Will Airtags Work Inside Luggage?

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Written By Dinu Sri

Dr H. T. D. S. Madusanka is an electronic expert with 10 years of experience, involved in the research and development of SMART HOME systems.

Apple released Airtag in April last year. Since then, people using it with many of their personal items. Watching all the crazy popularity, you might think, what are airtags used for? 

Well, the mechanism of Airtag is simple. Yet it has so many advanced features and technologies you are bound to become amazed. There are so many ways you can use an Airtag? But will it work inside luggage? Or can you attach Airtag with your luggage and track when it’s lost? 

These are the questions I will give the answer to in this article. You’ll know if there is any security threat of Airtags inside an airport and plane. So, let’s fire away. 

Will Airtags Work Inside Luggage? 

Apple Airtag is an excellent tracking device. It can work from anywhere as long as there is a Bluetooth connection and your Airtag is not dead. That’s why Airtag will work inside the luggage. Bluetooth connection can penetrate luggage, and you can put an Airtag inside without any worry. It will keep sending location information. 

Suppose you are going somewhere and have a lot of luggage. It’s always difficult to keep track of all of them, especially if you are alone. In that case, a tracking device like Apple Airtag will come in handy. You can always keep your eye on all the luggage and know where they exactly are. 

As a result, the possibility of losing comes down to zero. Even if they get lost, you can always tell the airport or train station officials where your luggage exactly is. That’s because Airtags work inside the luggage. If you keep them inside the luggage, they will work flawlessly without any issue. 

Airtags use Low Energy Bluetooth to send its location direction. Bluetooth can work through any luggage, so you won’t have problems locating your Airtag. Besides, Airtag uses ultra-Wideband technology that boosts the Bluetooth signal and helps locate the tracker. 

Apple has used the U1 chip inside this tracking device. This powerful chip helps provide a precision direction that you can access through the Find My app. Because of the pinpoint location, you can tell exactly where your luggage is. On top of that, you can make sounds out of your Airtag to locate it when you are near. 

Can You Put Apple Airtags In Luggage?

Yes, you can use Apple Airtags in your luggage. It will give you a sense of peace knowing that your luggage is under surveillance and you can always keep your eye on them. So, whenever you are going somewhere by Air or Train, clinging an Airtag to your luggage will keep them safe. 

With an Airtag attached, you can see the location and direction of your luggage. So, if it’s within the Bluetooth range and you can’t see it around, you can use the Find My app and reach for your luggage by using the direction on the map. While searching for it, you can make sounds from the device to locate it. 

But if you are not within the Bluetooth range or have lost your luggage far away, you can locate it. You just have to put your Airtag on Lost Mode, and then nearby other iPhone users can connect to it, and you’ll receive a notification. 

Airtag Inside Or Outside Of Luggage

You can use Airtag both inside and outside of your luggage. This tracker will work very well in both cases. Airtag is an advanced tracking device that uses Low Energy Bluetooth to send location information. Besides, it uses high-tech technology like Ultra-Wideband and a very powerful U1 chip. 

As a result, you’ll get an exact location pin, and the Bluetooth connection can penetrate any type of luggage. So, inside or outside luggage, your Airtag will work fine both ways. If you want to keep your Airtag inside the luggage, you can just keep it safely inside it. 

Make sure it doesn’t break from violent shaking. But if you want to cling the Airtag outside, you must use a case. Airtags do not have any adhesive on them. Besides, the magnet it has is fragile. So, without using a case, you won’t be able to attach it to your luggage. 

You will find various types of accessory cases for Airtags. Some of them have solid adhesive backs; some are magnetic. Apart from that, you’ll find various other cases that you can use to attach your Airtag to the luggage firmly. 

Can You Use Airtags On a Plane?

Airtag is not like conventional trackers; it doesn’t use old technologies. Instead of GPS, Airtags use a Low Energy Bluetooth connection to send location data and stay connected with your phone. That’s why Airtags are safe and have no security threat. 

As a result, you can use Airtag everywhere, including on planes. Because Airtags use a secure Bluetooth connection that is anonymous to send signals to your iPhone, and you can access it through the Find My app, it’s perfectly fine to use them on an airplane. 

It does not use cellular data or the internet; that’s why you do not have to power them down during takeoff or landing. On top of that, FAA has no restrictions on Airtags. So, you can use them inside an Airport and, of course, on the plane since their security features, encryptions, and firewalls are very strong and secure. 

How Do You Find Lost Luggage Using Airtag? 

You can easily find your lost luggage using Airtags. The whole purpose of using Airtags is to find stuff when they are lost, and this tracking device does it very well. If your luggage is lost in an airport or a station, you can show officials the location of your luggage, or you can find them yourself quite easily.  

If your Airtag is within the Bluetooth range, go to Find My app and click on the Airtag you’ve attached with your luggage. You will see a direction to your luggage on the map. Follow the direction, and you’ll get your luggage. You can make sounds from the Airtag, which will help you find it quickly. 

But, if your Airtag is not within the Bluetooth range, you must put it on Lost Mode. Then other iPhone users can locate it for you. Here’s how you can find lost luggage using your Airtag: 

  • Firstly, you have to put your Airtag on Lost Mode. You can do it from the Find My app. 
  • Now, anyone with an iPhone and the Find My app can locate your Airtag if they are nearby. When they connect, you’ll receive a notification. 
  • Then you have to access the location information using the FMP server. You will need an internet connection for that. 
  • You can share your contact details with the person connected to your Airtag. 
  • When they tap on your Airtag, they will get your contact information. But for that, they need NFC enabled on their phone. 
  • Finally, they can contact you and tell you exactly where your Airtag or luggage is. 

That’s how you can locate your lost luggage with an Airtag in it. So, you can see how handy an Airtag can come in finding lost luggage. 

Are Airtags The Future Of Baggage Tracking?

Apple has introduced Airtags as a personal item tracking. You can attach this hi-tech tracker to your stuff like wallets, keys, backpacks, luggage, and other items. And after that, you will be able to track them down if they become misplaced. You can use them on your luggage while traveling.  

Sometimes luggage gets lost inside airports and stations. Especially in the busy airports and stations, with so many people and baggage, it becomes very difficult to find lost luggage. But if you have an Airtag attached to it, you can easily find your luggage. 

You can tell the officer or people in charge the location, and they will find it for you. Airtags can be handy if your luggage gets lost in a busy place. So, it is safe to say that Airtag can be the future of baggage tracking. 

How Waterproof Is Airtag? 

Apple Airtags are pretty good at resisting water. It has an IP67 waterproof rating. That means it will be able to resist water very effectively. Airtag can resist water, splash, sweat, and other kinds of moisture. So, you do not need to worry about a bit of rain or water splashing. 

Besides, it can work underwater. An Airtag will work and send location information up to 1 meter in water for 30 minutes. So, its waterproof performance is pretty good as well. Some water won’t damage the tracker. But ensure you do not use it further down than one meter and for longer. 

In that case, your Airtag might become dead. So, ensure you do not keep it underwater for long. And always clean your Airtag if there is any water splash or sweat on it. 

Here’s how water resistance works in various situations: 

SituationsAirtag Performance
Water SplashVery Good
SweatVery Good
Rain WaterModerate
Underwater Up To 1 MeterWorks Well For 30 Minutes
Underwater Beyond 1MeterDoes Not Work

Do Airtags Work Internationally? 

Airtags have no boundaries. They will essentially work from anywhere worldwide as long as they have power and their Bluetooth connection is working. Yes, Apple Airtags use a secure Low Energy Bluetooth connection to send location information to its registered iCloud. 

If your Airtag is within your iPhone’s Bluetooth range, then you can track it directly using the Find My app. But if you are far from your Airtag, you can put it on Lost Mode, and other iPhone users can locate it and connect to it. You’ll receive a notification when they connect to your Artag. So, your Airtag will work from any corner of the world. 

Do Airtags Pose Any Threat?

Airtag is just a tracking device that uses a secure Bluetooth connection to send location information and stay connected to its paired device. It does not require any cell service or internet to work. It doesn’t even use a GPS connection to send location data. That’s why it is pretty much safe and secure. 

Apple has provided strong chips with Airtags. Besides, they have very powerful encryptions and firewalls. That’s why they are almost impossible to hack. So, there is no security threat. As a result, they are allowed to airports and airplanes. 

FAA has no restrictions on Airtag’s use in airports and planes. Since it does not use any cellular service or internet, you do not have to put it down on airplanes. So, Airtags are safe and secure, and you won’t have to worry about privacy. 

Final Thoughts 

Since Airtags use a Bluetooth connection that can penetrate luggage material, it will work inside the luggage. You can attach it outside the luggage. Just make sure it does not break inside the luggage from pressure or does not slip away from the outside. I would suggest using a protective cover. 

References 

Krol, J. (2022, June 20 ). Why AirTags are the ultimate travel companion this summer. Retrieved from CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/travel/travel-apple-airtags