The shady world of AirTag wallets
Want a good wallet? To pair with your AirTag? We investigated why reputable brands aren't making AirTag wallets and why the few that exist all suck.
For all their privacy-related flaws, Apple’s AirTags are objectively great for finding your stuff. The sheer spread of the Apple Find My Network paired with iPhone Ultra Wideband (iPhone 11, 12, and 13 only) radios for precise location tracking once you’re close to an AirTag makes them hard to beat.
So, for a wallet that holds many important things like our money, ID, credit/debit cards, transit cards, and office-access keys, AirTags would seem like a natural fit. That’s a lot on the line to lose.
It is also true that there is no shortage of companies rushing to sell you a new wallet. From general accessory brands like Nomad and Waterfield Designs, to dedicated wallet makers like Ridge and Bellroy, you can’t sneeze online without someone trying to get you to ditch your old bifold wallet for a cool minimalist one.
This is why I was so bewildered by the utter lack of wallets with an AirTag slot from these companies. Sure, I could buy a Tile or Chipolo tracker the size of a huskier credit card to slide into my wallet, but those only get you in the same room as your wallet if you lose it. From there, you’re relying on audible cues to find the darn thing. Chipolo sells a tracker card that works with Find My instead of its own network, but it still has the limitations of Bluetooth tracking. No! I want my phone to guide me right up to the couch cushion my wallet is hiding in. For that, AirTags are the only option for now.
