Are AirTags Waterproof?

AirTags are water resistant, not waterproof. Apple rates both the original AirTag and AirTag 2 at IP67, which means they survive submersion in up to 1 meter of still freshwater for up to 30 minutes under controlled lab conditions. In plain terms: rain, snow, mud, spills, and a quick drop in a puddle are all fine. Prolonged submersion, saltwater, pressure washers, and pool chemicals are not.
That distinction matters most for outdoor and business use, where a tag might sit on a trailer through a winter or take a washdown every week. This guide breaks down exactly what IP67 covers, where it stops, and how to protect an AirTag that lives outside.
What IP67 Actually Means
IP67 is an ingress protection rating defined by IEC standard 60529. The two digits describe two different things:
- 6 (dust): fully dust-tight. No dust can get inside the enclosure, which matters on job sites and in dusty environments.
- 7 (water): protected against immersion in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
The water test is done once, in still, room-temperature freshwater. That is the fine print that trips people up. IP67 is a single controlled dunk, not a standing promise. Apple also states plainly that splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent and can decrease with normal wear.
What IP67 Handles Easily
For everyday and outdoor use, IP67 covers far more than most people expect:
- Rain and snow, including heavy downpours and being left out in a storm
- Splashes and spills of water
- Mud, dust, and dirt on a job site or trail
- A brief accidental drop into a puddle, sink, or shallow water, retrieved within the 30-minute window
- Humidity and fog in outdoor environments
Get an AirTag wet in any of these ways, dry it off, and it keeps working. This is exactly the range of conditions IP67 was designed for.
What IP67 Does Not Cover
The rating has hard edges. These conditions exceed IP67 and can damage the tag or degrade its seals over time:
| Condition | Why it exceeds IP67 |
|---|---|
| Prolonged or repeated submersion | The rating is a one-time 30-minute test, not a promise for repeated dunking |
| Depth beyond 1 meter | Water pressure rises with depth and forces past the seals |
| Saltwater | Salt corrodes the internal contacts even after the water dries |
| Pool or chemically treated water | Chlorine and additives attack seals that freshwater does not |
| Pressure washers and hoses | High-pressure water is explicitly outside any IP67 test |
| Hot showers and steam | Heat plus moisture and pressure combine to beat the rating |
The seams around the battery cover and the speaker grille are where water resistance weakens first as a tag ages, which is why long-term outdoor tags benefit from a sealed mount.
Temperature: The Other Outdoor Limit
Water is only half of outdoor durability. Apple rates the AirTag operating temperature at -20 to 60 C (-4 to 140 F). Within that band it works through cold winters and hot summers.
Two edge cases are worth knowing:
- Hot sealed spaces. A dark dashboard or a sealed metal box in direct summer sun can climb past 60 C, above the rated range. For vehicle tracking, keep the tag out of direct-sun dashboards.
- Extreme cold. Below freezing, the CR2032 coin cell temporarily puts out less power, which can shorten range until it warms back up. This is usually recoverable, not permanent damage.
Protecting an AirTag for Permanent Outdoor Use
For a tag that lives outside for months or years on a trailer, container, or piece of equipment, IP67 is the floor, not the ceiling. Two upgrades make it bulletproof:
A weatherproof mount or case. This seals the vulnerable seams and speaker area, blocks UV, and adds impact protection. It is the single best upgrade for any outdoor asset tag and turns a water-resistant tag into a genuinely weatherproof one.
Placement with signal in mind. Water and metal both absorb radio signal. Mount the tag where it stays dry-ish and has a line of sight to passing Apple devices, not buried in a metal enclosure or pressed against a wet surface, so it keeps reporting reliably.
AirTags Outdoors, at Business Scale
IP67 is why AirTags work so well for outdoor asset tracking. Trailers, generators, containers, and equipment left outside through every season keep reporting, and a weatherproof mount handles the long-term exposure.
What the bare AirTag lacks is the software layer. The native Find My app has no location history, no geofence alerts, no team access, and a 32-item cap. Airpinpoint adds all of that on top of your existing AirTags, so a fleet of outdoor assets shows up on one dashboard with full history and boundary alerts, at $11.99 per device per month. For assets you cannot service often, Airpinpoint also offers custom Find My beacons engineered to run 7 or more years instead of a yearly coin-cell swap.
FAQ
Are AirTags waterproof?
No, they are water resistant. Apple rates AirTags IP67: safe in up to 1 meter of still freshwater for up to 30 minutes under lab conditions. Rain, snow, splashes, and mud are fine, but prolonged submersion, saltwater, and pressurized water are not.
Can AirTags get wet?
Yes. Rain, snow, spills, and a quick dunk are all within IP67. Dry the tag off and it keeps working. Avoid long submersion, saltwater, pool chemicals, and pressure washers.
What does IP67 mean?
IP67 is an IEC 60529 rating. The 6 means fully dust-tight; the 7 means protected against immersion in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes, tested once in still freshwater. It does not cover moving water, salt water, high pressure, or repeated soaking.
Can you leave an AirTag out in the rain?
Yes. Rain and snow are well within IP67. For a tag mounted outdoors permanently, add a weatherproof mount to protect the seams and speaker area over the long term.
What temperature can an AirTag survive?
Apple rates it -20 to 60 C (-4 to 140 F). It works through cold and heat within that range. The main risks are a hot sealed dashboard exceeding 60 C and extreme cold temporarily reducing battery output.
Is AirTag 2 more waterproof than AirTag 1?
No. Both are IP67 with identical water resistance. AirTag 2 improves range, Precision Finding, and speaker volume, not water resistance.
Do AirTags work for outdoor tracking?
Yes. Thousands of outdoor assets are tracked on Airpinpoint year-round. IP67 handles the weather, a weatherproof mount handles long-term exposure, and Airpinpoint adds the history, geofence alerts, and dashboard that Find My lacks.



Our Solution