Apple AirTags Issue – Why it is not a good buy in Pakistan

If you are a die heart fan of Apple products, you must be aware of AirTags by now. Apple AirTags is one of the latest addition to Apple’s lineups for 2021. The company recently launched them together with iMax and iPhone 12 purple version. This took place in Apple’s spring event in 2021. However, surprisingly we have discovered an issue with Airtags in Pakistan. Here is our take and why we think it’s not a good buy in Pakistan.

Before we look into the problem, let’s find out some of the features of this device.

Airtags Features and Price

The Apple AirTags price in Pakistan is PKR 6200/- and comes with classic packaging. Some people find it a little costly. However, the design, together with smooth functionality makes it worth the price. So due to impose import duties and the supply and demand chain, the price will remain to be an issue for Airtags in Pakistan.

Moreover, one of the biggest advantages is that the batteries are easy to change. Additionally, the presence of the Apple U1 chip makes the tracking system smarter. You need to follow a few steps to activate your Apple AirTag. Firstly, connect the AirTags with your iPhone. Then place the tracker in the item you need to track. Its location would show up automatically on the ‘Find My application’.

However, are these features enough to ignore the AirTags Issue in Pakistan? Let us find out.

The Issue with AirTags in Pakistan

Now that you know about all the features of this device, let us find out the bottom line. This will make any Pakistani re-think buying the Apple AirTags. The device contains the Apple U1 chip. iPhone 11 and 12 series contain the same chip. However, the U1 chip doesn’t work in Pakistan because ultra wideband (UWB) is not available. Other countries where UWB is not available as per Apple Press Release includes

• Argentina
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Indonesia
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Paraguay
• Russia
• Solomon Islands
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan

Therefore, Apple had to do a press release basing on people’s reactions of facing some issues with AirDrop feature. Apple U1 chip works on ultra wideband and hence, requires the UWB service to be present in a country.

Reason for U1(Ultra-wideband) ban in Pakistan

You may be wondering the reason for the ban of Ultra-wideband in Pakistan and how it impacts the device. So, here’s the deal.

The government of Pakistan assigns a particular radio-frequency spectrum to every cellular networking company (Narrow bands). All devices that connect to this network work within this frequency. The problem with U1 chips is that they use all these frequencies within a specified area. This creates a problem for the government which has sold different radio-frequency spectrum to different networks. And that becomes the cause of Airtags issue in Pakistan since they also operate on Ultra-wideband frequency.

As per the Pakistan Telecommunication Document of December 2012, this skepticism of UWB was there. Following are the offering of the concluding part of the document

Few risks of UWB are observed, that:
• High power levels of UWB emissions pose a risk of causing interference to the existing services. A proliferation of UWB emissions at high levels could adversely affect the coverage and service quality of a number of current narrowband” systems.
However, the power levels and short-range over which low-power UWB devices are designed to operate are unlikely to support significant wide-area outdoor use. Examples of services that could be affected include land mobile services, Global Positioning System (GPS), radio astronomy and Earth receive stations.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authrity

What Does that mean for Airtags? Issues in Pakistan

As established earlier, the precision finding features of up to 4 cm accuracy can only work with Apple devices having U1 chips. Airtags and iPhones that are being shipped to Pakistan don’t have that functionality of Ultra-wideband. It is disabled as and when Apple finds the geolocation of the device. And the non-availability of Ultra wideband spectrum in Pakistan would remain the main issue of Airtags and Apple airdrop feature.

Therefore, the U1 chip is disabled in phones being geo-tagged in Pakistan. Although Bluetooth would still function normally, the lack of working of the U1 chip would mean that the location tracking will not be as precise as AirTags with active U1 chips.

We hope that this information was sufficient for you to decide whether you should buy this device despite the AirTags problem in Pakistan. Let us know in your comments whether you will go for AirTags or stick to the conventional tiles.