It's Possible to Drill a Hole Through an AirTag

Unlike a Tile or some other item trackers, Apple's new AirTag does not have any holes or openings for attaching it directly to a keychain, forcing customers to purchase accessories like a leather key ring for this purpose.

airtags drill 1
Interestingly, though, MacRumors forum member smythey has proven that it is possible to drill a hole into the AirTag without breaking it, allowing for a string or a thin key ring to be fed through the opening. The result doesn't look very cosmetically appealing, but smythey said the AirTag seems to function normally after the do-it-yourself job.

A teardown of the AirTag shared on YouTube today provides a first look inside Apple's item tracker, revealing a circular circuit board with seemingly just enough room around the edges to drill a small hole in the plastic.


Keep in mind that drilling a hole into an AirTag will unsurprisingly void Apple's warranty and could damage the accessory if done incorrectly, but this still proves as a neat proof of concept for those looking to save a few dollars.

Is your AirTag order arriving today? Discuss with others in our AirTag forum.

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Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
49 months ago
Man, I really wish I'd seen that teardown video before I made mine…



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Score: 81 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anup.chavda Avatar
49 months ago
I just 3D printed my own holders. Cost me less than 10cents and 10 mins.

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Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mtneer Avatar
49 months ago
Cool.. can’t believe that Apple’s design engineers did not think of this use case.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
davie18 Avatar
49 months ago

Cool.. can’t believe that Apple’s design engineers did not think of this use case.
I mean they obviously did... seeing as these will probably be most useful for keys how could you not consider how peple will attach it to keys.

The cynic would say they did it on purpose so people have to buy the holder to attach it to keys = more profit for apple

I cant think of any other reason they would leave it off.... maybe they woul just say they want the 'cleanest design possible' or something, but I think the cynical assumption might be correct
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ForkHandles Avatar
49 months ago
All it needs now is a button you can press to help you find your iPhone, it will be as useful as a Tile then.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benshive Avatar
49 months ago

Man, I really wish I'd seen that teardown video before I made mine…


Reasons this site is great, ranked:
1. AngerDanger gifs
2. Apple news
3. Everything else
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)