Technology
How to set up and use Apple AirTags to track items
You know that feeling when you reach into your pocket and realize something’s missing? That mini-panic attack moment? Well, say goodbye to those days, thanks to the Apple AirTag – the single smallest device that’s made keeping track of your stuff easier than ever before.
It’s funny, really. The AirTag is one of those things that doesn’t seem like a big deal until you have one. Then suddenly it’s like, how did I ever live without this?
And I’m not the only one who thinks so. I get a ton of questions about this personal stuff-tracking invention, especially when someone gets their hands on one or when the battery gives out after about a year, which, by the way, is a pretty good inning for such a tiny gadget. So, let’s dive into the setup, shall we?
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Apple AirTag in Find My app (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Setting up your AirTag
- First things first, grab your iPhone and head to the home screen.
- Got a new AirTag? Remove the battery tab (if it’s there) and hold it near your iPhone.
- A little Connect prompt will pop up on your screen; go ahead and tap that.
Steps to set up your AirTag (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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- Now you can name your AirTag. You can pick from the list or come up with a custom name.
Steps to set up your AirTag (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Tap Continue
- Register the AirTag or third-party item to your Apple ID
- Click Finish
Steps to set up your AirTag (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
How to locate an AirTag or other item in Find My on iPhone
You can use the Find My app to locate a missing AirTag or third-party item that you’ve registered to your Apple ID. If you have an iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro model, you can also find their exact location.
- Go to the Find My app on your iPhone and tap it
- Go to Items in the bottom right of the screen
Steps to locate an AirTag in Find My on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
- Then tap the item you want to locate
- If the item can be located: It appears on the map so you can see where it is. The location and timestamp appear below the item’s name. The item’s location is updated when it connects to the Find My network.
- If the item can’t be located: You see where and when it was last located. Below Notifications, turn on Notify When Found. You receive a notification once it’s located again.
Steps to locate an AirTag in Find My on iPhone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Be sure to allow notifications for the Find My app. See Change notification settings on iPhone.
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Play a sound
If the item is nearby, you can play a sound on it to help you find it.
Note: If you can’t play a sound on an item, you won’t see the Play Sound button.
- Tap Items at the bottom of the screen
- Then tap the item you want to play a sound on
- Tap Play Sound
- To stop playing the sound before it ends automatically, tap Stop Sound
Get directions to an item
You can get directions to an item’s current or last known location in the Maps app.
- Tap Items at the bottom of the screen
- Then tap the item you want to get directions to
- Tap Directions to open Maps
Find the precise location of an AirTag
If you have a supported iPhone and are near your AirTag, you can find the precise location of the AirTag.
- Tap Items at the bottom of the screen, then tap the nearby AirTag
- Tap Find
- Do any of the following:
- Start moving around to locate the AirTag and follow the onscreen instructions. You may see an arrow pointing in the direction of the AirTag, an approximate distance telling you how far away it is, and a note if it’s located on a different floor.
- Tap the speaker icon to play a sound on the AirTag
- When you locate the AirTag, tap the X
Steps to find the precise location of an AirTag (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Share an AirTag or other item in Find My on iPhone
If you want to share an item that’s paired with an AirTag (or a third-party item that works with Find My), you can share it in Find My so that the borrower can see it on a map and find it. If it’s nearby, Find My can play a sound, and if you’re using a supported iPhone, you can find its precise location. People you’re sharing items with don’t receive tracking notifications when the items are moving with them.
You can share an AirTag or other item with up to five borrowers in addition to yourself, for a total of six users per item, as long as the following requirements are met:
- Two-factor authentication must be turned on for your Apple ID.
- The person you share with must have an Apple ID and be signed in to iCloud with their Apple ID. You can’t share with a child account.
- The owner and borrowers must have iCloud Keychain turned on.
Share an AirTag
- Open the Find My app on your iPhone
- Then tap Items
- Tap the name of the AirTag or item you want to share
- Then tap Add Person below Share This AirTag (or Share This Item)
- Enter the Apple ID of the person you want to add. To add more people, tap the plus sign with a circle around it
- Tap the name of the person you want to share with
- Then tap their Apple ID
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each person you want to add.
- When you’re finished adding borrowers, tap Share in the top-right corner. A list of everyone you invited appears on the item’s main screen, along with the status of their invitations.
When a recipient agrees to an invitation, the corresponding AirTag will be displayed under “Items” in the “Find My” app. They will also receive a notification about the item share. Conversely, if the invitation is declined, the recipient’s name will be deleted from the list, and the item will no longer be visible to you.
Kurt’s key takeaways
The Apple AirTag may be small, but it’s mighty. It’s changed the game for forgetful folks everywhere, and with each update, it just gets better. So, whether you’re tracking your keys, your bag, or even your pet that likes to wander off, the AirTag has got your back.
How has the introduction of personal tracking devices like the Apple AirTag impacted your daily life and sense of security? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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When Oregon resident Isabelle Reksopuro heard Google was gobbling up public land to fuel its data centers in her home state, she didn’t initially know what to believe. “There’s a lot of misinformation about data centers,” she said. “Google has denied taking that land.”
Technically, she explains, The Dalles, a city near the Washington state border, sought to reclaim that land, “and Google is just a big, unnamed power user.” The city had in fact asked for ownership of a 150-acre portion of Mount Hood National Forest, claiming it needs access to Mount Hood’s watershed to meet municipal needs as its population — 16,010 as of the 2020 census — grows. But critics, including environmentalists, say the city is trying to secure more water for Google, which has a sprawling data center campus in The Dalles that already consumes about one-third of the city’s water supply.
This controversy made Reksopuro curious about the backlash to data centers being built in other communities. So Reksopuro, a student at the University of Washington who studies the connections between tech and public policy, decided to map it out. Using information collected by Epoch AI and data scraped from legislation on data centers, she built an interactive map tracking AI policy around the world. She designed it to be simple enough for anyone to use. “I wanted it to be something that my younger sisters could play through and explore to understand what are the data centers in the area and what’s actually being done about it,” Reksopuro said. She hoped to shift their opinions that way, “instead of like, through TikTok.”
Four times a day, the map searches for new sources and checks them against the existing database Reksopuro built out. “Once it does that, it will write a new summary, add it to the news feed, and populate it on the sidebar,” she said. “I wanted it to be self-updating, since I’m also a student.”
Reksopuro isn’t against data centers, but she thinks tech giants benefit from a lack of transparency around data center policies. “Right now, it’s this really opaque thing — and all of a sudden, there’s a facility,” she said. “I think that if people knew about data centers beforehand, it would give them leverage. They would be able to negotiate: ask for job training programs, tax revenue, environmental monitoring, things to improve their community.”
UCF commencement speaker Gloria Caulfield (University of Central Florida via Storyful)
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– UCF graduates clobber commencement speaker with boos after she says AI is the ‘next Industrial Revolution’
– OPINION: DIRECTOR KASH PATEL: We brought the FBI out of the past and into the AI age
– OpenAI backs creation of global AI governance body led by the U.S. that would include China as a member
TOUGH CROWD: During a recent commencement ceremony at the University of Central Florida, a speaker was met with loud boos from the graduating class after declaring that artificial intelligence represents the next industrial revolution. Fox News Digital reporting captures this tense cultural moment, illustrating the mixed public sentiment and skepticism surrounding AI’s growing footprint in daily life.
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FBI Director Kash Patel listened as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a press conference at the Department of Justice on April 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
STRATEGY RESET: Tech giant Cisco is planning to eliminate thousands of jobs as the company shifts its primary focus to accelerate its artificial intelligence initiatives, a move that comes despite the company beating earnings expectations. Fox News Digital reporting details the corporate restructuring and broader economic trends pushing legacy tech firms to aggressively pivot toward AI.
ROAD HAZARD: Waymo is issuing a sweeping recall of its autonomous vehicle fleet following a concerning incident that highlighted significant safety issues with the self-driving technology. Fox News Digital reporting outlines the specifics of the recall, the nature of the safety flaw, and what this setback means for the future of fully autonomous transportation on public roads.
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Microsoft Edge is adding a new feature that will allow its Copilot AI chatbot to gather information from all of your open tabs. When you start a conversation with Copilot, you can ask the chatbot questions about what’s in your tabs, compare the products you’re looking at, summarize your open articles, and more.
In its announcement, Microsoft says you can “select which experiences you want or leave off the ones you don’t.” The company is retiring Copilot Mode as well, which could similarly draw information from your tabs but offered some agentic features, like the ability to book a reservation on your behalf. Microsoft has since folded these agentic capabilities into its “Browse with Copilot” tool.
Several other AI features are coming to Edge, including an AI-powered “Study and Learn” mode that can turn the article you’re looking at into a study session or interactive quiz. There’s a new tool that turns your tabs into AI-powered podcasts as well, similar to what you’d find on NotebookLM, and an AI writing assistant that will pop up when you start entering text on a webpage.
You can also give Copilot permission to access your browsing history to provide more “relevant, high-quality answers,” according to Microsoft. Copilot in Edge on desktop and mobile will come with “long-term memory” as well, which can tailor its responses based on your previous conversations. And, when you open up a new tab, you’ll see a redesigned page that combines chat, search, and web navigation, along with the Journeys feature, which uses AI to organize your browsing history into categories that you can revisit.
Meanwhile, an update to Edge’s mobile app will allow you to share your screen with Copilot and talk through the questions about what you’re seeing. Microsoft says you’ll see “clear visual cues” when Copilot is active, “so you know when it’s taking an action, helping, listening, or viewing.”
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