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

google pixel tag design

Google Unveils $29 Pixel Tag to Take On Apple's AirTag

Wednesday August 12, 2026 11:52 am PDT by
Google today introduced the Pixel Tag, its answer to Apple's AirTag. Pixel Tag is Google's first item tracker, even though Google implemented an item tracking network two years ago that's been used by third-party devices. The Pixel Tag is made from stainless steel, and it is IP67 water- and dust-resistant. There's a built-in speaker that can play a sound when an item it's attached to is...
iPhone Handoff Feature

iOS 27 Introduces New 'iPhone Handoff' Feature

Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device. This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time. ...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Thursday September 3, 2026 3:41 am PDT by
Less than a week before Apple debuts new iPhone 18 Pro models, research firm TrendForce has estimated the prices of the devices based on the latest hardware cost environment. TrendForce's price estimates compared to last year's models look like this: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 17 Pro $1,099 iPhone 18 Pro $...

Top Rated Comments

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



Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
70 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)
70 months ago

australia is 10 June.


Mine is 30th in Australia.

Attachment Image
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bazooka-joe Avatar
70 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)
70 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)