The iPhones That AirTags Will (and Won’t) Work With

Apple’s AirTags are really useful Bluetooth trackers, but they won’t work to their full potential if you have an older iPhone. Here’s what you need to know.

By Tucker Bowe and Eric Limer

Published July 3, 2024

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Updated July 3, 2024

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Apple’s AirTags — the little Bluetooth trackers that can help you find your keys, your bag or whatever else you attach them to — have been out in the world since early 2021. The $29 discs make keeping track of your devices a lot easier, but there is a catch: they don’t work with every iPhone.

What are AirTags?

Apple AirTags — An AirTag is about the size of Mentos. Or a Checker piece.

At their core, AirTags are incredibly simple. The Mentos-looking gadgets are functionally tracking devices (though they do have features designed to prevent their use for tracking people).

Each AirTags disc includes a Bluetooth transmitter and one of Apple’s U1 chips, which are powered by a disposable CR2032 battery that can keep the AirTag running for about a year.

How do AirTags work?

AirTags use Apple’s “Find My” app on your iPhone, which can find a number of different gadgets, including some not made by Apple, by using the web of Apple devices everyone owns to relay location information back to you securely. If you misplace your AirTagged item, you are able to use the app to call up its location, or trigger the AirTag to make a sound.

But your iPhone will need to support iOS 14.5 (or later) in order to work with AirTags. That means AirTags will not work with iPhones older than the iPhone 6s, which do not support iOS 14.

Beyond simple Bluetooth chirping, AirTags also enable a feature called “Precision Finding,” which can show an arrow on your phone that points directly to the object using haptic and augmented reality guidance. This feature requires Apple’s U1 chip in both devices to function, which means only certain devices can do it.

What is Apple’s U1 chip?

The U1 chip is a small radio transmitter that uses “Ultrawide Band” (UWB) radio waves to locate the exact position of devices. Unlike Bluetooth-based proximity detection, which tries to see what’s nearby by looking at the strength of the signal, the U1 chip can determine extremely precise location information by calculating the time it takes for radio waves to bounce from one device to another at the speed of light.

In short, it’s like a radar chip that can signal and detect other chips of the same type.

Which iPhones have Apple’s U1 chip?

The following iPhone models have Apple’s U1 chip and are able to use Precision Tracking to find an AirTag.

iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max

The iPhone X is the newest iPhone that does not have Apple’s U1 chip. That means that basic tracking features will work in the Find My app, but the iPhone X and XR cannot use the advanced “Precision Finding” feature.

What is Apple’s U2 chip?

With its iPhone 15 lineup, Apple debuted the second-generation of its Ultra Wideband chip, and it’s significant for a few reasons. The coolest thing is that it allows you and other iPhone 15 (any model) owners to share your locations with each other and then use Precision Finding to find each other. In the event that one of you misplace your iPhone 15, you can also use another iPhone 15 to pinpoint its exact location.

The other neat thing is that Apple integrated the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip in the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Ultra Watch 2. This means that for the first time, you can use Precision Finding on your Apple Watch to find your iPhone (and vice versa to find your Apple Watch).