Apple announced its second-generation AirTag this week, with promises of improved range, a louder ringer, more security, and the same design and form factor as the original tag. The chief feature, though, is the new U1 UWB chip that is said to improve precision finding and propel the AirTag (2nd gen) far ahead of most of its competitors, many of which still don’t even have a UWB chip.
However, in true Apple fashion, there are still lots of missing and potentially old-school features in the new tag, including the lack of cross-platform compatibility (because Apple, duh). This leaves the field of Bluetooth tracker competitors very much alive and blooming, and since I’ve been testing many of these trackers for the last 18 months, I’ll let you in on a secret: There are better trackers out there that work both on Android and iOS, and you should buy them instead.