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

Second Generation AirTag Feature Purple

AirTag 2 Receives Upgraded Feature With Firmware Update

Wednesday April 1, 2026 1:03 pm PDT by
Apple this week released the first firmware update for the AirTag 2, and the company has since shared release notes that explain what is new. According to Apple, the latest firmware "updates the unwanted tracking sound to more easily locate an unknown AirTag during Precision Finding." The firmware update also includes unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements." The new firmware has a ...
Second Generation AirTag Feature

Apple Releases First Firmware Update for AirTag 2

Tuesday March 31, 2026 3:08 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for its second-generation AirTag item trackers. The firmware has a 3.0.45 version number, up from 3.0.41, and it is the first firmware update that Apple has provided for the AirTag 2 that launched in January 2026. According to Apple, the AirTag 2 firmware updates the unwanted tracking sound to make it easier to locate an unknown AirTag during Precision...
MacBook Pro Low Angle Wide Lens

Apple to Launch 'MacBook Ultra' With These Six New Features

Friday April 24, 2026 10:32 am PDT by
While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were just updated with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips last month, bigger changes are reportedly around the corner. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the higher-end MacBook Pro models will be receiving a major redesign by early 2027, and he said that Apple might use "MacBook Ultra" branding for them. If so, the MacBook Ultra would likely be a...

Top Rated Comments

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



Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
65 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)
65 months ago

australia is 10 June.


Mine is 30th in Australia.

Attachment Image
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bazooka-joe Avatar
65 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)
65 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)