The AirTag lets you track any item you like – provided you’ve got the right holder to put it in. We round up the best luggage labels, key rings, pet tags, cases and covers for your Apple AirTag.
There are cheaper alternatives, but this is the best AirTag key ring we’ve seen. It’s light, attractive and reassuringly well-made. It’s easy to put the AirTag inside, but the metal popper won’t let it escape. And we love the large, chunky (but quite flat) ring, although we’d recommend testing it out in a shop if you’re planning on attaching car keys with a small aperture. This reviewer’s Nissan and Skoda keys were both a tight fit.
The leather covering protects the AirTag’s edge from drop damage but leaves most of its chassis, both front and back, open to the elements and liable to scuff a little. We think this is worth it for the pleasing look, and scuffing is both inevitable and minor, but if you want total protection you’ll need to look elsewhere.–David Price
Orbitkey‘s leather offering is well worth your consideration. It costs roughly the same as Apple’s Leather Key Ring but it has a nice-looking design and a couple of advantages up its sleeve.
One is the slenderness of the ring itself. Whereas Apple’s broad, flat ring can be awkward for attaching car keys with a narrow aperture, this will fit into holes of the smallest dimensions. The second advantage lies in the innovative way keys are attached: an initially baffling locking system that, once mastered, is far quicker and easier (and far less painful) than prising apart the traditional two-layer ring with your fingernails.
The only real quibble is that the leather fob is quite a lot bigger than the AirTag itself. It has more space than it needs and wobbles around slightly inside the pocket. The key ring thus takes up more room in your pocket than it needs to. This does also give the AirTag far more protection than Apple’s version. It’s less likely to get scuffed than with the other key rings we tried out.
If the price tag puts you off, Orbitkey also makes a much cheaper Slim Case with a similar locking system.–David Price
If the leather key rings above are too expensive for your budget, consider Belkin’s cheerful, affordable alternative. The Secure Holder is made of plastic, which gives it more of a budget feel, but it’s reassuringly robust.
As with Apple’s key ring, both faces of the AirTag are left exposed, but the plastic surround sticks out more and thus provides more drop protection. The AirTag is secured inside the holder via a clever twist-and-lock mechanism. It’s available in white, black, pink and blue.–David Price
Olixar’s simple offering costs less than the Belkin key ring, and less than a third of the Apple option, for a pair. Very handy if you want to equip a couple of young teenagers with AirTags and keep an eye on their movements.
Wrestling the AirTag into the silicone cover is mildly tricky–there’s no clasp of any kind, you just stretch the edges and jam it in there–but it’s secure once inside and admirably protective. In fact you could say it provides twice the protection of Apple’s key ring since it covers the back completely: only the front face is exposed.
The karabiner-style opening on the ring makes it easier to use and more fun than a conventional ring (although slightly less secure, since it doesn’t have the lock feature of a full mountaineering karabiner). But this is essentially a basic option; if you’re prepared to spend a little more, consider Olixar’s ‘leather style’ version instead, or even its top-of-the-line genuine leather case.–David Price
Elevation Lab’s TagVault: Keychain offers a keyring nub, resistance to scratching or mars, or waterproof or water-resistant options. This rugged case has a gasket that prevents water intrusion while passing through ultrawideband and Bluetooth signals and allowing about two-thirds of the AirTag’s sound volume. It has an integral loop for a keychain ring and comes with a simple but robust one.–Glenn Fleishman
How about a properly rugged key ring accessory for your AirTag? The Caseology Vault is made from military-grade thermoplastic polyurethane, with a nicely grippy sandstone finish that makes it less prone to drops.
