Five smart uses for AirTags and Android trackers beyond luggage

Trackers like Apple AirTags and Android tags are usually sold for luggage and keys, but they can do more. They can ring your lost phone, keep a shared camera from vanishing, help track a stolen bike and warn you when you walk away from your keys. An AirTag 2 costs around $29.

Use the tag to find your phone

Normally, you open an app such as Apple's Find My or Google's Find Hub to see where a tracker is. Some tags work the other way round. Press the button on the tag and your paired Android phone rings. That helps when the phone is somewhere in the house and the keys are in your hand. It does not work on every tracker.

• Motorola Moto Tag: double-press the button, after turning the feature on in the app.
• Moto Tag 2: rings your phone, or works as a remote for your phone's camera.
• Pebblebee Clip, Card and Tag Gen 2: also support finding your phone.

Shared gadgets and pets

A tag on a shared item, such as a Nintendo Switch or a camera, ends the blame game when it goes missing. Google's Find Hub lets you share a tracker with up to 10 other people. AirTags can be shared with up to 5 additional people. Everyone can then check the location from their own phone.

Pets are another use. A small tag on a collar shows whether a pet is next door or truly lost. Some owners have gone further and used the tag's beep to call a pet home. There are reports of people training cats to come back when they hear it.

Bikes and e-scooters

A tracker cannot stop a theft, but it can show where a bike or e-scooter went. Hide it. A tag that is easy to see is likely to be removed. Options include under the saddle, or dedicated mounts that fit under bottle cages.

There is a catch. AirTags and Android trackers warn people when an unfamiliar tracker seems to be traveling with them, to stop stalking. That alert could expose a hidden tag, so there may be little time to give the police your bike's location.

Left-behind alerts

Apple's Find My app has a feature called Notify When Left Behind. If your iPhone is separated from your AirTag, you get a notification. Leave your keys in a coffee shop and your phone tells you.

To avoid constant alerts at home, you can set exclusion areas, such as your house or workplace. You can set more than one. On Android, the upcoming Pixel Tag will support similar alerts. Google has also rolled out updates that let users set left-behind reminders in Find Hub for supported tags.