If you're one of the riders hiding one of Apple's original AirTags on your bicycle as a theft prevention and recovery tool, you may be interested to know that Apple has an updated version coming soon, sometimes called "AirTag 2." Let's take a look at the new features coming in Apple's refreshed AirTag 2, and how they might benefit cyclists.
Increased range, with a new wireless chip
A new, updated wireless chip in the AirTag 2 will likely lead to increased range. If you're using an AirTag 2 for bicycle security, more range greatly benefits you - it means a stolen bike would need to be moved further away from iOS devices before dropping off the Find My network - and that means a better chance of recovering a stolen bike.
Some pre-release rumors claim triple the range of the original AirTag (think up to about 300 feet, instead of 100 feet.)
AirTag stalking
The original AirTag design works well, but also attracted some complaints of "stalking" - that occurs when a third party drops an AirTag in a car, purse, or backpack that doesn't belong to them, then uses the technology to track a person without their knowledge. Clearly, this has potential for abuse.
If Apple makes privacy "improvements" in the AirTag 2, however, those changes could actually make it harder to use an AirTag 2 for bicycle tracking.
Improved "anti-stalking" notifications for Android users
AirTag 2 is rumored to provide enhanced anti-stalking notifications for Android users. Again, while "anti-stalking" features are important and admirable, these privacy features may actually work against AirTag 2 users who want to use the technology for anti-theft and stolen property recovery purposes.
Tamper-proof speaker
On the original AirTag design, if an AirTag was traveling with an unknown iPhone user (like a thief), that user would receive an alert on the phone, "AirTag detected near you", followed by the AirTag playing a sound on its speaker to further notify people that aren't the AirTag owner that an AirTag is nearby.
That's great for privacy - but folks who wanted to use AirTags to track stolen property don't want the AirTag to notify the thief. So sophisticated users disabled the AirTag speaker to stop the noise notification.
Sadly, in regards to the upcoming AirTag 2, the design is rumored to include a "tamper-proof speaker", possibly preventing this modification.
Improved water resistance
Some rumors sites indicate that the AirTag 2 design might include updated water resistance. The current AirTag design carries an IP67 rating - already pretty good for bicycle use - but improved water resistance like IP68 would make AirTags hidden in saddle bags, underneath water bottle cages, and within bicycle frame tubes even more resistant to water damage.
What about bitter CR2032 batteries in AirTag 2?
Remember the issue where bitter, child-safety coated CR2032 batteries don't work in some heart rate monitors and power meters? AirTags can have the same problem!
AirTag 2 will almost certainly use the same CR2032 batteries as the original AirTag to maintain compatibility and form factor. Hopefully, the AirTag 2 will use a different internal design, changing the battery contact placement for wider compatibility with bitter coated child safety CR2032 batteries.
If your AirTag or AirTag 2 needs a battery replacement, you may wish to shop for CR2032 batteries that are explicitly labeled as "AirTag compatible" to avoid this scenario.
Finally, will there be wireless charging?
I doubt that Apple will implement a rechargeable battery or wireless charging in the AirTag 2 design. While it would be a convenient, quality-of-life improvement, the disposable CR2032 batteries used in the current AirTag design tend to last about a year - plenty of time to attempt to recover a stolen bike! Set an alarm to change them at the same time you change out your smoke detector batteries and they'll never reach 0%.