They’re Powered with a $1 Battery

Contrary to earlier rumours that suggested AirTags might incorporate rechargeable batteries and wireless charging, they’ve gone with the much more practical (and inexpensive) approach of powering them with a standard CR2032 coin cell battery.

Apple promises that this will offer over a year of battery life based on “normal” use, but frankly we think you’ll probably get even more out of it.

Apple’s definition of “normal” is locating your AirTag by making it play a sound four times a day and using one “Precision Finding” event every day. Of course, your mileage will also vary depending on the batteries you use and environmental conditions.

However, the CR2032 is easily the most common coin battery on the planet, and replacements cost less than a buck, depending on where you buy them and whether you’re concerned about using a more premium brand. This is arguably the best way to go with something like an AirTag — since it’s designed to be attached to an item and left there, nobody is going to want to deal with the hassle of having recharging when you can simply pop in a new battery in a matter of seconds.