First AirTag Orders Shift to 'Preparing to Ship' Ahead of April 30 Launch - MacRumors
Skip to Content

First AirTag Orders Shift to 'Preparing to Ship' Ahead of April 30 Launch

AirTag pre-orders only went live on Friday, but some customers who placed orders have already seen those orders shift over to "preparing to ship" status over the course of the weekend.

airtag preparing to ship
Orders that are preparing to ship are no longer able to be canceled, and soon those orders should be able to be tracked using methods like UPS My Choice and track by reference number in the United States. The first customers who ordered on Friday will see their devices arriving on Friday, April 30.

Priced at $29 each or $99 for a four pack, users can attach an AirTag to things like a wallet, keys, purse, or backpack and then keep track of the item's location in the Find My app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Initial supplies of AirTags‌ began to dwindle in the first hours that pre-orders opened on Apple's website – shipping estimates for single AirTags quickly slipped into May, while engraved ‌AirTags‌ won't deliver until late May or early June.

As of writing, 1-pack AirTag orders without engraving are listed as shipping within five to seven business days in the U.S., while engraved AirTags ship within five to six weeks. Meanwhile, a 4-pack of AirTags ships within five to six weeks with or without engraving.

Third-party retailers are also offering ‌AirTags‌ and it's possible orders could ship out close to the ‌AirTag‌ release date. Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in a new purple color also began on Friday. Many configurations still remain available for April 30 delivery.

Related Roundup: AirTag
Buyer's Guide: AirTag (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

macbook ultra

'MacBook Ultra' Coming Soon With These 12 New Features

Friday July 24, 2026 6:00 pm PDT by
Apple's first high-end MacBook redesign in five years is expected to arrive in the near future, bringing a run of firsts to the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the laptop to arrive between late 2026 and early 2027, with the later window now looking more likely owing to the global memory chip shortage. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects mass production to begin by late 2026. Apple last...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple

Apple to Overhaul Mac Lineup With 11 New Models

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:13 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to refresh every Mac it sells over the next two years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The plans come amid a Mac resurgence, with sales projected to climb for a third consecutive year, partly thanks to a growing following among users who lean on the machines for demanding, agent-based AI workloads. The wave of new Macs will begin this fall with a refreshed...
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max Feature

'Apple Upgrade' Program Reportedly Launching Next Week

Tuesday July 21, 2026 8:30 am PDT by
Apple and Klarna are partnering on a new "Apple Upgrade" leasing program set to launch in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The program will allow you to finance most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, with a 24-month term for iPhones and Apple Watches and a 36-month term for iPads and Macs. Customers will be able to pay off the device early during...

Top Rated Comments

HeavenDynamic Avatar
69 months ago
Mine shifted to "preparing to ship" just a few hours after placing the order.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tonyberinson Avatar
69 months ago
australia is 10 June.



Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69 months ago
So will Apple enable all the tags before shipment and pair to your account?

Then you would not need any shipping tracking... :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69 months ago

australia is 10 June.


Mine is 30th in Australia.

Attachment Image
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bazooka-joe Avatar
69 months ago
In the U.K. mine still still says “preparing to ship” although the new Nike watch bands have now shipped with a Thursday delivery date so I would imagine that the air tags are sat in the UK in Leicestershire and the status won’t change until Wednesday or Thursday
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69 months ago
Mine showing as preparing to ship too... just as long as they don't go missing like my last order from Tile... the irony of not being able to find your trackers, lost in transit...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)