Apple AirTag

Apple AirTag is a small powered tag that is affixed to a physical item that allows an iPhone to track its location and if that item is lost go to a recovery mode to find the lost item. AirTag uses two tag technologies; NFC for close range tag identification and UWB (ultra-wideband) for longer range direction and distance location. When an iPhone is held near an AirTag, it detects the NFC tag and then responds; how it responds is based on if it is the owner of that AirTag and if that AirTag is in recovery mode or not. Companies such as Tile have a similar product, but the Apple magic comes from the broad adoption of the iPhone, as all iPhone models since the iPhone 11 have the ability to detect an AirTag when in recovery mode, thereby significantly increasing the likelihood that someone with an iPhone will find your lost item.