple says the new AirTag is 50% louder than the first.
• Battery type: A CR2032 coin cell swaps in seconds; a rechargeable tag needs a USB-C cable or a Qi pad.
• Water resistance: IP67 means dust-tight and up to 30 minutes in 1 m of water; IP55 means protection from dust and splashes.
• A way to attach: A built-in hole or loop saves buying a holder; a card shape suits a wallet.
• Unwanted-tracking alerts: Tags built to the Apple–Google specification warn iPhone and Android users when an unknown tag moves with them.

On the plane and on the trip

• Checked bags: The FAA allows Bluetooth baggage trackers in checked bags with 0.3 g of lithium or less, or a lithium-ion battery of 2.7 Wh or less.
• The 2022 test case: When Lufthansa questioned trackers in checked bags in October 2022, the FAA said AirTags meet the limit; German regulators agreed and Lufthansa allowed them.
• Spare coin cells: Spare lithium batteries go in carry-on bags only, with terminals protected from short circuit.
• Share with the airline: Find My’s Share Item Location sends an airline a secure link to your tag’s location; Apple counts more than 50 partner airlines, including Delta and United.
• Find Hub does it too: Since March 2026 Find Hub shares a tag’s location with participating airlines, among them the Lufthansa Group and Turkish Airlines.
• Links expire: On both networks the link stops when the item is back with you and expires after seven days.
• UWB abroad: Precision Finding is unavailable in countries and regions that restrict Ultra Wideband.

Limits and care

• Not live tracking: Out of range, the map shows only the last location a passing phone reported.
• Objects, not people: Apple designs AirTag to track items, not people or pets.
• Stalking safeguards: An AirTag away from its owner for 8 to 24 hours starts to beep, and phones alert people an unknown tag travels with.
• Coated coin cells: Chipolo uses Duracell cells with a bitter coating against swallowing; some coated cells do not make contact in an AirTag.
• Water resistance wears: Apple says water resistance is not permanent and can decrease with normal wear.
• Temperature range: Apple rates the AirTag for −20 to 60 °C (−4 to 140 °F).
• Privacy record: In September 2025 Georgia Tech researchers reported that Tile trackers broadcast identifying data unencrypted.

A short history

Tile delivered its first Bluetooth trackers in 2013; phones running the Tile app found them beyond Bluetooth range. Apple introduced AirTag on April 20, 2021, and it went on sale on April 30.

• October 2022: The FAA confirms AirTags are allowed in checked bags after a week of confusion at Lufthansa.
• April 2024: Google launches its Find My Device network of over a billion Android devices; Chipolo and Pebblebee tags follow in May.
• May 2024: Apple and Google start cross-platform alerts for unknown trackers in iOS 17.5 and Android.
• November 2024: Apple announces Share Item Location, with more than 15 airlines set to accept it.
• January 2026: Apple releases the 2nd-generation AirTag, with a louder speaker and longer Precision Finding range.
• March 2026: Find Hub, the renamed Find My Device, begins sharing lost-luggage locations with airlines.
• August 2026: Google announces the Pixel Tag, a Find Hub tracker with UWB, on sale November 11.