Apple’s new AirTag tracking accessory may be a tad too thick for users who’d like to carry one in their wallet, but AirTag user Andrew Ngai has remodeled an AirTag into card that – albeit still a bit thick – fits in a wallet.
The process is not exactly easy, as you might imagine, but Andrew managed to do it all himself with just a few tools and a lot of patience. As he demonstrated, removing the back of the AirTag was quite simple, but the components are all glued to the plastic shell with the exception of the removable battery.
Andrew had to heat the AirTag to 150ºF (or 65℃) to get the AirTag logic board out of the plastic shell. However, the biggest challenge in making the AirTag thinner was relocating the CR2032 battery, which is 3.2 millimeters thick by itself. Together with the whole structure, each AirTag is 8 millimeters thick.
By using extra wired connections, it was possible to connect the battery to the AirTag side by side instead of keeping them together on top of each other.
MacDailyNews Take: The standard thickness for a credit card is 0.76 millimeters, so Andrew’s “AirTag Card” is the thickness of 2.888 credit cards. FYI, Apple’s iPhone Leather Wallet with MagSafe supports up to three credit cards.
I must confess I thought it odd Apple has not done a CC AirTag.
Our family is experimenting with AirTags now, but what we have all lost a few heartrending times over the past decade, is our wallets. I now have an Apple AirTag keychain but honestly don’t remember the last time I lost my keys. The teenage driver in our household has locked his in his ’94 Corolla 3x now, but the new AirTag on his keychain is unlikely to prevent that.
Bravo to Andrew Ngai for this 1st gen attempt even though it’s too thick for my purposes and not something I can imagine sitting on.
Apple presumably has 2nd and 3rd gen AirTag designs already planned, and Apple is always happy to see what it’s customers can cook up. It’s exciting!
Best not to sit on your wallet anyway… it really can cause back and hip problems later in life.
Good going!
Now watch Apple market AirTag Cards next!
Why not, it’s only logical. tile has one, Apple probably will too. I have a Tile CC card in my wallet
Replacing the battery with a 2025 or 2016 versions might help, as they are 2.5mm and 1.6mm thickness respectively… may not last as long though.
How does it blend?
Really well