When AirTag is placed in Lost mode, all NFC-enabled devices – including those running Android – can read the locator’s pre-programmed discovery message, a small but potentially important feature that could help return lost objects.
NFC functionality was somewhat analyzed during Tuesday’s “Spring Loaded” event, but a new support document provides additional details about the feature.
According to Apple, picking up and touching the white portion of a lost AirTag on an NFC-enabled device redirects to a webpage that can display the owner’s phone number. Additional information such as the AirTag serial number is also provided.
AirTag users must provide their contact information during the setup process and place the device in lost mode for the feature to work.
Apple, in its support document, points out that Android devices can also interact with an AirTag in Lost mode.
“You can view a Lost Mode message on any NFC-enabled smartphone, such as an iPhone or Android phone,” says Apple.
It should come as no surprise that Apple has included support for NFC, a widely adopted communications protocol, in the small tracker. Beyond Android, a number of other common computing devices incorporate NFC support, greatly increasing the efficiency of AirTag.
The main mode of AirTag communication is an Ultra Wideband radio, implemented on the Apple U1 chip, which sends pulses to other U1-equipped devices, such as the iPhone. The tracker accuracy finding function is powered by UWB and is currently exclusive to the iOS platform. It also uses Bluetooth to communicate with Apple devices, which then send information about nearby AirTags and their associated location data to the Find Me network.